We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Geri Patterson-Kutras a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Geri, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve had the privilege of doing commissions for people. Doing a commission is a bit like being an artist and psychologist. You spend time learning who the person/persons is and understanding their vision for the finished piece. I had the honor of doing a commission for a member of President Obama’s administration. Her goal was to create a tribute to her mother that could be passed down to her grandchildren. Over coffee one afternoon we sat in her kitchen and talked about her mother and the treasured bits of memories that made her mother the special woman she was. I was touched by the spirit of her mother as her daughter shared these very personal memories.

When I returned to my studio, my interpretation began to take form as a drawing in my sketch book. The key elements I gathered were of a woman with deep spirit, a woman who valued family, and a woman who always valued learning. One of the fun memories shared with me was when the family was living in a desert region and her mother missed color in her surroundings. One day she took a gallon of paint and painted all the large rocks around their home green! Needless to say, that had to appear in the piece. After several months of work the finished piece was a tree stretching upward with open hands as if reaching for the joy of life. There’s a saying that “like branches of a tree we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.” On the tree leaves I embroidered the names of mother’s children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. At the base of the tree were green rocks and open books as if left after a noon time read under the tree. When I took the finished piece to my now friend, she said she loved it.  She shared that during our initial talk she recalled so many things about her mother that she had forgotten and could now share with her children about their grandmother by way of the artwork. This commission was meaningful because it was an unexpected opportunity to get to know and appreciate two very special women.

Geri, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

If someone asked me about something I’ve learned from my art, it is that you’re never too old to learn and stretch yourself. I’m the child of an artist who studied clothing design. We always had something creative to do in our home, usually involving fabric and a sewing machine. My Mother’s gift to me was a love of creativity, in fact the name of my business is My Mother’s Daughter. I returned to school about 20 years ago after working for a major Ultrasound Manufacturer and earned a degree in Studio Art.  This is an accomplishment I consider one of my very best. Sometimes we must walk the road of life and have experiences to figure out what we really love and what ignites our soul’s passion. I work in cloth and stitch creating stories about people, nature, and the architecture we call home. My work features the human experience and very often a sense of humor. There’s a wonderful children’s book called “They All Saw a Cat” by Brendan Wenzel.  This book is a wonderful example that speaks to how each of us interpret what we see based on who we are and our unique life experiences. That’s what I hope for each person who views my work. I want them to take a moment and form their own interpretation. One of the greatest satisfactions as an artist for me is the correspondence I receive from people who have seen my work and have gained something from it.

Over the course of my experience as an artist I have been honored with a number of distinctions. Pieces of my work have been shown in the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, the Crocker Museum of Fine Arts Sacramento, and most recently juried into the de Young Open 2023 at the de Young Museum of Fine Arts San Francisco. My work has also been juried into exhibits that have traveled both nationally and internationally. I’ve completed private commissions and Kaiser Hospitals own a collection of both purchased and commissioned work I’ve completed.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

One of the greatest joys in my creative career was working as a volunteer art teacher in my grandson’s 5th grade class. I am a staunch believer in keeping the arts in the classroom curriculum. No matter if a child grows up to be a teacher, entrepreneur, military general, or a pipe fitter, the arts are valuable assets in life. The ability to interpret what they see and translate that experience into something meaningful is part of critical thinking. Giving a child the opportunity to receive validation and praise for their work builds self-confidence and self-worth…or as our grandparents said, “a can do spirit!” During the year that I worked in the classroom, each lesson began with a discussion about an artist and his or her work.  We would then dig into the art materials and create! Learning about others and their lives is an example that teaches us about failure and resilience…life doesn’t always follow the path we set or the expectations that are placed on us by others. Learning to create new ways of doing things and the self-confidence to uniquely see what is in front of us is important especially for children in today’s world of so many difficult challenges.

At the end of the year the classroom teacher had each child write a note to me about what they got from our time doing art. I received a note from a boy that said “I never thought I could draw, but now I know I can! Thank you. From Kenny” I hope that we will see in our children’s lifetimes a renewed effort to keep the arts in classrooms.  Children need to experience their own innate capacity to be creative.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

A milestone for many artists was the pandemic. As artists we were still able to be in our studios but for many of us the tap for connecting with our audiences and selling our work was shut off abruptly. There was an urgent need to “re-invent” the way we did things. Many of us turned to the internet to teach, lecture, and maintain that connection. Today there are many new avenues of organizations that are available to help us connect with audiences on the internet. One of my favorites has been through the Winslow Art Center in Washington state. They provide online courses and weekly discussions with artists. Podcasts have been another way to learn about the creative spirit, my favorite being the podcast Haptic and Hue out of England.

Contact Info:

• Website: geripkartquilts.com
• Instagram: artquiltzndogz
• Facebook: Geri Patterson-Kutras

Image Credits
Photographs by Gregory Case, Rachael Chambers and Geri Patterson-Kutras