January, 2020 Boston studio news

It's hard to believe, but 2020 is the start of my 35th year of creating quilts.

I am proud to be a part of the MFA-Boston's textile department curators circle, THREADS. The MFA is celebrating its 150th anniversary throughout 2020. This includes several special exhibitions that will highlight important works of art from their permanent collection. The opening exhibition features an amazing display of ancient Nubian art. The textile department will open an exhibition of quilts that will be on display from mid-October until early January. This will include one of my quilts from the Two Hearts in Harmony series that is in the permanent collection of the MFA-Boston. I hope that many of you will be able to visit the museum to view the exhibition!
I am excited about this exhibition and will provide more information as soon as it's available.

Everything about my daily life connects to my Quilts.

I enjoy the nature land around my Woods End Studio. There are many hundreds of trees.
I enjoy going for a walk in the woods to breathe in the fresh air, gather kindling wood for starting a fire in my wood stove, and listening to the birds singing.

Nearly every morning I can see and Owl outside my window....I often enjoy a cup of coffee while walking in the woods and I feel a truly rich life!

Life is Art....Making quilt is my life.

I love cooking...I often invite friends to my studio.
No matter how old...people with imagination and creativity inspire me, and I want to enjoy sharing more time with them at a private studio lunch or dinner.

I know everyone has busy work schedule, but I hope my cooking refreshes or re-energizes them.....even a friendly pep-talk to keep up the enthusiasm for their success.

Cooking is another important part of my life.

I enjoy music too....I want to keep my everyday life peaceful and with a full and happy heart.
My life is simple and natural; it is best for me!

Tomie Nagano

	Happy New Year with the arrival of 2020 and a new decade! Looking back and looking forward, I am sorry it's been so long since I updated my newsletter, so I provide this brief update. Of course I have been very busy with the creation of new quilts. They continue to be very large with 10,000 to 12,000 small pieces to be hand stitched and quilted. Each one seems to take a little longer to finish. I am doing my best to manage the physical stress on my hands and fingers. My current project is called Yo-Yo quilt. I started this in the Summer of 2018, so more than a year has passed. I expect it to take another six months. ( 2 Photos)
Another recent project is a quilt top that I finished called "Hidden Beauty" that I finished in 2018. (2 Photos Indigo) I chose this name because I am working out the best technique for lighting and display of the beautiful stitching behind the top of the quilt that is always hidden.

I was proud to be the featured artist at the New England Quilt Museum's exhibition titled "In Praise of Silk" from May to August of 2019. This included the display of three of my recent works and one of my antique silk kimono.(Photo. New England Quilt Museum's postcard)