Debbie Grifka
Debbie Grifka

Debbie Grifka

  • Michigan
  • Fiber/Textiles

Walking into a fabric store as a child, I would run my hand over all the bolts of fabric as I passed them. That love of texture has never left me. Over time I have expressed that love as a garment maker, then a quilter,...Read More

ABOUT THE ARTIST

STATEMENT

Walking into a fabric store as a child, I would run my hand over all the bolts of fabric as I passed them. That love of texture has never left me. Over time I have expressed that love as a garment maker, then a quilter, and now as a textile artist. I'm never happier or more at peace than when I'm creating and stitching.

My current work explores the intersection of drama and serenity through the use of line. I'm fascinated by trying to find out how much I can distill and take away while continuing to convey the essence of my subject or idea. I often work in black and white which further assists in keeping the focus on line.

BIO

Debbie is an Ann Arbor, MI based textile artist, teacher and author whose work focuses on the power, elegance, and serenity of the line in a minimalist style with a limited color palette.

She grew up in Ann Arbor, always making things but never thinking of herself as creative or artistic. When Debbie started quilting in 2002 that began to change and she has embraced life as an artist over the past few years. Her spare style reflects her love of peace and quiet and time to think and dream.

EXHIBITIONS/SHOWS/COMMISSIONS

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
Quilts = Art = Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY, Red Ovals, Oct 29, 2022 – January 8, 2023
Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI, Unnecessary Losses, Oct 7 – Nov 30
Artist as Quiltmaker XIX, FAVA Gallery, Oberlin, OH, Gateway, April 2 - July 3
Art Quilt Elements, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA, A Bedrock of Calm, March 27 – April 30
QuiltCon, Phoenix, AZ, A Bedrock of Calm, Chaos and Calm, February 17-20

2021
Quilts = Art = Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY, Chaos and Calm, Oct 23, 2021 – January 6, 2022
Intertwined, Dayton Society of Artists, Dayton, OH, I am Here, October
SAQA MI Showcase, Greater Flint Art Center, Flint, MI, A Bedrock of Calm, Notre Dame, Unnecessary Losses, October 8 – November 5
Interior Environments, Novi, MI, Canterbury #2, Lines #1, Sept 2021 – March 2022
Two-person exhibit, Turner 55+ Gallery, 16 works, August – October
Connections, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Houston International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX
We're Doing It All Wrong, Ed Dixon Gallery, Dayton, OH
Turner Gallery, Turner Senior Center, Ann Arbor, MI

2020
Quilts = Art = Quilts, Auburn, NY
Beyond The Festival of Quilts (virtual), Birmingham, England
Black and White, Northville Art House, Northville, MI
QuiltCon, Modern Quilt Guild, Austin, TX
Intertwined (virtual), Dayton Society of Artists, Dayton, OH

2019
QuiltCon special exhibit, Modern Quilt Guild, Nashville, TN
Ann Arbor Women Artists Board and Committee Show, Ann Arbor City Club, Ann Arbor, MI

2018
Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea, Ann Arbor, MI
Quilting by the Lake (featured artist), Schweinfurth Art Center, Syracuse, NY
QuiltCon, Modern Quilt Guild, Pasadena, CA
Ann Arbor Women's Artists Spring Show, Ann Arbor, MI

2017
Holiday Art Sale, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH
Modern Quilt Showcase, Quilts Inc, Houston, TX
Mod Squad, Quilts Inc, Chicago, IL

2016
Holiday Art Exhibit, Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art, Lansing, MI
Art Off the Wall, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Black and White Exhibit, Riverside Arts Gallery, Ypsilanti, MI
American Quilter's Society, Grand Rapids, MI
Mod Squad, Quilts Inc, Chicago, IL
QuiltCon, Modern Quilt Guild, Pasadena, CA

EDUCATION

BBA, University of Michigan

AWARDS

2020 Winner, Modern Quilts, Beyond The Festival of Quilts (virtual), Birmingham, England
2018 First Place, Appliqué, QuiltCon, Modern Quilt Guild, Pasadena, CA
2015 Honorable Mention, Mid-Century Modern, Pacific International Quilt Festival, Palm Springs and Ontario, CA
2011 First Place, First Entry in AQS Show, Small Wall Quilts, American Quilter's Society, Paducah, KY

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Author, Lines by Design Quilts, Fons and Porter, 2016

TAGS

minimal, line, textile, black and white, serene, drama, abstract, texture