Margaret Cusack

Margaret Cusack

After studying graphic design, typography, printmaking, drawing, animation, sculpture and painting at Pratt Institute, I later chose fabric andthread as my medium for creating artworks and illustrations. I applied all of my previous training to this unconventional medium: samplers, stitched artwork, and soft sculpture.

“Why fabric?” is a question that is always asked. The answer is simple: To me, fabric is instantaneous color, pattern and texture. It also evokes emotion, memory and nostalgia. I use fabric to transmit these qualities to the viewer.

Since 1972, my stitched images have been used primarily for large-scale hangings and illustrations, but I have also created stitched props, costumes, quilts and portraits that have been used in children’s books, posters, advertisements, magazines, etc. My book, Picture Your World in Appliqué, published by Watson-Guptill Publications, includes
galleries of my stitched artwork.

My interest as an artist is in presenting realism by using the interplay of patterns and textures. I enjoy creating images that involve viewers and evoke a response.