A Common Thread: Textile Artists Anne Eckley and Ann Matlock at the Museum of the Big Bend

Dusk by Anne Eckley

Head on over to the Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University in Alpine!  Starting May 15th, they're going to showcase the work of textile artists, Anne Eckley and Ann Matlock.  Free motion embroidery work of Anne Eckley along with the weavings and watercolors of Ann Matlock will be on exhibit through August 5. 

An evening opening reception will be held on June 8 from 6 to 8 pm at the museum.  A Gallery Talk is scheduled for the following morning from 10am to 12 noon featuring both artists at the museum. Tickets are $15 per person and seating is limited.  Works will be available for sale and a percentage of each sale will benefit the Museum of the Big Bend.

Anne Eckley is a native of Oklahoma, but came to Texas over forty years ago.  She received her BA and MA from the University of Oklahoma and a MA in Education from Central State University.  She has worked with jewelry, sculpture, ceramics and paintings, but found her voice when she began to paint with a sewing machine.  Initially she created wearable art and then moved to thread paintings. Anne sketches the design on canvas, over paints with acrylic paint and using free motion machine stitches, covers the canvas with thousand of stitches.  Her works are exhibited across the United States, France, Mexico and Switzerland.

Red Tomato, Home by Ann Matlock

Ann Matlock was born and raised in Texas. She received her BFA in Painting and Photography and an MFA in Art Education from the University of Texas, Austin.  Ann is a Professor at Lamar University, Beaumont, where she teaches Fibers, Art Education and Design.  She has been weaving since 1969 and hand spins and hand dyes most of her yarns.  Her weavings combine traditional tapestry techniques with brocade stitches that she has developed.  Ann also creates watercolors painted on location, which are the basis for many of her weavings.  Her works are exhibited across the United States and are in corporate, public and private collections.

The Museum of the Big Bend is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm and Sunday 1 to 5pm.  Parking and admission is free, but donations are always welcome.  For more information about this exhibit and how to purchase tickets to the Gallery Talk, please contact Mary Bones at 432-837-8734 or by email at maryb@sulross.edu.