meet Mel Beach
Mel Beach is a San Jose, CA based quilt artist, teacher and lecturer, who breaks away from tradition by adding her own modern, beautifully textured, and colorful twists. She loves stretching her creativity through her completion of 100+ quilt challenges at the local and international level in addition to several 100-Day Projects involving a roll of dice. Her quilts draw upon her inquisitive nature of asking "What If?", “Why Not?”, working in a series, comedy improv studies, along with her love of nature, photography, and sketching.
Mel is passionate about teaching/lecturing, with a focus on quilting on a domestic machine and modern quilting techniques. Starting in 2016, Mel has taught for quilt shops, guilds and quilt shows all across the United States including several large venues: Craft Napa, Empty Spools Seminars, Online Quilt Festivals, Pacific International Quilt Festival, Road to California, Virtual Quilt Festival, and Virtual Quilt Show.
Her quilts have been juried into national quilt shows and traveling exhibits, published in books/magazines, earned awards/ribbons, and selected as Finalists. She was a Michael Miller Brand Ambassador, Aurifil Artisan, and an AccuQuilt GO! Getter. Mel has been featured on Quilting Arts TV (series 2500 and 2600) and The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims (episode 2808 and 2112), and has published articles with Quilting Arts Magazine, Curated Quilts, and The Craft Industry Alliance.
Quilting Awards/Honors
“Polka Dots & Posies” - Awarded 3rd Place in 2022 Pacific International Quilt Festival Mid-Century Mod/Modern Quilt Competition
“Pursuit of Quilting Bliss” - Awarded 2nd Place in Modern Quilting, Virtual Quilt Show 2020.
“Sparkling Stained Glass Mandala” - Awarded Hoffman’s Curator Choice for the Applique category and 2018 Hoffman Challenge Travel Collection
"Sealed With A Kiss" - Finalist in 2018 MQG/Riley Blake Fabric Challenge
"Spinning Stars" - Awarded 3rd Place in 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival Modern Quilt Competition, juried into 2018 Houston IQF, 2017 AQS Spring Paducah
"Peace of Mind"-2nd Place Ribbon in Modern Quilts-Small at 2017 California State Fair
"Thunderstruck"-Finalist in 2017 Riley Blake Creative Rockstar Fabric Challenge
"Lime Light, Star Bright"-Modern Quilt Guild's QuiltCon 2017/Michael Miller Lux Fabric Challenge
"Always Follow Your Heart" - 3rd Place Ribbon in Modern Quilts-Small at 2017 California State Fair and Mancuso's New Modern Quilt Competition
"Orange You Glad I Got the Blues?" - juried into 2018 Houston IQF, Honorable Mention, Pacific International Quilt Festival 2016, 2nd Place Ribbon in Art Quilts-Small Category at 2017 California State Fair and Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association's 2016 "Jazz Impressions" exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
"Rhythm & Blues" - 1st Place Ribbon in Modern Quilts-Small category at 2017 California State Fair, Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association's 2016 "Jazz Impressions" exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
"CREA-TV" - finalist in the Be Creative! Quilt Challenge
"Fields of Quilted Dreams" - finalist in the 2014 American Made Brand "Celebrating Farm to Fabric Challenge"
Juried Exhibitions/Shows
“Emerald Gardens” - Quilt Visions 2024, Visions Museum of Textile Art, 2024.
“Yoga Flow(ers)” - Virtual Gallery Ritual, Studio Art Quilt Associates, 2024.
“Follow Your Heart,” “Peace OMind,” and “Stardust & Wonder” - Hidden Treasures, Local Talent exhibition, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, 2024
“Emerald Gardens,” “Flora Fiesta,” “Inner Peace,” “Mark Making Mandala Magic,” and “Mind Over MATter” - 53rd Annual Textile Exhibition, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, 2023.
“Keep on the Sunny Side” - Printed & Stitched SAQA NorCal/NV & California Society of Printmakers, 2023.
“Under the Sea Debris” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” - Juried into the Mistlin Gallery Trash to Treasure Exhibit, 2022.
“WIN-WIN Wind Energy” - SAQA NorCal/NV Regional Prism Play Exhibit, 2022.
”ARTiFISHial Sea Life,” ”Daisy Dance & Delight,” “Mod Pop Purple Magic,” “A Rosy Composition,” and “Wildfire ReLEAF” - 52nd Annual Textile Exhibition, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, 2022.
“California Arches” - SAQA NorCal/NV Regional Art Quilts 2 Exhibit, 2021.
”Orange You Glad I Got the Blues?” and “Spinning Stars” - Houston International Quilt Festival, 2018.
"RE$I$TAN¢E" - Threads of Resistance Travelling Exhibit, 2017.
”Van Gogh Blues & Hues” - Cherrywood Van Gogh Dutch Exhibition, 2017.
"Wicked & Winding Ways" - finalist and juried into the WICKED Cherrywood Challenge, 2015.
Television
Quilting Arts TV:
Series 2608: Free Motion Quilting/Pebble & Play!
Episode 2510: Intricate Mandala Designs
Episode 2502: Unconventional Materials
The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims:
Episode 2808: Top-stitched curves, Playful 100-Day Projects, and Mark-Free Free-Motion Quilting
Episode 2112: Improvisational Patchwork and Mod Molas
Published Articles
Block-Printed and Stitched, Quilting Arts magazine, Spring 2024
Hearts are for Giving: The I Found a Quilted Heart Project, Quilting Arts magazine, Fall 2022.
Creating Daily with Dice, Curated Quilts, Issue 15/Covid Issue, Spring 2021.
Roll the Dice: Up Your Game and Take a Chance, Quilting Arts magazine, Spring 2021.
Build Confidence and Learn to Think on Your Feet with Comedy Improv Classes, Craft Industry Alliance, January 2021
No Math Mandalas, Quilting Arts magazine, August/September 2020
Pick a Card, Any Card!, Quilting Arts magazine, June/July 2020
Creative Reboot: Make and Meet Your Artistic Goals, Quilting Arts magazine, December 2019/January 2020
Building Connections at ‘Meet the Teacher’ Programs, Craft Industry Alliance, December 2018
Published Quilts
"RE$I$TAN¢E"-Threads of Resistance Catalog, 2017
"Van Gogh Blues & Hues"--The Cherrywood Challenge The Van Gogh Book, 2017
“San Jose Quilter Stitches Message of Peace and Hope,” KQED’s Art Series: Art in the Age of Trump series, 2017.
"Russian Doll Delight"-RaNae Merrill's Free-Motion Mastery in a Month book, 2016
"Sideways Sine Waves Spirals"-RaNae Merrill's Sideways Spiral Quilts book, 2016
"CREA-TV"-Quilters Newsletter, April/May 2016
"Wicked Windy & Winding Ways"-American Quilter, March 2015
Interviews
Canvas Rebel Interview, August 2023
The Quilter on Fire Podcast, Episode 105, February 2023
Shoutout Colorado, October 2022.
Create Whimsy Spotlight, October 2021
Quilting Arts Podcast, Episode 19: Pushing Your Artistic Creativity
What’s On Your Wall with @Pokeybolton
Covichats with Lyric & Friends: May 15
Making It Fun: Peek into Batiks with Rob Appell
Just Wanna Quilt Podcast with Dr. Elizabeth Townsend Gard
International Quilt Festival 2018 Interview with Lyric Kinard
The Creativity Project Week #25 by Leland Ave Studios
TQS at QuiltCon 2018
Featured Artist
Creative Play! Solo Exhibition, Bay Quilts, Richmond, CA (April 2023)
Guild of Quilters of Contra Costa County Rainbow Reflections Quilt Show, Concord, CA (April 2022)
Grapevine Quilters Guild’s Quilt Show, Ukiah, CA (May 2019)
Dharma Trading Company, San Rafael, CA (May 2019)
Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association’s Quilt Show, Santa Clara, CA (April 2017)
Professional Affiliations
Studio Art Quilt Associates
Northern California Quilt Council
Global Quilt Connection
Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, Artist Member
Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association