
Joan Marsden, artist
Art is the only career Joan Marsden has ever been interested in. Growing up, her mother taught her and her sisters how to sew. “We made many of our own clothes, including prom dresses and wedding dresses,” she says.
Marsden’s parents encouraged her artistic pursuits, and after earning an Associate’s Degree in commercial art, she spent two decades working as a graphic artist for advertising agencies in Buffalo, NY. “Then computers and computer graphics started changing the way advertising was produced,” she explains. “I knew I didn’t want to spend the next 20 years working on a computer, so I went back to college and got my BS and MS in Art Education.”
She taught art in private schools and ran a number of art programs for students and seniors. In 2012, Marsden relocated to Cashiers and the following year she became a member of Dillsboro’s Dogwood Crafters. Initially, her contributions to the gallery included quilted fabric greeting cards, wall hangings and hammered metal ornaments. Over time, her focus shifted to creating larger quilted fabric landscapes, where her love for color and texture flourished. “I love putting colors together and choosing which fabric to use,” she says. “Changing one fabric can change the look of the entire piece.”
Marsden primarily works with batik fabrics, known for their tight weave and rich color variations. “I start each landscape with a rough drawing of the mountains, using photos I’ve taken as reference,” she explains. “Then I have to decide on sun or moon placement within the mountains and choose fabrics for the mountains. Things in the distance are ‘grayer’ than those close up, so the fabrics need to show that depth. Each piece is fused in place, then the edges are stitched. The mist is added as I go along.”
Marsden often works on several pieces at once. “That way, I don’t have to change thread color in my sewing machine after each mountain,” she notes. “Plus, I often just walk away and come back later to see if I still like my fabric choices or if I want to change one.”
Marsden’s curiosity led her to explore watercolors, and after taking a class at John C. Campbell Folk School, she found herself thriving in the new medium. Today, Dogwood Crafters offers her watercolor cards alongside her fabric art. “The cards have re-interpreted the subject matter in my fabric items to watercolor—a whole different thought process from rearranging pieces of fabric,” she shares.
Marsden’s art, whether in fabric or watercolor, reflects a deep connection to color, nature and the creative process.
See Marsden’s work at Dogwood Crafters, 90 Webster Street, Dillsboro. Learn more at DogwoodCrafters.com.