Sheila Bolsover
Sheila Bolsover
I have always liked creating things of beauty, and have tried many crafts: sewing, knitting, hand embroidery, etc. While living in New England, I went to an exhibition of quilts by the Cocheco Quilt Guild and was blown away by the beautiful intricate quilts being made by today’s quilters. I was inspired to take a workshop on “how to make a quilt” and found a new love. I made quilts for family members and loved the challenge. When I had made a quilt for everyone in my immediate family, I turned to making art quilts--another challenge.
I have always had the desire to paint and draw but, like many schoolchildren I did not have the best of teachers and lost confidence in myself. When I was fortunate enough to rent a studio at Main Street Creatives, I began taking painting classes with Ed Hawkins. I had a hard time fighting my demons at first, and he was very patient with me crying on his shoulders a lot. With his help I began to get the hang of it. I have also taken classes with Jim Peters and Jeremiah White who have also taught me a lot. As a result, I have produced some work of which I am very proud and I hope to continue to grow in the arts.
I am thrilled to be surrounded by the artists at Main Street Creatives. They are always willing to take time out of their day to answer my questions and offer me help.
Working with color in quilts and designing art quilts has helped me in my painting. I have not given up my quilt making, but that is taking second place for a while.
