About the Artist
Sue Reno is an award winning fiber artist from Pennsylvania. Her rich and intricate art quilts reflect her local environment and incorporate imagery drawn from her studies of botany, wildlife, and historic architecture.
She employs surface design techniques including cyanotype, mono printing, digital image transfer, and needle felting as the basis for works that also incorporate hand painted fabrics, hand and machine stitching, and beadwork.
Sue's work was selected for the U.S. State Department Art in Embassies program in Vientiane, Laos. Her “Silk Mill #3” was added to the permanent fine art collection of the Pennsylvania State Museum. Her work has been featured in publications including American Quilter, Quilting Arts Magazine, Machine Quilting Unlimited, The Quilt Life Magazine, Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, Seasonal Palette, The Studio Quilt and 1000 Artisan Textiles, and in an episode of “Simply Quilts” on HGTV. Sue is featured in several episodes of Quilting Arts TV, airing on PBS stations nationwide. Her Quilting Arts TV Workshop Video, Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt, is available as a DVD/download.
Sue was one of a select group of artists chosen to participate in the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA Goddard Space Center. She has exhibited in solo shows as well as participating in numerous art and fine craft exhibits at venues including The Pennsylvania State Museum, the Robeson gallery at Penn State, the Wayne Art Center, the Wolf Gallery at York College, and the Bellefonte Museum, all in PA; the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY, the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, TX, the Greater Denton Art Council, TX, the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY, The Vision Gallery in Chandler, AZ, the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ, and the Museum of Fine Art in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She regularly contributes to quilt exhibits across the US. Her career includes lecturing on the creative process and serving as a juror for fine craft and quilt exhibitions.
Artist's Statement
I’ve spent my life wandering the woods, wild places, and ruins of Pennsylvania. Increasingly I feel a sense of urgency to document what I observe. The beauty is intense, yet so transitory and fragile, and I am driven to record and preserve what I can.
Textiles are the ideal medium for this work. Fabric is flexible and adaptable, seemingly delicate but surprisingly strong and enduring. Pulling textiles from their familiar domestic usage and utilizing them in an artistic context is a powerful form of expression.
Decades ago I began experimenting with cyanotype printing on fabric as a surface design technique. I’ve worked with direct botanical printing, with using digital negatives as resists, and more recently with the wet cyanotype process, which upends the usual rules and produces amazing results. My practice is weather dependent, as I only use the sun for development, so I have learned to work in sync with my micro-environment and accept a great deal of unpredictability. I still get a thrill each and every time I rinse out a print and see the result. These prints have become the basis of my artistic practice.
Combined with the print imagery, I use traditional quilt making techniques to assemble a patchwork of fabrics from a wide variety of sources, both commercial and hand crafted. I often choose to spend time sewing some of this patchwork by hand, or adding hand beadwork, in a slow, meditative process. The work is then layered and heavily stitched, to add elements of line and texture.
I work on several pieces from my ongoing series concurrently. My depictions of plants, animals, architecture, and river landscapes all play off each other to form a cohesive whole.
Resume
Solo Shows:
Beyond the Blue: Contemporary Narrative Quilts by Sue Reno, 2023, Blue Ridge Community College, Weyers Cave, VA
Beyond the Blue: Contemporary Narrative Quilts by Sue Reno, 2022, Virginia Quilt Museum, Harrisonburg, VA
Flora, Fauna and Flow, retrospective exhibit of 30 art quilts, 2017, Olewine Gallery, Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, Millersburg, PA.
Sue Reno: Life Along the River, narrative art quilts depicting the Susquehanna River and its environs. 2017, Pennsylvania Arts Experience Gallery, York, PA.
Sue Reno--Recent Fiber Works, 2013, Pennsylvania Arts Experience Gallery, York, PA.
Flora and Fauna, 2010, PA Arts Experience Gallery, Lancaster, PA.
Fantastic Foliage, 2010, Jonal Gallery, Columbia, PA.
Transformation: The Watt & Shand Series, 2010, The Arts Hotel Gallery, Lancaster, PA.
Nature Quilts, 2009, Isadore Gallery, Lancaster, PA
River Visions, 2007, The Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Harrisburg, PA.
Public Collections:
U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies program, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 2024 -2027
Silk Mill #3, Permanent Fine Art Collection of the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
In Dreams I Flew Over the River, Susquehanna River Art Collection, Zimmerman Center, Wrightsville, PA
U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies program, Vientiane, Laos, 2011 - 2013.
Selected Art and Fine Craft Exhibits:
Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh Juried Exhibit, Erie Art Museum, Erie PA, April 4, 2024 - January 19, 2025
Susquehanna Inspired: 3 Centuries of Artistic Interpretation, Creative York, York, PA, April 4 - May 18, 2024. Curator: Rob Evans
Soft Associations, 2023, Invitational, Ned Smith Center for Art & Nature, Millersburg, PA
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh New Member Exhibit, 2022, Martha Gault Gallery, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA
unCommon Threads, 2022, Carlisle Arts Learning Center, Carlisle, PA
Common Threads, Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, 2022, Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh, PA
Art of the State Pennsylvania 2020, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Awarded Second Place, Craft.
Drawing on the Susquehanna, 2020, Lore Degenstein Gallery at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA. Curated by Rob Evans. Moved online.
For Your Consideration, Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, 2020, Brew House Association Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA. Juror: Merill Comeau
Art of the State Pennsylvania 2019, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg PA . Awarded Third Place, Craft.
BLUE, Creative York Gallery, 2019, York, PA
Art of the State Pennsylvania 2018, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg PA.
Inspired!, Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh Exhibition, Harlan Gallery, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA. Juror: Jeanne Beck
Art of the State Purchase Award Collection, 1969-2017, October 2017 – February 2018, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Vividly Yours, 2018, Creative York Gallery, York, PA
SPUN 2017 Innovative Fiber Exhibition, 2017, NEST Arts Factory, Bridgeport, CT. Juror: Jeffrey Mueller.
38th Annual Contemporary Craft Exhibit, 2017, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ. Juror: Stefanie Kirkland.
The James Webb Space Telescope: Art + Science 2017, Invitational, 2017, NASA Goddard Visitor Center, Greenbelt, MD.
SPUN, 2016, NEST Arts Factory, Bridgeport, CT. Juror: Dr Linda Wolk-Simon.
Fiber National 2016, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
37th Annual Contemporary Craft, Mesa Arts Museum, 2016, Mesa, AZ. Juror: Elisabeth Argo.
Pennsylvania Arts Experience Member Exhibit, PA Governor's Residence, 2015 - 2016.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2015, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Dustin Davis.
Materials: Hard and Soft, 2015, Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, TX. Juror: Ana M. Lopez.
35th Annual Contemporary Craft Exhibit, 2014, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ. Juror: Julie Muniz.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2013, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Wendelyn W. Anderson. Museum Purchase Award with work added to the Permanent Fine Art Collection of the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Images 2013, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Joyce Robinson. Award of Merit.
The Susquehanna as Muse, 2013, Pennsylvania Arts Experience, Marketview Arts Gallery, York, PA.
Pushing the Limits 2012, Artspace Gallery, Richmond, VA. Juror: Katie Shaw.
Contemporary Threads, 2012, Marietta Art House, Marietta, PA. Invitational.
Images 2012, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Barbara McNulty .
Craft Forms 2011, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA. Juror: Elisabeth Agro.
The Art of Fiber, 2011, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton VA. Jurors: Candace Edgerley and Trudi C. Van Dyke.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2011, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Honorable Mention Award. Juror: Beth Ann Gerstein, Awards Juror: Leo Mazow.
Images 2011, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Ron Rumford.
National Fiber Directions, 2011, Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, KS Juror: Jill Rumoshosky Werner.
Materials Hard and Soft, 2011, Visual Arts Center, Denton, TX. Juror: Thomas Lauerman.
Inside Outside, 2011, Goggleworks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA. Juror: Bruce Samuelson.
Images 2010, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA, Best in Show and Honorable Mention awards. Juror: Dan Mills.
More Than Fiber, Goggleworks Center for the Arts, 2010, Reading, PA. Juror: Warren Selig.
A World of Stitches: appliqué art from Benin, Panama and Pennsylvania, 2009, Bellefonte Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, PA. Invitational: curated by Patricia House.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2009, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Theodore Hallman, Jr.
Images 2009, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Judith Hansen O’Toole.
PA Arts Experience Members Exhibit, 2009, Lancaster Arts Hotel Gallery, Lancaster, PA.
Materials: Hard & Soft, 2009, Denton, TX. Juror: Marilyn da Silva.
PA Arts Experience Member Exhibit, 2009, Wolf Gallery, York College, York, PA.
Images 2008, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University, University Park, PA, Viewer’s Choice Award. Juror: Dinah Ryan.
Fabulous Fiber, 2008, Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ. Jurors: Joanie San Chirico and Geraldine Velasquez.
Images 2007, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Heather Pesanti.
Crafts National 40, 2006, Zoller Gallery, Penn State University, Pa, Award of Merit. Juror: Mark Richard Leach.
Connecting Cultures and Colors: First Kyrgyz-American Quilt Exhibit, 2006, Museum of Fine Art, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Invitational, curated by Karen Musgrave.
Selected Quilt Exhibits:
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, Science Central, Fort Wayne, IN, January 13 - May 26, 2024
SAQA Global Exhibit, Fur, Fangs, Feathers & Fins, Detroit Zoo, Detroit, Michigan: April 1 - September 1, 2024
Art Quilts: Breaking Rules, Honoring Tradition, Vision Gallery, Chandler, AZ, November 18, 2023 - January 12, 2024
SAQA Global Exhibit Fur, Fangs, Feathers & Fins, 2023, Quilt Festival Long Beach, CA
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, Brigham City Museum of Art & History, Brigham City, UT, 2023
SAQA Textiles Unleashed, 2023, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, 2023, AQS Quilt Week, Branson, MO
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, 2023, AQS Quilt Week, Paducah, KY
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, 2023, AQS Quilt Week, Daytona Beach, FL
SAQA Global Exhibit, Fur, Fangs, Feathers & Fins, 2022, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ Juror: Emily Jan
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, 2022, 14th International Quilt Show Brno, Czech Republic
SAQA Global Exhibit, Light the World, premiering at the European Patchwork Meeting, Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines, France 2021. Juror: Jan Myers-Newberry
Out of the Funk, Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, 2021, Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, Pittsburgh, PA. Juror: Bruce Hoffman
SAQA Metamorphosis, Zhejiang Folk Art Quilt Museum, 2021, Zheijang, China (Online)
Textiles in Translation, 2021, Gallery at Penn College, Williamsport, PA. Juror: Susan Szajer
On the Edge, SAQA Virtual Exhibit, 2020. Juror: Petra Fallaux.
SAQA Season after Season, AQS Quiltweek, 2021, Paducah, Kentucky. Cancelled
SAQA Season after Season, AQS Quiltweek, 2021, Branson, Missouri. Cancelled
SAQA Season after Season, AQS Quiltweek, 2021, Daytona Beach, Florida. Cancelled
SAQA Metamorphosis, Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, 2021, Stillwater, OK. Cancelled
SAQA Season after Season, Prague Patchwork Meeting, 2020, Prague, Czech Republic. Cancelled
SAQA Season after Season, 25th European Patchwork Meeting, 2019, Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines, France.
SAQA Metamorphosis, AQS Quiltweek, 2019, Charlestown, SC
SAQA Metamorphosis, AQs Quiltweek, 2019, Paducah, KY
SAQA Metamorphosis, AQS Quiltweek, 2019, Grand Rapids, MI
SAQA Metamorphosis, Quilt Canada 2019, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
SAQA Auction Artwork, April - August, 2019, International Quilt Study Center & Museum, Lincoln, NE
SAQA Metamorphosis, International Quilt Festival, March 2019, Chicago , IL
ARTQUILTSdreams, 2019, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary NC
SAQA Season after Season, Texas Quilt Museum, 2019, La Grange, TX. and traveling through 2022.
SAQA Metamorphosis, International Quilt Festival, November 2018, Houston, TX, and traveling through 2021. Juror: David Hornung.
SAQA Eye of the Needle, 2018, Bottleworks, Johnstown, PA. Juror: Andra Stanton.
Connected by Stitch, 2016, the Gallery at Penn College Williamsport, PA. Jurist: Joshua R. Willis.
Seasonal Palette, SAQA, premiering Houston Quilt Festival 2012, and traveling worldwide through 2016. Curated by Kathleen McCabe and Vicki Mangum.
AQS Quiltweek Lancaster, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, First Place Award in category 2015, 2016, Lancaster County Convention Center, Lancaster, PA.
AQS Quiltweek Grand Rapids, 2015, DeVos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids, MI. Third place award in category.
Artquilts XII, 2008; Artquilts XV, 2010; Artquilts XVI, 2011; Artquilts XVII, 2013 – Best in Show Award; Chandler Center for the Arts and Vision Gallery, Chandler, AZ.
New Legacies Contemporary Art Quilts, Lincoln Center, Ft. Collins, CO, 2013.
In Full Bloom, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2012;
Tactile Architecture, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2011, 2012, 2014.
Structures in Cloth, 2011 - 2012, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada CO; Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, Pueblo CO; and The Fort Collins Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO. Jurors: Sandra Sider and Bebe Alexander.
New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts, 2011, 2013, Lincoln Center Gallery, Ft. Collins, CO.
Quilts=Art=Quilts, 2005, 2006, 2010, Schwienfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY.
River Quilts, 2011, The National Quilt Museum, Paducah, KY. Invitational: curated by Judy Schwender.
Contemporary Colorations, NQA Quilt Show, Columbus, OH, 2008. Invitational: curated by Lynn G. Kough.
Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, Honorable Mentions 2004, 2005, 2nd Place 2006, solo exhibit “River Visions” 2007, Best Use of Color award 2008, Judge’s Choice award 2009.
Celebrate Spring, International Quilt Festival, Chicago, IL, 2005, 2008, 2009.
Quilts: A World of Beauty, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2005, 3rd place 2007.
Small Wonders VIII, International Quilt Festival, Chicago & IQF Houston, 2006.
Denver National Quilt Festival, Denver, CO, 2005, 2006 2007, 2008, 2009.
Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, Hampton, VA, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara CA, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008.
Quilter's Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA, 2005, Honorable Mention 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.
Quilt Odyssey, Hershey, PA, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.
Sacred Threads, Reynoldsburg, OH, 2005, 2007, 2009.
Fabric of Legacies National Quilt Exhibit, Ft. Collins, CO, 2005, 4th Place 2006.
Media:
John Hopper’s Inspirational Magazine, no. 60, April 2022, Interview
Art Quilting Studio Magazine, Feature Article, Autumn 2019
SAQA Journal, Feature Article Capturing the light, reflecting nature, by Cindy Grisdela, Volume 29 No. 3, Fall 2019
Quilting Arts Magazine, August/September 2019 issue
Working with Wet Cyanotype, Machine Quilting Unlimited, Jan.-Feb. 2018 issue
Painting the Stars by Erin Winick, Lateral Magazine, Issue 19, February 2017
Quilting Arts Magazine, Making Cyanotype Prints, Feb/March 2016.
Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine, Cover Quilt and feature article Environmental Explorations, September-October 2015.
Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt, Quilting Arts Workshop Video, an instructional DVD/download.
Quilting Arts TV, 3 segments for Series 1400, began airing on PBS in July 2014.
1000 Quilt Inspirations, by Sandra Sider, Quarto Publishing, 2015
American Quilter Magazine, The Hand of the Maker profile, and Cognitive Textile Artist Process feature article, March 2014.
Quilting Arts Magazine, feature article A Botanist's Delight, Oct./Nov. 2013.
Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine, Nov.-Dec.2013.
Feature article and video interview, Lancaster Newspapers, March 10, 2013.
Seasonal Palette hardcover catalog, fall 2012.
How to Decorate and Embellish Your Fabrics, Search Press Ltd., featured artist, 2012.
The Quilt Life magazine, feature article The Structures, Oct. 2012.
The Quilt Life magazine, August 2012.
Machine Quilting Unlimited, Jaw Dropper feature, July/August 2012.
Machine Quilting Unlimited, invitational Seasons challenge feature, May/June 2012.
The Studio Quilt, No. 6: The State of the Art, by Sandra Sider, featured artist, 2011
International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene magazine, gallery feature, 2011.
The Quilt Life magazine, It's My Nature feature, February 2011.
PA Artisan Trail billboard image, 2011, Rt. 30, Gettysburg, PA.
1000 Artisan Textiles, Quarry Books, featured artist, 2010.
Stitch in Time feature article, Lancaster Sunday News, 3/28/10.
Magic in Fabric, feature article, Lancaster Newspapers, 3/18/10.
SAQA Portfolio 16, (2009), Portfolio 17 (2010), Portfolio 18 (2012), Porfolio 19 (2013), Portfolio 20 (2014) and Portfolio 21 (2015).
Machine Quilting Unlimited, feature article In The Studio, July 2009.
Featured Artist, Simply Quilts episode 1130, HGTV.
Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, feature article, September 2006.
The Professional Quilter magazine, cover quilt, Fall 2006.
Interview, The Quilt Alliance, Q.S.O.S.
A Beginner's Guide to Art Quilts, Leisure Art Publications, featured artist, 2006.
Fiberarts Magazine, fiber postcard image, April/May 2006.
Feature article, Lancaster (PA) New Era, October 2005.
Awards:
Art of the State Pennsylvania 2020, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Awarded Second Place, Craft
Art of the State Pennsylvania 2019, Third Place in Craft, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg PA .
AQS QuiltWeek, First Place Award in category, 2015, Lancaster, PA.
AQS QuiltWeek, Third Place Award in category, 2015, Grand Rapids, MI.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2013, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Wendelyn W. Anderson. Museum Purchase Award, with work added to the Permanent Fine Art Collection of the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Images 2013, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University at University Park, PA. Juror: Joyce Robinson. Award of Merit.
Artquilts XVII: Integrating a Paradox, 2012, Chandler Center for the Arts and Vision Gallery, Chandler, AZ. Best in Show.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2011, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Honorable Mention.
Images 2010, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University, PA, Best in Show and Honorable Mention.
Images 2008, Robeson Gallery, Penn State University, PA, Viewer’s Choice Award.
Crafts National 40, Zoller Gallery, Penn State University, PA, 2006 Award of Merit.
Quilts: A World of Beauty, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2007, 3rd place.
Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, 2004 Honorable Mentions, 2006 2nd Place, 2008 Best Use of Color, 2009 Judge’s Choice.
Quilter's Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA, 2006 Honorable Mention.
Fabric of Legacies National Quilt Exhibit, Ft. Collins, CO, 2006 4th Place.
Juror Experience:
Review panel, Erie Arts and Culture 2023 Fellowship, Erie, PA.
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, 2011, 2017, State College, PA.
Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, Board Member and Vice President of Standards 2014 - 2015, ongoing exhibit, member, and floor jurying, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
SAQA exhibit "I'm Not Crazy", 2012.
Sacred Threads Quilt Exhibit, 2009, 2011, Herndon, VA.
Professional Affiliations:
Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen - Master Artisan
Studio Art Quilt Associates - Juried Artist Member
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh - Juried Member
The Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh
Education:
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, completed 3 years towards a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies.