Mary Louise Gerek has been involved in needle arts as long as she can remember. Learning how to read knitting patterns from her grandmother Louise, she started seriously knitting in her late teens. Over the years, she also did embroidery, needlepoint, cross stitch, spun her own yarn and designed sweaters. Looking for a little quicker gratification than a year to spin and knit a sweater, she started quilting in 2004, inspired by the hand-dyed fabrics she saw in the American Southwest, Her fascination with color and design took her quickly into art quilts. She continues to develop her own sense of design and color. She is intrigued with the effects of fabric manipulation, interaction of color, free motion quilting and thread painting in her art.  Mary Louise has her studio in her home in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the American West offers infinite sources of inspiration.