LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Art Guild is presenting a Quilt Patterns Using Reclaimed Wood Demonstration by Laura Petrovich-Cheney on Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. via Zoom.
This demonstration is open to all members via invitation; prospective members are encouraged to join the Guild at lynnfieldarts.org
The Lynnfield Art Guild’s Spring Festival and Judged Art Show will be on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Meeting House on the Lynnfield Common. The event will have the fabulous bake sale, raffles, and craft vendors, plus the music of Side Project from 1-3 p.m. The deadline to submit artist registration forms is April 19.
Laura Petrovich-Cheney is a Marblehead-based artist whose work is inspired by quilting and woodworking — two practices that, on the surface, couldn’t look more different, but that she’s always understood as variations on the same problem: how structure creates meaning. Those curious can see some of Petrovich-Cheney’s inspiring artwork at lauracheney.com.
The artist came to quilting first, drawn to pattern and geometry. Wood came later, and with it a different kind of physical reckoning — heavier, less forgiving, higher stakes. Now she builds sculptural work from salvaged wood, cutting and joining small pieces into compositions that carry the logic of quilt-making into three dimensions. She doesn’t paint the wood — the color is as it is found.
Petrovich-Cheney holds an MS in fashion design and an MFA in studio arts, and has exhibited her work widely — including at the Fuller Craft Museum, Mattatuck Museum, and International Quilt Museum.
Petrovich-Cheney said: “In addition to my artistic practice, my work is informed by my botanical studies as a Master Gardener. A desire to take personal responsibility for protecting the planet and to better understand pollinator-friendly plants for my own beekeeping led me to this field. Studying plant life revealed the intricate geometric structures inherent in flowers and foliage, further reinforcing my fascination with pattern and design.”
On Thursday, Petrovich-Cheney will walk the audience through her actual process — studio videos, sawdust, and all — from first sketch to finished piece. How does a pattern become a structure? How do you recalibrate when the material pushes back? This is a candid look at what making art really looks like, from someone who has spent years working at the intersection of craft and contemporary art.
Membership in the Lynnfield Art Guild is open to artisans, photographers, and artists of all levels, with student, supporting, and family memberships available. Visit the LAG website at lynnfieldarts.org.
