Betty Busby | Mr X Stitch

A few weeks ago I attended the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta here in New Mexico. I do not often get out and do things but thanks to my new gig here I had every reason to go. It was a maze of color, art, fibers, artists and more. There were traditional bobbin lace makers, spinners and weavers, fabric and raw wool, and of course an incredible number of quilts everywhere! Despite the array of art quilts literally everywhere I was drawn, over and over, to one particular artist who was the featured artist of the event. Her name is Betty Busby and it is my pleasure to show you her amazing work that really offers the viewer a detailed view of life in many forms. (As a side not I should mention that you may well be familiar with her work but I am someone who does not really know who is popular or famous in any given art realm and as such I get excited when I discover new people and art pieces without having any previous information which would influence my perspective.) Beautiful dimensional "Urchin" This piece, above, titled Urchin, has intricate stitching and bead work for the urchins and was just amazing in person. Thankfully Betty send me a better picture than I had taken, as is the case with all the pictures here! I only talked with Betty briefly as everyone coming through wanted to talk to her. I was struck by how genuine and down to earth she is and how willing she is to share her processes and the materials she uses. She explained how she loves Amish quilts, how she spent a good portion of her life being a single mom and supporting her family, and then how she eventually moved to New Mexico and was able to really immerse herself in this art. She was, and is, inspiring in many ways. She teaches many classes worldwide and I could see that she would be a wonderful teacher. Betty Busby - Life in the "Abyss" How fun and alive is this work? It is called Abyss2. I love how it feels like you are viewing creatures in the dark depths of the ocean. Deep within life in "Vertex" This one is titled Vertex and is such an amazing view of life. She explained that uses a home craft machine called the Cameo Silhouette. She comes up with the design and then cuts it out with the machine to create many elements that she will then machine sew in place. The material she uses is a non woven interfacing that takes to dyes and paints and further embellishment. The effects and designs are incredible! In all honesty there is no way to see, in pictures, the intricacy and life that exists in her pieces. Betty Busby's Etsy shop shows some good details that I am not offering here. The depth of color and texture is simply beautiful and inspiring. Many have intricate bead work and there are even some with tiny lights! Stunning beauty in "Vengeance" She does not just do quilts for display but also does these amazing pieces that are vessels, as seen in Vengeance above. I am pretty sure my mouth was hanging open when I was looking at Vengeance! This was my favorite. It stands 5 feet tall! Betty's work takes you on a visual tour of nature and life. She offers you grand visions of trees and animals and then takes you further inside to microscopic visions of beauty and life! Amazing on every level. Betty Busby's website shares her work, videos and class schedules. You can buy her work at her Etsy shop.