Tell us about yourself.

Hello! My name is Sherri Buck Baldwin, but my fabric collections with Henry Glass Fabrics are under the name of Grace Violet Designs (a combination of my daughter and granddaughter’s names). I am a lifelong artist, having discovered the joy of being creative when I clutched my first Crayola crayons. Eventually, I earned a BFA degree with an emphasis in printmaking from Illinois Wesleyan University, but it took another 10 years of building my portfolio before I began licensing my artwork for paper goods, giftware, textiles, home decor and fabric. I named my studio Heart in Hand Ltd. because the images I create come from the heart and hopefully bring a feeling of appreciation for the world around us. I am represented by my hardworking agent, Donna Westman of DSW Licensing.

What inspires you?

Right from the start I was inspired by picture books. I was fortunate to have an award-winning children’s book illustrator as my high school art teacher who inspired me to pursue illustration. He introduced me to the work of renowned illustrators like Arthur Rackham, E.H. Shepard, and Maurice Sendak. To this day I love exploring children’s picture books and collect the exceptional ones which I share with my little granddaughter.

I live in the beautiful state of Wisconsin where inspiration waits just outside the door during all seasons of the year. I am an avid gardener and paint many of the flowers and plants in my gardens as well as the birds and butterflies who pay a visit.

Another place filled with inspiration is the local dog park. I began drawing dogs a few years ago when my daughter brought a rescue terrier home who is such a character. I started drawing him along with my two Border terriers. Many of my canine characters are included in “A Place To Call Home” fabric collection for Henry Glass.

I enjoy working primarily in ink and watercolor, but I also love to try other mediums including both colored and graphite pencils, pastels, and relief prints. That’s the fun part of being creative, you never know where inspiration may come from next.

Tell us about your fabric.

I am pleased to have five collections of beautiful fabric patterns for Henry Glass. These are: Pumpkin Kisses, Magical Menagerie, A Place to Call Home, Cat Rescue, and most recently, Dragonfly Dance. I love the autumn season which inspired Pumpkin Kisses, while Magical Menagerie is filled with sweet animal friends in winter.

A Place to Call Home features rescue dogs, and the focus is on kitties in my Cat Rescue collection. Dragonfly Dance was inspired by the frequent dragonfly visitors to my garden. I see my artwork as a link in a creative chain that begins with my vision on paper, then is passed on to the fabric designer, and finally to the quilter who uses the fabrics to bring their own creative ideas to life. I’m pleased to be part of this chain of creativity, and I enjoy seeing what is made with my fabrics. It’s very motivating to keep painting!

What advice do you have for the new maker?

I think of my imagination as a pitcher filled with ideas. Artists must figure out how to fill their own pitcher when ideas run low. For me this means getting out of my studio and being in nature, working in my gardens, watching tutorials on a new technique to try, reading a magazine like Gifts and Decorative Accessories to see what is trending, and visiting fabric stores. Sessions like this always get my creative juices flowing again, sometimes so much so that it’s hard to choose what to tackle next!

Be curious, be persistent, but don’t judge your efforts too harshly. Just keep enjoying the creative process.

Connect with Sherri Buck Baldwin of Grace Violet Designs!

https://www.facebook.com/sherri.buck.baldwin/
https://www.instagram.com/sherribuckbaldwindogs/ https://www.instagram.com/sherribuckbaldwinart/

Website: www.sherri-buck-baldwin.com