Dayton Landmark's Quilts--Interpreting photos by the slice!

Dayton Landmarks as hanging in Schuster Center. L - R: Mendolson's, Sue DeSantis,  Carrillon,  Dayton Skyline (part 1, Carroll Schleppi, Dayton Skyline Part 2, Lisa Quintana, Sacred Heart Church, Dayton Art Institute, Mindy Marik, The Arcade

Some of the craziness I was participating in last week was the installation of a series of "slice" quilts at the Schuster Center for the Performing Arts in Dayton, Ohio.  These quilts were a long time in the hanging.  In about 2009, a group of us had seen the "slice" quilts at the National Quilters Association show in Columbus and we thought we wanted to give it a go.  The quilts in Columbus were scenes of a river, which flowed from one piece into another.  We thought we'd do scenes of locations which were readily recognized as Dayton.

At first, we contacted some photography groups in Dayton to see if they were interested.  When no one responded, we asked our own Ronnie Doyal who is an art quilter and pretty danged good photographer working with David Lorenz Studios in Dayton.  Ronnie took a series of shots and three of us, Lori Gravley, Mindy Marik and I, looked at the images and chose which ones would be best to be divided into segments and then handed out to Miami Valley Art Quilt members to interpret in cloth.

We had sign ups, where everyone who was interested in a particular image put their names in a "hat" and we drew to assign segments.  Some of us did more than one....all of the quilts were to be 42" long, with the width being proportional in order to make sure that the show would look good when hanging with all the segments completed.

This wasn't without trauma as some of the places doing photocopies were less than accurate in their segment lengths.  This is Ronnie's photo of the Carillon Tower at Carillon Park.  I fell in love with the dramatic lighting...taken just as the sun went down.

Here's how Sue DeSantis and I interpreted the piece.  My "slice" is on the left, and Sue's is the right.  Sue used a commercial gradient fabric in teal as her background with a selection of greyish neutrals for the tower.  Her bells are small craft bells.  She quilted it on the diagonal and put small hot-fix crystals to show the evening stars.  My segment was made with a rust dye fabric with tea to give it the greyish look.   The trees are made with a machine lace, which was cut away in segments to let the yellow glow show through.  The blue background is a commercial batik which unfortunately, I was only able to obtain in fat quarter sizes, so I had to piece it.  I used organza ribbon to give the shadow on the pylon.  Unfortunately, I learned too late that organza tends to run away from your presser foot.  I think if I use it again, I'll glue it down first, or fuse so I can get a perfectly straight line.

Lori Gravley, Mindy Marik and I chose to do the Dayton Art Institute in order to show our members what we meant.  I particularly liked how the wording came out "Dayton Art" which we took to be our theme, and our thought was that in future shows this would be the introductory panel.  Lori took the left panel, I had the middle, and Mindy took the right.  I used rust dyed muslin for the body of the building, and over-dyed a piece of peach colored polyester moire for the roof.  I also used various ribbons for the metal parts on the door.  Mindy used various neutrals to replicate the blocks of the building, and Lori made hers from a commercial print.  I think it is pretty interesting how the colors really blend and give the feeling of being on the same building.  My section of the steel sculpture is made with a polyester metallic knit which I fused with sheers, and I can't remember what all to give the illusion of the reflection in the steel.  Lori used various commercial prints.  All of us edited out the various posters and notices (such as the hours) in order to make it a better composition.

Over the next several days, I will be showing more of the pieces.  They will be on exhibition at the Schuster Center until June 24.   The center is open from 7:00 am until about 11:00 pm, after the last show Tuesday through Sunday.  Mondays the building is open for viewing from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  We will be showing the quilts with their photographs at two other venues this summer and fall, and will be announced as soon as we have the details straightened out.

Aullwood: 2011 Lori Gravley

Lori Gravley Wrack Lines VIII:Tidelines 28" x 28" $850

Lori Gravley Wraklines VIII detail

Lori Gravley is another one of my Miami Valley Art Quilt Network friends.  Spurred by a workshop MVAQN member Liz Schneider's did on texture, Lori started exploring the use of yo-yos...and she became addicted.  Actually, making yo-yos is a great thing for her to do while attending her son's sporting events and waiting for him in practice.  While I generally abhor yo-yos, I love Lori's work.

Lori grew up near water, spending most of her teen years on the Florida panhandle.  Most of her work is inspired by the lines of debris that the tide deposits on the beach edges which are called wrack lines.


Lori had three pieces submitted to Aullwood and all three were accepted.  This piece is called Wrack Lines VIII:  Tidelines.  Lori wrote this about her piece:  "the first time I visited Half-Moon Bay on the coast of California, I was surprised by the multiple tide lines.  My father told me that if I looked carefully I could find moonstones among the many pebbles and I spent hours as a teen then again as a young woman walking the tidelines searching for the perfect moonstone."

While these pieces are fairly simple, you can see Lori's masterful understanding of line and composition.  She uses not only the yo-yos for texture but the quilting also gives that wonderful ripple effect you see in the sands.

Lori Gravley Wrack Lines IX: Moonjellies and Starfish 32" x 32" $1,050.00

Lori Gravley Wrack lines IX detail

This piece is called Wrack lines IX:  Moonjellies and Starfish.  She recalls that the beaches on the Florida panhandle are composed of fine quartz particles which in the sun can be blindingly white.  "Walking the wrack line of these beaches up near the sand dunes on a bright sunny morning, you can sometimes find red starfish.  The irredescent fabric of the yo-yos inspired this piece."

I think this is one of her most breath taking works..unfortunately, the white and iridescent fabric makes it almost impossible to photograph in any way which does justice to it.

Lori Gravley Wrack Lines IX detail

Lori Gravley Wrack Lines X Winter Tides 27" x 23" $750.00

Lori Gravley Wrack Lines X detail

At first,  I liked this one the least of Lori's pieces, but I have to say it grows on you.  Lori made this piece from a re-purposed silk dress she found in a thrift store.  Lori writes:

"The best time to walk the wrack line  is in winter.  There's less competition.When I saw a silk dress at a thrift shop, I immediately thought of the beach in winter.  Even in winter, the wrack line carries the shells, bones, kelp and other detritus that reminds us that life goes on and on.  The orange in the quilt is a reminder that summer will come again."

Usually, Lori combines both hand and machine sewing.  Wrack Line VIII is handsewn.

Lori recently completed another yo-yo quilt which is now showing at the Dayton Visual Art Center, entitled "Wrack Line XI:  Tides in Godlight."  You can see it, and more information on Lori's work on her blog, Laughing Girl Quilts.

Fall Art Studio Tour in Yellow Springs

This weekend, amongst a lot of hustle and bustle, I went to the Yellow Springs Studio Art Tour in Yellow Springs, OH with my house guests from Connecticut. They have managed to come about the same time each year for the last several years and this has become a favorite side trip.

The day was glorious. Fall colors were everywhere and Yellow Springs is a wonderful little town....even if we were not able to go to the Winds Restaurant to get some squash lasagna for Martha. It was so packed that they were not even taking reservations. We stopped there at 2:00 p.m. and were told that the wait was 50 minutes. We went to another favorite stop, Bentino's Pizza where I had yet another wonderful pizza.


This year, instead of just having one artist at each stop, each "host" artist was allowed to ask two other guest artists. the Miami Pottery hosted Lori Gravely and a wonderful jewelry maker. Here's Lori with some of her quilts.

I was also able to stop by and see fellow MVAQN quilter, Pam Geisel at her studio where she hosted two other people as well, only I stupidly didn't take pictures of Pam's work. You can see Pam's things here on her website. She also sells on Artfire and Etsy.

Pam and Lori both had successful days. I can't imagine the pressure they are both under as they prepare for another show at Glen Helen.


Here's Lori's sales area, and the smaller shot is a close up of some of her work.

Yoyos!

Generally, I have an aversion to yoyos. No, not the disks you do tricks with with your hands, nor the south central Michigan version which is also known as a retractable measuring tape. These are gathered circles of cloth.

I developed this aversion when I was in the second grade. One of the recess ladies was really smart. On days when we had to stay in because it was raining, she somehow got me and all of my friends to make yo-yos for her. You see, to make a quilt out of yo-yos takes a lot of yo-yos.

OK, so if I don't really like yo-yos...why am I talking about them? Well, there's one lady who does the most fantastic yo-yos! I lust after her work with yo-yos. Actually, I lust after a lot of her pieces. Today, I helped hang the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network's show at Glen Helen Environmental Education Center in Yellow Springs, OH. Lori entered a fantastic piece which she illustrated on her blog, Laughing Girl Quilts. You MUST look at this. In fact, if I weren't more ethical, I'd swipe her photo and show it to you here...but go see this...then come back and read this.

This brought to mind the yo-yo quilt I am showing here. Myra Fields made this quilt in 2009 using over 200 different fabrics. She made 850 yoyos. Myra wrote: "This is an easy quilt to make but soooooo (sic) time consuming. I vowed never to make another; however, but both of my daughters asked for this quilt, so now I'm making another one!"

Also known as "Suffolk Puffs", these quilts were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. This is an unusual example because it is indeed a quilt. There are sections of the piece which are composed of three layers held together with stitching. This is called a "Boston Common" set, because it is set out in rectangles as the traditional pieced Boston Common quilt is. Usually, a yo-yo quilt is not truly a quilt because the rosettes are sewn to each other and then sewn down on a sheet or solid piece of fabric, or just left "holey."

Lori said that making them was time consuming but addictive. Making yo-yos is a little easier as Clover came out with some yo-yo making templates to make from very small yo-yos up to very large yo-yos. They even come in specialty shapes to make hearts, clovers, butterflies, flowers and ovals. I've even been making some to serve as centers on a quilt I am making for my mom.

I'll leave you with one other piece employing yo-yos. I don't think that this belongs to Beth Ann Miller, I think she was holding it up for someone else, but it was made by a member of the Batty Binder's quilt guild in Troy, OH. Yo-yos add extra texture and sometimes they are just the right thing....like in Lori's Wrack Line.