by Isabelle Kellogg
Luke Haynes hasn’t stopped quilting since he started toying around with small snippets of fabric on a sewing machine ten years ago. By now, he’s worked past his 100th quilt, many of which have been on view at recent shows across America, including his native city of Seattle. His works have appeared in more than 40 shows. Ten of his most iconic quilts are the focus of his latest show–a mini retrospective– which opens in April in New York.
Haynes calls his works “meditative portraiture” and most of his fabric works are indeed large-scale portraits rendered in reclaimed cloth pieces, sewn together and set against a vibrant, patterned or simple fabric backdrop.
Calling himself “peripatetic” is an understatement, but Luke hails from Colorado, grew up in the South and has lived in fourteen states across America. The South is where his passion for creating tactile art quilting first took hold. Experiencing life across America also gave Luke a living history lesson.
“In an art form known for its history and lineage,” explains Luke, “the marking of time passing is an important datum and is the message I want to capture and celebrate in my works. Using this medium, I’ve discovered a way to push the viewer to re-understand what an object of use, and a coveted hand-me-down, can become through a different lens.”
It’s almost ironic that Luke hasn’t taken his talent for sewing and turned it into another business, like fashion. But it’s his devotion to something intrinsically American, a tradition and history that turns his works into an homage, albeit a modern homage.
The constant whirring of the sewing machine seems to animate Haynes, to make Luke tick. He prefers to work with music for ambient noise, but when it comes to piecing, ironing and gluing, Luke can listen to books on tape and even the occasional podcast, depending on how much focus he needs. Even though he works fast, he is meticulous, both conceptually and as a craftsmen.
So what really inspires Luke to create these fabric canvases? “I pull a lot of inspiration from architecture and design, but also in utility and creative craftsmanship,” explains Luke. “I also look at personalities for my portraits.”
His studio is a study in swatches and piles of fabric, most of them reclaimed. For example, Wearable Collections in New York provides Luke with pieces of textiles which come from used clothing collected at Green Markets around the city. A fabric company also sends Luke cuttings from its assembly lines.
Thirty percent of Luke’s quilts are created by commission and have been acquired by Duke University, The Newark Museum, Seattle Art Museum, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Haynes is a young artist with a unique vision and an unusual skill set. It’s a career worth tracking, one with enormous and exciting potential.
“The American Context: A New Look at Quilts” opens on April 13 and runs through April 27 at the Eli Alexander Gallery, 15 East 27th Street in New York City. For further information, contact Isabelle Kellogg (Isabelle@Ikellogg,com).

Comments are closed.