Cynthia Hiebert is a contemporary art quilt maker, born and raised in southern Manitoba, and residing in Winnipeg. She has been coloring outside the lines since childhood. Having studied Advertising Art, with a major in Illustration, her work focuses on purpose and letting the space speak. 

Cynthia concentrates on capturing a moment of human emotion in her compositions, through the “painting” process of fusing small pieces of fabric, often little works of art in their own right. While initial planning is crucial, the creative brain is soon let loose to improvise at will, creating serendipitous surprises along the way!  

Cynthia has shown works in various quilt shows in Manitoba, winning ribbons in several quilt challenges. 

Artist Statement: 

While considering themes for an Art Quilt Series, I realized that I already had something remarkable to work with – sisters. The pieces in this show explore my relationship to the women in my family. They all have strong personalities, but are also all very different. 

I work with standard quilting cottons, occasionally hand dyeing for effects. Fabric pieces are cut and adhered to a backer, a thread map/color chart is created, then machine quilted with multiple thread colors.  

I take inspiration from artists like Matisse and Egon Schiele for their use of vibrant color and expressive body placement. And, of course Bisa Butler, a fabulous pictorial fiber artist from the US, for her fabric story telling. 

Though I know the intent of each piece in the series, they are meant to be seen as a moment in time, with the viewer, including the subject, discovering their own interpretation. The creative brain is set loose and strange things can happen.