The Schweinfurth Art Center’s current exhibition “Imprinted on Cloth” showcases four fiber artists whose work crosses the boundaries between quilting and printmaking: Petra Fallaux of Pittsburgh; Pat Pauly of Rochester, NY; Karen Schulz of the Washington, DC, area; and Margaret Boys Wolf of Issaquah, WA.
All four artists layer fiber reactive dyes and several surface design techniques, including silk screening, monoprinting, and stenciling, to create abstract compositions using color, shape, and line. Yet their results are wildly different: the calming colors and patterns of work by Fallaux and Schulz vs the bright, active designs by Pauly and Wolf.
Each wall of the Schweinfurth’s second-floor Davis Family Gallery, on display through Aug. 16, 2025, shows work by one of the four artists.
“On the walls you do not see individual works, but you see a series, and from that series you sense and meet the artist,” Fallaux said. “Each wall represents the artist’s evolution, their way of working, and their voice.”
Fallaux always works in a series, as do Schulz and Wolf.
“It affords me to take the new discoveries in making one work, and then applying them in the next work,” Fallaux said. “This is such a rewarding way to work, as there are always ‘what ifs’ along the path of creating.”
Schulz said using a particular motif helps reduce decision making for each piece in her series.
“Throughout the years I have been using a motif of stacked rectangles in all kinds of configurations,” she said.
When Pauly creates a series, she repeats a motif in her work.
“At times, I’ve used a compositional format that links works together, as in my ‘Time of Day’ series, ‘Take Two’ series, or ‘Within the Frame’ series,” she said. “They give me the ability to compare the sets I’ve chosen to explore, and the myriad versions derived from that challenge.”
Pauly began printing her own fabric because she wanted patterned fabric that was unique.
“When I discovered that the dye could be used as a thickened medium and I could determine my own imagery, I was hooked,” she said. “I now find that the print and composition stand in for the piecing and intricate patterning that I would have done in piecing.”
Pauly uses silk screens for most of her printing.
“I love that I can use temporary and semi-permanent resist materials that are low tech, that is, without the need of machines to process the image to the screen,” she said. “Using soy wax as my screen resist gives me the organic line that I can crave.
Wolf also uses screen printing, but adds painting to her pieces.
“Screen printing is a very physical process,” she said. “While printing and painting, there is a freedom that ebbs and flows. The movement of the screens and brushes comes through in unexpected ways and with unexpected results.”
Wolf turned to printing to see how using a simple motif could develop more complexity using scale, repetition and color.
“Over the years, the motif has changed in size and the complexity of the layers has increased,” she said. “There seems to be endless combinations and possibilities. The consistency of the motif provides a structure that allows continued exploration.”
While Pauly and Wolf mainly use screen printing in their art, Fallaux and Schulz add monoprinting to the mix. “They can introduce more chance into the work leading to very surprising results and lend themselves to improvisation,” Schulz said.
Fallaux agrees, adding, “Monoprinting can only be controlled up to a point. The serendipity of the result always surprises me in a good way as I have to let go of wanting to control the marks too much.”
Another result of the focus on surface design has been the reduction in using piecing to achieve the artists’ desired results.
“I started out my journey in art quilting studying with Nancy Crow and using only solid colors and machine piecing to create compositions,” Schulz said. “Now I use surface design work with little piecing.”
The same is true for Pauly.
“I love to print large graphics, so that if I break down that yardage into smaller parts, it can remain a bold stroke,” she said. “I am currently using large pieces of the fabric as is. … I’m able to use more of the fabric as I have printed it, at times as a whole cloth. The prints are more involved motif-wise, and more complex.”
“Imprinted on Cloth” celebrates the complexity of surface design in contemporary fiber works, something that Pauly says is much needed. “The world is full of patterned, complex, and varied surfaces, and to ignore this replication of those surfaces, only to work in flat color, is missing out on the joy of figured textiles,” she said.
If you go:
WHAT: “Imprinted on Cloth,” an exhibition of four fiber artists
WHO: Petra Fallaux, Pat Pauly, Karen Schulz, and Margaret Boys Wolf
ALSO ON DISPLAY: “Fossil Memory” by Ellery Bryan, “After Flowers” by Patrick Costello, “Songs from the Sky” by Patrick McGuan, and “REST STOP by Julia J. Wolfe
WHERE: Schweinfurth Art Center, 205 Genesee St., Auburn
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 16, 2025
COST: $10 for admission to the Schweinfurth; $15 for admission to Schweinfurth and Cayuga Museum of History & Art
EVENT: Closing reception 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 16, 2025, featuring a farewell reception for retiring Schweinfurth Executive Director Donna Lamb
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
