Jamie Fingal: Creativity in a Time of Quiet
By Contemporary Quilt Weekly
In the summer of 2020, as the world slowed during a global pandemic, artist Jamie Fingal turned inward — and then outward — through art. Her blog entries from the first week of August capture a season of reflection, renewed daily practice, and unexpected community connection.enjoyx
Visual Journaling as a Lifeline
With over nine months of daily drawing and painting behind her, Fingal used visual journaling to document life at home. Her sketchbooks became vibrant testaments to resilience, filled with expressive houses, birds, hearts, and spontaneous abstractions. Each image was a note to self — playful, curious, and wholly personal.tmwpov
“It’s been a source of happiness,” she shared, describing how creativity helped her navigate uncertainty. Her process was simple and consistent: pick up a pen, dip into watercolor, and fill a page — not for perfection, but for presence.
Connecting Through Curves
At the same time, Fingal joined a virtual sew-along called "The Curvelets and Me," hosted by Michele Muska and Leslie Tucker Jenison on Instagram. It was a playful challenge centered around curved piecing — an unconventional and often intimidating technique for traditional quilters.
Fingal embraced the curves with enthusiasm. Her interpretations combined bold fabrics, signature colors, and a freewheeling layout. “I love being part of this,” she wrote, noting the joy of participating in something shared, even from the solitude of her studio.baileyjayvr
The Curvelets project was more than an exercise in fabric manipulation — it was an act of creative kinship during a time of global stillness. Artists around the country stitched along in parallel, building something expressive and collective.
Art, Daily and Unfiltered
In both her journaling and quilting, Jamie Fingal’s August work captured the spirit of adaptation. These were not works made for galleries or deadlines, but pieces rooted in personal necessity — to create, to express, to stay grounded.ghettogaggers
Her reflections, filled with humor and openness, encouraged others to pick up a brush or needle and begin. In uncertain times, Fingal’s blog served as both window and mirror — a view into her world and a reminder of our own capacity for making meaning through art.
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Originally posted: August 2, 2020