meet Mel Beach
Mel Beach is an award-winning fiber/mixed-media artist who loves to create through play each and every day. Mel thrives on stretching her creativity through her completion of 100+ quilt challenges at the local and international levels, in addition to completing seven 100-Day Projects since 2020, each inspired by daily dice rolling.
Mel offers a variety of fun & inspiring online lectures, workshops, and content to inspire fellow artists to create with confidence and joy. She is passionate about teaching with a focus on machine quilting, modern improvisational design, and surface design. Mel has lectured and taught for numerous quilt guilds around the world and at several large quilting venues including Pacific International Quilt Festival, Craft Napa, Empty Spools Seminars, Road to California, Studio Art Quilt Associates Annual Conference, and several online quilt festivals/shows. Her fiber art has been juried into prestigious traveling shows and art venues, while earning top awards and honors along the way. Mel and her artwork have been featured on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, Quilting Arts TV hosted by Susan Brubaker Knapp, and published in numerous quilting books and magazines.
Quilting Awards/Honors
“Emerald Gardens” - Awarded Quilts Japan Award sponsored by Japan Handicrafts Instructors’ Association and Nihon Vogue Co
“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
“Windows Into the Soul” - Art Movements in Fiber, SAQA NorCal/NV Regional Exhibition, 2024.
“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 3509: Block Prints
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
Creative Crossroads, Episode 4: Creativity as Problem as Problem Solving, December 2024
Conversations with Mel Beach, Canvas Rebel, November 2024
Meet Your Colleagues/Workshops Unleashed hosted by Tori McElwain, August 2024
The Rev Craft Biz hosted by Sam Hunter, Episode 4, May 2024
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
TEACHING/Presenting VENUES
All Star Sampler Platter hosted by Global Quilt Connection - September 2024
C+T Publishing/Creative Spark Layered & Stitched: An Art Quilt Experience - May 2024
Empty Spools Seminars - March 2024 and March 2023
Pacific International Quilt Festival - 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024
Mancuso Show Management Online Quilt Festivals - 2020, 2021, 2022
Virtual Quilt Show hosted by Gammill- November 2020
Virtual Quilt Festival Machine Quilting Forum - December 2020
Craft Napa - January 2019
Road to California - January 2019
Studio Art Quilt Associates Annual Conference - April 2019
Modern Quilt Guild “Road Map to Teaching” Webinar - June 2019
Quilt JudginG
Completed a 2-Day Introduction to Quilt Judging Seminar through National Association of Certified Quilt Judges: October 2017
Pacific International Quilt Festival: 2023 and 2024
California State Fair: 2024
San Mateo County Fair: 2019 - 2024
Alameda County Fair: 2023-2024
San Marin County Fair: 2023
San Benito County Fair:2018-2019
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, Juried Artist Member, past Board President (2022-2024)
Northern California Quilt Council
Global Quilt Connection
Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles