2010 / Quilts: Ruby Nishio at Future Studio Gallery, Los Angeles, July 10 – 31

Quilt, “New York, New York” by Ruby Nishio

For the past 18 years Ruby Nishio has used her talents in creating beautiful quilts. She is an amazing quilt artist and has won many awards for her work. She is showing her quilts at Future Studio Gallery, 5558 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042.

The show opens on July 10, 7-10 p.m. This show is also part of the NELAart.com Second Saturday Gallery Night.

This is her first one person show.

Ruby Nishio has been sewing for over 70 years. She has done all types of handwork, from custom dressmaking, knitting, tatting, crocheting and embroidery.

In 1992 she transitioned into making quilts. The imagery she uses is taken from her personal interests. She loves gardening and many of the patterns she uses are of flowers and nature.

She stitches fabric pieces together to form repetitive patterns that are then hand quilted.

One quilt in the exhibition, ‘Trip Around the World’, 1998, includes 2193 two-inch squares of flowered fabrics where the stitched edges of each piece lose their sharpness and blend with the pieces next to each other forming an impressionist patterned garden.

In ‘New York, New York’, 2005, echoes of the Statue of Liberty are depicted in the patterns, while the colors and fabrics are reminiscent of Broadway by way of the Ginza. Expressing her love of gardening and traveling, she has created wonderful pieces that are truly works of art.

Nishio grew up in Los Angeles and was interned at Heart Mountain relocation camp during WWII.

After returning to Los Angeles she began working at Cahill Wedding Gowns in Beverly Hills, sewing and designing wedding gowns.

The exhibition will run till July 31 and there will be an afternoon tea on Sunday, July 25 from noon – 4 p.m.