In some ways, it is a typical representation of a Maine landscape: an orange and yellow sunrise cast over blue water, purple-gray rocks on the shoreline, seagulls both perched and in flight. But what makes this piece of art so unusual is the medium used to create it — fabric.

The art quilt, “Rocky Coast Sunrise,” was created by fabric artist Kathy Angel Lee using hand-painted and commercial fabrics, thread painting and embroidered seagulls. The scene was inspired by Camp Ellis and juried into the fall 2007 International Quilt Association show in Houston, an honor Lee called “thrilling.”

Lee, 65, of Old Orchard Beach, has been sewing since age 12 and started quilting after taking an appliqué class in the 1980s. 

“I quickly realized I didn’t like making what’s considered a traditional quilt,” Lee said. “In my mind, [art quilts] do not start from a pattern. They may have their base in a traditional theme, but the artist takes it a step further.”

Each of Lee’s pieces is one-of-a-kind and most commonly 4-inches by 6-inches or 8-inches by 10-inches, though she does make larger pieces.

Lee finds inspiration in the world around her, frequently using photos she has taken while traveling to create a quilt. She said sunrises are often inspirational for their array of color that “sometimes just blows your mind.” Lee may recreate an entire scene or zero in on a shape or color in the photograph. 

“I’ve been intrigued by odd shaped trees the last few years,” she said.

While Lee does use commercial fabrics, she leans toward using hand-dyed and batik fabrics. Her quilts are often colorful collages of different fabrics carefully pieced together to create shapes and dimension. 

Lee said her landscape pieces tend to be more free form than her other work. The most time-consuming and challenging aspect of each piece is choosing and laying out fabric. She cuts out small pieces and lays them down in a pattern, pinning them to insulation board before sewing. She then hangs the pinned piece on her design wall.

“You need to live with it for a while,” she said. “You’ll walk past and say ‘Oops, I need to change that piece.’”

Many of Lee’s recent pieces feature a quilt mounted on a larger canvas, which is then painted as a background. 

“It gives it presence. It seems to tell more of a story,” she said of this technique. 

Lee said she is frequently asked how long she takes to create each piece, something she finds hard to answer because she works on multiple pieces at one time. She does abandon pieces only to later find inspiration to finish them.

In addition to the 25 to 30 hours a week she spends sewing, Lee takes watercolor lessons with a local artist. She said watercolor is “a little less forgiving” that quilting, where she can move fabric pieces around. After creating a watercolor, Lee makes a quilt nearly identical to the painting.

Lee starts each quilt by creating a base and building up layers of fabric from the back out. She does a sketch of the watercolor on tracing paper then lays out the design using colorful pieces of fabric. She irons the collage before stitching it together on her sewing machine, then uses decorative stitching to create more definition and detail.  

Lee belongs to a number of related organizations, including American Quilters Society, Art Quilts Maine, Art Guild of Kennebunk, International Quilt Association, Maine Women in the Arts, Maine FiberArts, Seacoast Area Fiber Artists and Studio Art Quilt Associates. Her work has been showcased in exhibits from Maine to Texas.

This year, Lee bought a tent and showed her work in local outdoor shows for the first time.

“I’ve enjoyed talking with people and showing my work,” she said. “It’s been fun to be able to talk about my work.”

Lee said she is constantly learning, which is important because “it recharges those creative juices.” She will attend a printing workshop in Vermont next January.

“It forces you to look at things in another way so you’re not doing the same old thing all the time,” she said.

While Lee creates most of her pieces based on her own interests, she also accepts commission work. Recently, a woman commissioned Lee to create a 5-inch by 7-inch quilt based on a postcard from Italy. Lee also creates “whimsical” fabric postcards to sell at exhibits. Made with a postcard back, the pieces can be sent by regular mail. 

“It’s a nice little gift that you’re not spending an arm and a leg for,” she said. “It’s a nice little piece of artwork.”

Lee’s advice for beginners is to “just do it.”

“Find a good teacher if you can,” she said. “In any endeavor, work with the best tools you can afford. If you’re using cheap fabric and thread you’re going to get frustrated.”

Lee, who has lived in Old Orchard Beach with her husband Tom for 41 years, is a retired educator. She most recently served as curriculum coordinator for Old Orchard Beach schools. She stays active in the community by grant writing for Child Abuse Prevention Council and Girl Scouts. She is also on the board of Group Mainstream, which supports developmentally disabled adults in Portland. 

Lee said she does volunteer work with the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, where she helped organize a music series.

A quilt-art wall hanging made by Lee of a seascape incorporating antique postcard scenes of the original and renovated Old Orchard Beach pier will be raffled Thursday Aug. 28 to benefit Harmon Museum and Old Orchard Beach Historical Society. Tickets are $1 or $5 for a book of six. They are available at www.harmonmuseum.org, Harmon Museum or by calling 934-9319.

To view Lee’s work, visit www.kathyangellee.com.