Gallerist Jana Dohnalová – Colors, Layers, Structures
March 31, 2026 / 4:25 PM
Textile artist and lecturer Jana Dohnalová returned to textile after years spent in the legal profession. Today, her work is based on free quilting, hand-dyeing fabrics, and the courage to break established rules. The Colors, Layers, Structures gallery presents a cross-section of her current abstract work, inspired by details, structures, and the play of colors.
About the author
My name is Jana Dohnalová, and I am a textile artist and tutor of textile courses.
My path to this profession, however, was not a straightforward one. After primary school, I wanted to study textile art, but I was told that I showed no artistic talent and that, given my excellent academic results, a grammar school would be more suitable for me. From there, my journey led to law school and to a career as a lawyer, a profession I pursued for 15 years.
Eventually, I decided to leave this field and look for a new path. I returned to working with textiles, and when I discovered free-motion quilting and hand-dyeing fabrics, this work became my true passion. Free-motion quilting and hand-dyeing fabrics have since formed the foundation of my creative practice.
You may occasionally find elements of traditional patchwork in my work, but my main focus is free textile art, which I have embraced fully.
I began sharing my work on my blog in 2013. Later, I realized that I was drawn to teaching others what I had learned, and in 2015 I started leading courses in free-motion quilting, hand-dyeing fabrics, and other techniques. In 2020, I moved my courses online and found that this format suits me best, as it allows me to pass on a much larger amount of information. I also admit that I am more of an introverted person, so the online format feels more comfortable for me.
In my work, I use a wide range of colors, but I purchase fabrics only in white and black. All other colors are created by my own hands. I dye fabrics using reactive dyes as well as other types of dyes, always according to the needs and intentions of each piece — depending on what is to be created and how I want the colors to behave.
The process always begins with an idea in my mind — a visual concept of the final piece — and then I explore how to achieve this vision in practice. I adapt the entire process accordingly. For each quilt, I choose a unique approach that leads me to the desired result; however, free-motion quilting is always present.
I do not enjoy following established procedures — I like to push boundaries and break rules.
I find inspiration everywhere around me. I am particularly drawn to details, which are characteristic of my work — details of plants, buildings, historic doors, furniture in castles and châteaux, stone walls, and many other elements of our surroundings.
Since 2017, I have regularly participated in creative competitions — previously at the Prague Patchwork Meeting, and now at the Brno Patchwork Meeting.
In 2019, I exhibited my quilts at the Karel Dvořáček Library in Vyškov, and in 2020 and 2025 at the Rudice Gallery.
In 2021, two of my quilts were published in Art Quilting Studio magazine.
Gallery “Colors, Layers, Structures”
The gallery presents a cross-section of my work from recent years. It is based on working with hand-dyed fabrics, free-motion quilting, and various types of appliqué. I use both traditional and reverse appliqué, as well as combinations of the two. I often combine free-motion quilting with painting using textile paints, but also with colored pencils or textile markers.
The main theme of my quilts is detail — patterns, structures, and layers that gradually form the final whole. My quilts are primarily abstract, yet they often originate from real, detailed motifs that take on an abstract appearance. This approach allows me to focus on color and on the interplay of shapes and lines. Layering individual elements and working with surface texture are just as important to me as the overall composition.
The selection presented in this gallery shows a variety of ways in which I work with these techniques — from simple quilts with a strong emphasis on color to more complex compositions where several techniques intertwine. The common thread running through all the works is an emphasis on detail and the connection between color and structure.
You can find me on my website, Facebook and Instagram.
https://janadohnalova.cz/
https://www.facebook.com/janadohnalova.textileartist
https://www.instagram.com/janadohnalova.textileartist/
