“Salmon Rising” quilt by Susan Damone Balch
The American Museum of Fly Fishing’s “A Graceful Rise” exhibit features many women pioneers of the sport. It also presents outstanding artwork by women artists who capture their love of fly fishing in their work. Susan Damone Balch is an artist whose award-winning quilts bring to life images of trout and salmon.
When she was younger, Susan sought pursuits she could be passionate about and discovered both quilting and fly fishing. As she put it:
“I knew that these were both activities that I could pursue for a lifetime, and immersed myself into both worlds.”
In 1996, she became involved with Casting for Recovery. From 2000 to 2007, she acted as the organization’s program director. As part of her biography states on her website:
“Throughout those years, I had the opportunity to travel all over the country, to fish in some beautiful places, and introduced hundreds of women to the art and healing power of fly fishing. While I still teaching fly fishing, in 2007, I turned my focus back to the art of quilting.”
You can browse a gallery of many of her best quilts at her site.
If you find yourself in Manchester, Vermont stop by the American Museum of Fly Fishing to see her work in the fantastic “A Graceful Rise” exhibit.