Arlé Sklar-Weinstein left us January 16, 2023, at the age of 91. An artist who was driven to create to her very last days, unfazed by any limitations, she always moved forward with innovative work, adapting ideas and materials from everywhere. In recent years, she took stock of paintings, prints, and other work that had accumulated in her studio, repurposing it into quilts and collages. She tore, cut, glued, stitched, painted and quilted a series of pieces in a short time, always prepared for the next show. Her approach to making art inspired us, along with spot-on constructive criticism in critiques of others’ work.
A visit to Arlé’s studio illustrated all of the above. Stacks of paintings, framed collages, rolls of quilts, piles of fabric, photographs transferred to fabric, the tools of her art-making on several work tables surrounding the sewing machine, finished work on display, and several projects in progress captured the visitor’s eye. The whole house was a gallery of her work!
Arlé’s extraordinary generosity of spirit made it possible to believe she would be making art forever. Looking back, it seems to us that Arlé should be a verb. Think about that!
We have many happy memories rushing through our minds of the gracious, articulate, brave and joyously creative woman who embraced all of us. What an inspiration she will always be to everyone she touched, and what a gift to have known her! She was a blessing to all.
