Paula Nadelstern is known for her use of intricate symmetrical prints in kaleidoscope-themed quilts, employing a distinctive approach that obscures, rather than defines, the seams. Able to find patterns in anything, everywhere she goes, some of Paula’s greatest inspiration comes from her travels and places that are special to her, such as the ceiling of the Spanish Synagogue in Prague in the Czech Republic or the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, USA. In her art, Paula filters every image of inspiration through a kaleidoscopic lens. She conjures the luminous, fluid and fleeting nature of the kaleidoscope using its unique and symmetrical philosophy in all of her work. The visual excitement of color, motion and shape in her quilts imitates the endless possibilities that kaleidoscopes represent.

To Paula, being a “Patternista” is about combining logic with outer beauty when choosing fabrics. This method lends itself particularly well to kaleidoscope quilts, which depend on creating a quilt that appears equally random and controlled. Paula says that “symmetry and serendipity laced with abundant color and pattern,” are the heartbeats of her quilts. With a strong eye for seeing pattern everywhere, and the endless layouts the kaleidoscope formula provides, Paula Nadelstern will never run out of inspiration.

Paula Nadelstern lives on the same block where she grew up in the Bronx and is the recipient of fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and The Bronx Council on the Arts. She has written several books, including Kaleidoscopes & Quilts, Snowflakes & Quilts, Puzzle Quilts: Simple Blocks, Complex Fabric, Paula Nadelstern's Kaleidoscope Quilts: An Artist's Journey Continues, Kaleidoscope Quilts: The Workbook and FABRICADABRA: Simple Quilts, Complex Fabric. Befitting a “Patternista” Paula also designs textiles for Benartex, Inc.