Quilt Artist Spotlight 2020: Luke Haynes

AccuQuilt and the quilting community has long admired Luke Haynes and his creative approach to the craft. His art is incredibly unique and original, but often based in both fine art theories and quilting traditions. Even more, his reclaimed, recycled and upcycled materials tell stories of their own. Check out his incredible collection, read how he plans projects and discover some fun facts all about him!

You might not be able to visit Luke's gallery in person right now, but we invite you to tour his exhibit alongside Luke himself, safely in a digital format below!

AccuQuilt: Hi Luke! We're so excited to feature your work in our gallery! How did you choose the pieces to send?

Luke Haynes: These are part of a much larger series. I chose 10 representative pieces from the series. I wanted to showcase design through quilting elements.

AQ: I don’t know if you know this, but you inspired Pam (Heller) to create a custom shape die to sign her quilts with. Do you still use yours? How do you use AccuQuilt in your work?

LH: I use mine all the time! I love to have a die to create my labels. It saves so much time and it looks so clean and good! I also use dies to help with any curve piecing I do, having the perfect cuts and tabs to match makes all the difference.

AQ: How did you find quilting?

LH: I had some fabric and wondered if I could make a picture out of it.

AQ: Tell us a little about your first quilt.

LH: I was in art school and I wanted to see if I could use fabric to make a portrait. And then kept trying to make better and better ones.

AQ: What are you working on now?

LH: I am working on a series of quilts with my wife called, "joy".

AQ: From where do you draw inspiration most often?

LH: From questions about previous shows and from peers' work that I find dynamic.

AQ: You breathe new life into fabric. How do you choose the materials you use?

LH: I most often find used textiles that I repurpose into my quilts, that means the fabric had a story to begin with and now I cant take that story and keep it going.

AQ: A lot of your work features human subjects which is so unique and fascinating. What lead you to this technique and how do you choose subjects?

LH: I come from painting and "fine art" so that was the default subject and I took it to a new medium.

AQ: Where are some of your favorite places that quilting has taken you?

LH: Japan! Hands down that was my favorite trip. I was supposed to be there right now too...but that has to wait.

AQ: The places you photograph your quilts are amazing. Where is/are your favorite shot/s?

LH: I have been trying to take pictures that prove the "art" in the quilt. To show it as sculpture as well as utility. I really loved taking photos in sand dunes, the wind makes it dynamic and feels other worldly.

AQ: Your wife, Nicole has and is continuing to work on some incredible projects (Affirmation Billboards). How have you each influenced one another’s art?

LH: She reminds me to be more playful; she is a real joy to have around.

AQ: What are you most excited to be working on in the next year or two?

LH: I want to make a series of quilts for beds. [Strange as that may sound.] I want to get more work into the lives and homes of my peers and friends.

Quilt Artist Spotlight 2020: Luke Haynes

Okay, Rapid Fire Round!