Meet Ginny Eckley | Artist, specializing in Fabric Art

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ginny Eckley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ginny, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
Agreeing to write a book for a publishing company.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I learned to sew at the age of 8, thanks to a neighbor. I fell in love with the idea of making my own clothes. Fortunately, my Mom signed me up for sewing lessons. Then in High School, my family moved to New York. Not only could I take sewing in school, but they had a w0nderful art department. The school would display art shows in the lobby, that opened up a world of possibilities. This defining time allowed me to mix art and sewing. I learned batik, weaving and embroidery. In college, I missed the Art so much, I left the sewing department, switching majors.
Interestingly, the first job out of school was creating leather clothing! In my spare time, I took classes in glass, learning to sandblast, so I could etch glass, with my own designs. It was exciting, and I had many commissions. The glass world opened up, as I joined a guild. I learned to made glass lamp shades and glass windows. The commissions continued to grow, as did the sewing jobs. At one point, I had to choose between the glass and textile worlds. I had work in both, but decided to concentrate on my first love, textiles. My work expanded into art quilts, and I joined a wonderful guild, Houston Fiber Artists. They also had guilds in San Antonio and Dallas. Speakers would come from all over to share their work in classes and presentations.

I loved the classes, as I enjoy learning new things, but the others in class would create differently, so I always saw many ways to do things. Our group would put on shows in galleries and museums, so we learned the process of having our work judged, then understanding the process of hanging a show. Some artists were timid regarding entering and having their work judged, but it is a great way to know how others see your work. Years later, I was asked to be a judge, with my specialty in Art Quilts.

As for lessons, when opportunities arise, say YES! It usually means work, but you will broaden your world in many ways. Your skill level increases, but also your circle of clients and friends. One interesting “Yes”, was to Jeff McKissack who created the Orange Show in Houston. I created clothing for mannequins in one of his exhibits. This led to a friendship between us, and later a friendship with the people who purchased the Orange Show. It has grown, expanding into a park with mosaics, an Art Car Festival, and a year – around Art programs for the city.

My other learning experience was accepting the opportunity to write a book. Martingale Publishing asked me to write a book about my fish series, which I called Quilted Sea Tapestries. I had been teaching classes, so I had a good start on how to share my techniques, but the editors were wonderful in shaping the book, creating beautiful layouts. The whole process opened up my world. Later I created a second book with them, called Fabric Painting. The best part was the books put me in touch with people, and I ended up teaching across the US, from Hawaii to Florida, and across several cities in Japan.

So take those opportunities, disguised as work, as it opens up your universe!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So, It has to involve Nature! I have 2 electric bikes, so a morning and evening we explore the trails in my neighborhood. There are 75 miles of trails through the woods that are just refreshing. Each time we go to different places, seeing parks, lakes and lots of woods. For food, I love taking guests to a great grocery store, HEB, that has sushi, a deli, a huge assortment of fruits and vegetables, a fish counter, cheese counter, health food department -whatever you want, fresh and ready to eat! So no matter who I bring there, they come out happier! Also I have a great juicer, so I find out what fruits and veggies, they like, and create healthy drinks. As for restaurants, we have a great variety. Two favorites with guests is Di Maria, fresh Mexican food and Akashi, an Asian Bistro and Sushi bar. Both have broad menus, so we usually end up choosing dishes to share!
Our museums are top-notch, and always have films or events that are exceptional. One we just went to at the Houston Museum of Natural Science was a program about the Eclipse in October, 2023 and April, 2024. Besides the museum district, Houston has a great downtown night life. Often the restaurants have life music, which is fun and adds so much to the evening.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many amazing influences that have driven me to achieve at a higher level. In Houston we have museums that are inspirational. The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft has a focus on hand made art, and I have shown work there, and sold work there. But more importantly, they have studios with residencies, for artists to create in, at the museum. So, besides The Museum of Fine Arts is so big, you can always find an exhibit that broadens your world. My other two favorite museums are Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston and Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University. The cities across the US have outstanding museums, and are a great way to expand our vision and see what others have accomplished.

Website: www.fabricpaintings.com www.artlab365.com www.makescreens.com

Image Credits
Alan Montgomery did the photo of me painting the artwork, Splash!