I make art. I feel that it is a personal expression of my inner consciousness. It is creative and tells me much about myself. It is meaningful only in terms of my own personal response to what I perceive it to be saying to me. If it speaks to others, I am glad that others are able to know me better and that they are able to somewhat enter into my world of consciousness.

I believe that the making of art is primarily for the benefit of the artist. If what the artist has created communicates messages and feeling to others, then it is because of the universality of the human experience that is speaking through the work of art. I do not believe that art has to be lasting in physical terms to be great art, much less good art. If a creative effort is able to move, change, and teach the human spirit to grow into its full conscious potential, then I think the purpose of art has been fulfilled.

I would describe my quilts as personal narrative abstractions. The designs and themes come from spaces within. I allow the images to flow through me into the fabric, most often not knowing for sure (or at all) what they mean or what they are trying to say. Usually, at some unannounced point in the creative process, the message begins to express itself. I have yet to be disappointed. The message has always arrived and has always affirmed in me some truth about my own personal reality. I am amazed and humbled when this happens. Once known and expressed, the message may again retreat into mystery only to surface later as an even greater or more relevant truth.

Credo

Credo

I believe
that artists possess a particular vision
that can change and heal a society in distress.

I believe
that through hard work and relentless focus,
we can make a difference and bring
hope, light and understanding
to every dark and fearful place
within the human spirit.

I believe
that the world needs to know and experience
the unique vision and truth
that each artist possesses.

As an artist myself,
I believe that we are powerful beyond measure.

. . . . .

David Walker - September, 2001

David Walker's experience as a self-taught artist encourages others to look within themselves to find their personal vision that both teaches and heals. The only expectation required in the expression of the artist's vision is honesty. Walker believes that true validation must come from within.

In 1995 Walker was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council. Walker's work appeared in 30 Distinguished Quilt Artists of the World, International Great Quilts Festival (2002), Tokyo, Japan, Quilt Nationals '87, '89, '95, Visions '92, Ohio Designer Craftsmen's Best of '88 through '95, New England Quilt Museum, Perimeter Gallery (Chicago, IL), and the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art. Walker's work is included in the collections of the Kroger Company, Cincinnati Bell, Fidelity Investment Corporation, all in Cincinnati, OH, and is also included in the permanent collection of the Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH, as well as in many other corporate and private collections.

In 2000 and 2004 Walker was a selected as a Teacher of the Year nominee by The Professional Quilter. Since 1990 Walker has been teaching workshops and lecturing throughout the United States, including the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium, Columbus, OH, for 12 years, the Museum of the American Quilter's Society, Paducah, KY, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, the Southwest School of Art and Craft, San Antonio, TX, and internationally in Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, and Canada. In 1996 Walker was a juror for Quilt San Diego, Visions: The Art Quilt, an international exhibit which focuses on quilts as art, and in 2001, Walker judged the American Quilter's Society Show in Paducah, KY.

Walker lives and maintains his studio as a full-time quilt artist in Cincinnati, OH.

Photograph: David Walker standing on the edge of Walker Bay, near Capetown, South Africa

For more biographical information about David Walker, please CLICK HERE for the link to Planet Patchwork.