Benefits of being a Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)

Not too long ago I wrote about being at the Quilt National (QN) Opening.  I was there because of an opportunity made available through Studio Art Quilt Associates.    As I can't say or explain it better, here is the information directly from their website:

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications.

Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA now boasts over 2,900 members: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors.

SAQA defines an art quilt as "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure."

SAQA's goals include: 

• Publish a newsletter and e.Bulletin addressing the professional needs of the working quilt artist.
• Publicize information about the art quilt through a web site, Professional Artist Member portfolios, and referrals to teachers and speakers for workshops and symposia.
• Educate through a series of conferences and lectures.
• Create a network of collectors, dealers and artists.
• Produce quality exhibitions, with documentary catalogues and critical reviews.
• Encourage critical writing, research and publication of articles about art quilts in the art press, popular press and scholarly journals.

I have been a member for four years....and I have to say, I really enjoy it.  The symposium offered in conjunction with Quilt National was just wonderful. For $20, SAQA member participants were able to attend the opening, attend a continental breakfast on Saturday morning after the opening where all of the artists whose work was in the show were able to speak about their work, listen to a presentation from the jurors how they chose the pieces and exactly what the process was, and a panel discussion from several of the artists whose work was chosen and in closing, a presentation of incoming President, Kris Sazaki talking about where SAQA is today and the plans for tho next several years.

In addition, for an extra fee, we could join in a pizza party with the QN artists.  

I can't say enough about how much fun I had. I was able to meet a lot of people with whom I had "met" on he internet and emailed back and forth with, but never gotten to meet face to face.  I also was able to see SAQA friends I had met at the Philadelphia conference last year, regional SAQA shows and Ohio regional "parlor meetings." 

Parlor meetings are meeting held by groups in a particular area.  At the very least, they are pot lucks with a show and tell element.  Or, it can be more structured...for instance at the parlor meeting I hosted  we talked about artist statements and bios, as well as points in choosing a long-arm or other set ups (such as a frame with movable tracks, the George, HQ-16, etc.) .  Not all areas have Parlor meetings (and they vary in what they are called) as they are up to the membership in an area to take the bull by the horns and plan them.  I have attended parlor meetings in homes, churches, libraries and the one that I hosted was in my husband's workplace.   No matter where they are held, I've enjoyed them and welcomed the opportunity to meet and talk with kindred souls.

Other extremely useful programs include webinars on various topic which are saved so even if you can't be there at the time the program originally runs, you can pick it up later   The Visioning Project is another useful program which helps you achieve your goals in a  years time . 

SAQA is open to all levels of interest, professional to those just getting started .  Quite  few members are collectors and we have several appraisers as well.  Go on over to the SAQA website and join...just tell them Lisa Quintana sent you. ;_)

Misreads and development of a quilt

A while ago, I made the quilt "View from the Abyss," as my entry into Quilt National.  As expected, it didn't get in, but I was encouraged by several people to try it in another show.  SAQA's show "Deux" seemed like a logical attempt, for those people who had never made it into a SAQA show.  I have had pieces in  regional shows, but as a relatively new member to SAQA, I've never gotten into one of the bigger ones.   I read the initial prospectus....but something didn't click.   I reworked "Abyss" so that it was 30" (actually, 32") so it would qualify.  And then I didn't think too much about it...untill I clicked on the entry form just after Thanksgiving....OOOOPS! When I re-read it, I suddently realized WHY they called it Deux.  I thought initially that Deux just referred to a second chance.....but NOOOOOOO....I don't know if it was just my wrong thinking or as a side effect of chemo.  "Deux" is a CONVERSATION between two quilts....and you had to enter at least two quilts.  Well,...ooops.  Quick! Grab your needle and thread and let's roll!

"Abyss" was originally conceived as a representation of depression.  Yes, I entered it into the SAQA exhibition "I'm Not Crazy" but I realized that it probably wouldn't be accepted for a variety of reasons, one being that it was grey and black...and monochromatic quilts often don't make it into shows as ones with brilliant use of color attract more attention....Yes, this is an oversimplification, but it does have a part.  The other aspect is that when the extended description came out, I knew that my quilt was a tad too subtle for this.  "Abyss" was to represent looking up from the dark hole, seeing some hope, and figuring out a way to pull oneself up.  I don't suffer from depression, other than the teenaged angst, except for one time. After I finished my treatment for breast cancer in 1994, I slid into depression and didn't realize it until I recognized that having a Christmas tree up in my living room for a week and not hanging any ornaments on it even though I had a 2 1/2 year old...was probably a good indication that I needed a prod into the right direction.  I had no idea that I was depressed until I saw what I was doing.  This quilt was my representation of what I remembered it feeling like. Veiled...deep...

So...I thought my "conversation" between the pieces would also include "Reaction" --how I have been dealing with my stage IV diagnosis this time around.  I knew that I wanted to have lots of loose threads, coming unraveled as it were.  I knew I wanted it to be on a quilted white background representing the happiness and fluffy life that most people experience.  I wanted to have a sliver of shiny gold representing my life, getting progressively narrow as my time runs out.  A red line would run through the gold and it would be on a black background.  But...what black?

I went to JoAnn's and bought several possibilities which I tried out.  This one was a linen suiting.  The threads unraveled nicely and it had a rather smooth background to contrast with the white panne velvet I was using for the body of the quilt.

The second thought was black burlap as I thought the contrast would be even greater and it would show nicely.  However, the open weave of the burlap caused it to "read" grey, not black and it was a little too much.

The third choice was a polyester black "oriental" brocade.  I thought it would be good because of the play with the quilting I had in mind for the background, although the raveling on this one would be a bit fuzzy. As much as I liked the chrysanthemum mon idea, I didn't think it worked as well as the smooth, plain field of the linen.

I quilted the background with interweaving lines of gold thread.  I was snarling greatly at my Bernina because it has a habit of having too tight a tension just before you hit the needle....not the upper tension, but inside.  In addition, the large cone of thread constantly had the bottom whipping around the core and catching, causing the thread to break.  Not fun.  Plus...it always takes me a long time, especially with metallic as you need to keep your speed a little slower than if I was quilting with cotton threads.

So here's the finished version.  I have been on chemo since November of 2010, with a couple of short breaks.  I just had  a P.E.T. scan on Wednesday last, and I am pretty sure that the cryptic message my oncologist left telling me he would call me today (Monday) because he needed to talk to me about the PET becaue "It was complicated"  doesn't bode well. I feel like my options for life are getting smaller and smaller, just as the gold narrows on the quilt.  The raveling of the black and on the gold represent my life falling apart.

I don't know if this is enough "conversation" between the two pieces or not, but it does fit into my series on my journey with breast cancer....I regret it has become so much a part of my life-I was first diagnosed at age 34; the initial stage IV diagnosis was in December, 1997 and I know I have lived longer than most, but I'm not too thrilled with the fact that I've failed on three protocols so far with this recurrence...four if you count the Zometa/Faslodex shot.

I feel like I really have to put it in high gear to make quilts, use up some of my stash and to get some of the stuff out of the way so my husband and daughter don't have to deal with it...I suppose it seems pretty silly.  But then...I'm often pretty silly!

Here's what the "View from the Abyss" looks like now that it is 32" wide rather than the 27 it started out as.

Here it is now.  Below, you can see again what it started out as.  Which do you like better?  

Art Quilting and Ohio

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to go to the Ohio Regional meeting of Studio Art Quilt Associates which was held at Nancy Crow's Barn (her classroom facility) in Baltimore, Ohio.  Nancy graciously opened her barn for about 20 members of SAQA to come and listen to her speak on the evolution of her property and her journey with art quilts as well as the opportunity for us to share our work, each a pot-luck lunch together and listen to Lisa Teufel of Dragon Threads Publishing talk about the jurying process at Quilt National.

Nancy's talk reminded me of this wonderful book by Gayle A. Pritchard, Uncommon Threads, Ohio's Art Quilt Revolution (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2006.  ISBN-13: 978-0-8214-1706-5  or ISBN-10: 0-8214-1706-1).  Gayle Pritchard did a wonderful job in this book reviewing the early art quilt movement  and what made the heart of it really start here in Ohio.  Well written and heavily illustrated with photographs from the artists themselves in the early years (1970s) as well as bringing it right up unto the publication date with the avant guard pieces and where Pritchard sees the art quilt movement going.   No one artist dominates the book and illustration.  It is thoughtful, even-handed and absolutely exciting.  It is still available on Amazon (and I'm sure many other book sellers as well) for $22.95, but like many art quilt books, you can pick it up used for a song (new from Amazon associates for $4 or less than $4 used plus shipping).  If you are interested in art quilts, I highly recommend it.

I would also recommend Studio Art Quilt Associates...the opportunity to meet with so many talented fiber artists, talk with them, see their work and listen to the programs offered through the regional meetings is just great.  I was fortunate enough to go to Philadelphia this last year to the annual conference which made me want to go to the one coming up in March in Santa Fe in 2013...although I doubt I will be able to make it.  SAQA's membership is open to all who are interested in fiber art, whether as artists, supporters, collectors, or institutional members.  They host a number of juried exhibitions each year and have a really  nice journal which comes out quarterly.  In my case, the Ohio group is very active with members hosting meetings around the state.  I held one here last January....and might consider hosting another one soon.  You can find membership information here.  The SAQA website also has many illustrations of Professional Member's work in their gallery.

Aullwood: Maxine Thomas and Maude Haeger

Maxine S. Thomas, "Japanese Spring", 24.25" x 20" $225

Maxine Thomas and Maude Haeger are two more of my friends.  Maxine is a member of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network and lives in Jamestown, Ohio.  She, like Maude, is also a member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates.

In Maxine's other life, she is a lawyer and she spent time in Japan as a Fullbright Professor  which influences her work.  In addition, Maxine almost always uses a bright color palette.

I saw the beginning of this piece in a thermofax screen printing workshop Shelley Brenner Baird held for us earlier this spring.  The "woven" background and the ginkgo leaves are both commercially available screens which then then printed on the fabric with thickened dyes.  She added more elements later.

Once again, Maxine's artist statement says it better than I can:  "Ginkgo leaves remind me of the trees I saw in Sendai and always bring back warm memories.  The art of Japan is very special to me and my quilts are ways that I can travel back to Sendai through art, illusion, emotions, texture and color.  Quilts appeal to my lawyer's notion of what is right and useful and my artist's love of freedom and whimsy.  Applique's discipline is new to me and I have done stenciling here for the first time.  The end result is my celebration and summons  to others to take their own evocative journey.

Maxine S. Thomas, Spring Iris I, 29.25" x 20" $250

This piece celebrates Maxine's spring garden.  She photographed her iris, then hand painted them on silk and rendered them into this quilt.  This is one of a series she is working on which "pays homage to (her) garden."   Even in the deep of winter, looking at the quilts will bring her back to the garden and spring and all that comes with that.


I had the pleasure of meeting Maude Haeger after writing about her work at last year's show.  Maude lives in West Chester, Ohio, so it is a ways from Aullwood, but not in midwestern terms.  After writing her, I found that her husband was also fighting cancer and we met at Aullwood to discuss that, and lots of other things besides! Maude is a teacher and is an exuberant, life loving person.

Maude Haeger, "Sunshine in the Garden, 58" x 40.5" NFS

Maude dedicated her Sunshine in the garden to her husband Walter, who has supported her in her artistic endeavors throughout their marriage.

"This quilt was created during the time he was going through chemo and radiation.  I was, of course, very worried and was not sure of what was going to happen. Walter loves it when I use bright colors and he loves gardens.  I chose to work on this piece as my way of pushing the cancer away.  Our earth is beautiful.  It also has sad and bad things in it.  We have to choose what we will concentrate on.  I like to try to overcome bad with beauty.  It is worth the effort of trying."

Maude Haeger, "Volcanic Rift in the Sea", 65" x 34" $1,000.

Her other piece, is just as rich and jewel like as this one....and I really love it.  Maude has illustrated the cracks in the ocean floor, a volcanic rift which oozes lava and gases.  I am afraid that this photo really do it justice as it glows with the reds, blues, and violets...

Maude heavily machine quilts her pieces, often using decorative threads.  She has also added quite a bit of beading to this piece to really make it come alive.

Here's a detail of her work...all of those little red dots are beads...

Creative Statements: SAQA OH at Zanesville Museum of Art

Sue King and "Farhrenheit"

Susan Shie, Sue King, Carole Staples, and unknown.

Quilts at Zanesville,.  From left, Kathleen Loomis: Postage 6: Epidemic; Debra Bentley June's Dementia; Frauke Palmer  "Thin Green Line", Carole Gary Staples "Chillin'"


I'm afraid that I didn't get a lot of photos, I intend to take some more when I go back later.


One thing which you can see on the above photograph is that the lighting is a bit odd...I think the cans need to be re-directed. 

 This is going to be short and sweet...it suddenly dawned on me on Thursday, that I was running out of time....2 small pieces to be done by Wednesday (I'd prefer them done and delivered tomorrow); two large works to be done by May 3, and a whole host of other things.....What happened to April? Oh, right...SAQA conference, Easter, and IQF, and Saturday's opening of the Studio Art Quilt Associates Ohio Regional Show at the Zanesville Museum of Art.

It's hard to believe that just two years ago, Sue King asked us to brainstorm as to what we wanted.  Number one priority was a regional show.  Sue, and Shelly Brenner Baird, Terry Ann Hartzell and Kris Worthington managed a herculean task and got Kathleen Loomis to jury our first show.  The Zanesville Museum of Art hosted this show which showcases the works of 27 artists.

My husband, my neighbor and I ventured over to Zanesville for the opening on Saturday which was really fun.  At left you can see Susan Shie, Carole Gary Staples taking a picture of Sue King.  Just in the far left, you can see my little piece.

Dee Dadik and Molly Butler in front of Jancy McClellan-Ryan's "Battles" 

Fiber Philadelphia and SAQA Conference

Martha Sielman, executive director of SAQA  

 Last Wednesday, bright and early, I drove over to Lancaster, Ohio to meet up with Sue King to drive to the Studio Art Quilt Associates conference  in Philadelphia.  The conference was co-sponsored by the Surface Design Association and SAQA with the lectures and panel presentations, opening of Art Quilt Elements AND Outside/Inside the Box exhibitions as well as tours of Fiber Philadelphia preceding S.D.A. workshops which will run through April 4th.  Sue and I got there early for Sue to attend the SAQA Reps meeting, leaving on Sunday so that Sue could return to work today.

I intended to blog from the conference, and a number of people did, but I found that I was usually just too tired or too busy!

It was a lot of fun meeting people who I had "talked with" on the internet, admired their work, or just heard of.  I'm afraid that my head was spinning with new names, faces and ideas.  There's little wonder that one of the public art pieces showed three dragons, one with the pearl of great price....

One of the panel discussions on Friday was Elizabeth Barton, Sandra Sider and David Revere McFadden's presentation on the Jurying of Art Quilts Elements 2012.  It was especially interesting as we attended the show for the opening later that day.

One comment that Mr. McFadden made was that none of the quilts were particularly innovative.  He said he wanted to see quilts which used fiber optics...or other things...

One thing which I was mulling around after his statement was when does innovation become gimmick?  Why push to use new materials, if it doesn't SAY anything?

Perhaps it wasn't earth shattering, but it was a piece I liked very much and wouldn't have thought of doing on my own is this piece "Twisted", by Diane Nunez (please put a tilda over the "n" ).   Diane quilted the strips of fabric, put grommets in the top, twisted them and inserted metal rods.
  Diane is from Southfield, Michigan and I like how the space between the pieces of fabric is just as important as the pieces themselves....the negative space gives some balance.  It seems like the theme of many pieces in this show, as well as in Fiber Philadelphia, were exploring shadows within the pieces, something I have been thinking about recently as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing Diane again at the IQF show in Cincinnati in a couple of weeks...and you back here tomorrow....

Another Quilt Inspired by the Barn in Palestine, OH

Here is the second of the two barn quilts I submitted to the Studio Art Quilt Associates Ohio regional show. Like the round window, it did not get it.

While this was fun to do and I like it, it didn't surprise me that it didn't make it in...for all the round window's faults, I think it is a better composition.

This one is also sort of problematic because I realized that I made one of the branches grow from two directions....The fact that it started out life as a grape vine, sort of confused me...there was grapevine as well as tree in the original picture...I opted not to use the grape leaves because I couldn't get the look of them down well enough. Instead of being divided, these grape leaves were not lobed much at all and the fact that they were old (this was taken in October) meant that the leaves were limp and fluttery....not looking much like grape leaves at all.

I wonder, if I cropped it a bit more, taking out some of the door casing maybe like this, if it wouldn't be better.  It still doesn't solve the branch issue...which I'm sure you'll be able to find easily in this shot.

In addition, I wanted this to be "painterly" in the painting...not tight and controlled...I tend to paint very tightly and I'm trying to retrain myself.   While the streaks of pain and some blobs of gold didn't bother me, I wonder if it does bother others.

The blobs at the far left are actually grapes..as well as the blobs in the center.

I'm still having significant problems controlling my machine quilting.  The numbness in my hands just makes the fine motor control difficult.  I'm hoping that with more practice, I'll be able to either overcome it or develop a method or style of machine quilting which doesn't look too bad.  I rather like how the thread painting on these stems makes it look sketchy.

It was my intention to make even more thread build up on these...but I found that I was using a heck of a lot of thread and the way in which I was doing this was leading to too much distortion.  Rather than doing this on just the top with a layer of stabilizer behind it, I sandwiched it and thread painted through the top/batting/backing.  I then put another backing on it and quilted some more since the thread painting makes the back look so rough.

Practice makes perfect...and I've been trying to "do the work" a lot lately.  You can't get better unless you put in the time.  I'm looking forward to exploring more of my barn sketches and photos through quilting.

You can see the original barn quilt posting with the photos here:
http://michigoose-life-quilts.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

Explorations and Expectations

Unconventional Materials Challenge, Quiltart Message List 2011.

ARGHHH!.  Blogger is being a pest tonight and it won't let me start the text where I want it.  BAGH!

Anyway, The first image above is a "quilt" which I did for the Quiltart Message List in a month long challenge hosted by Maxine Farkas.  It was due on October 18, 2011, but I haven't seen anything about it since I sent the photo in.  


The challenge was to use unconventional materials, specifically things you'd find in the garage or the hardware store.  Materials: Hardware Cloth, tea bags, landscaping cloth (the plastic kind), turn buttons, washers, ball chain, crochet cotton, wooden beads, masking tape "binding". Size:  17 1/2" H x 12" wide.  Because I know that my local groups would grump if it were only 2 layers (which is what Quilt National says ) I used a tea-bag "batting (I sewed large, restaurant sized tea bags together to make a middle layer).  I used hardware cloth and landscaping cloth because of the "cloth" aspect and just picked up what looked like fun.


Part of me balks at this....It is so easy to be distracted and not concentrate on making good pieces, but playing and having fun...don't get me wrong, fun is good....exploring things is good...but....is the end product art? Is it worthy of being  shown somewhere?


The concept of doing the unconventional materials has been with me for a long time.  I have actually picked up pieces of hardware and plumbing before with the thought of using them in a quilt....so I decided to join in on this challenge.


What is a little amusing to me now is that it presently fits the Studio Art Quilt Associate's new definition of "art quilt:  The art quilt is a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.

The Board sees the revised definition as a visionary statement. The word "references" allows for a broader understanding of the art quilt, thus creating a potential for growth in SAQA membership in terms of numbers and diversity of artists. The revised definition allows for more 3D work and work in media other than fiber/textile/fabric/cloth; it allows for techniques and materials not found in traditional quilting. The revised definition allows for framed, unframed, bound, and unbound work, thereby welcoming growth and development of individual style. 

(Sorry that the background color came wit the clip).  I still don't think it is worthy of submitting to a SAQA show though....or is it???


The next piece, the one directly above, sort of came out of this same challenge....but with a twist.  I have been working with found objects...or rather mentally playing with found objects in quilts.  I decided that I wanted to do a piece which I called "zen stitching" and is roughly related to the Japanese concept of "Wabi-sabi."  Please take a look at the Wikipedia definition of "Wabi-sabi" as I think a lot of westerners have taken it to mean a sort of serendipitous aesthetic, when I think it has a more spiritual connotation.  Yes, it has elements of impermanence, and a rusticity, but there's more to it than that.  


I wanted to have a hand sewn piece, one which I would work on texture utilizing random hand quilting, with no prior sketch or thought....just stitching.  I chose a piece of my rust-dyed/tea dyed fabric to serve as the back ground.  Because it is so wonderful to needle through and has great loft and is surprisingly light weight, I used a wool batting.  


After stitching, I used old crochet threads to stitch down tile spacers and washers. Then, I machine quilted with free-motion zigzag using a hand dyed-Oliver Twist thread.  Then I couched hand dyed silk ribbon from Oliver Twist.

I looked at it and decided that I needed even more texture.  So, I found a remnant of copper colored synthetic fabric I bought from the remnant bin at JoAnn fabrics....and I had a piece of stretch velvet...I liked the edges of the wool batting sticking out from the background.  The original quilted section was not square, but reflected the scrap source of the piece of fabric I rust dyed--a scrap of fabric from a stash donated to a friend....destined for the dumpster if I didn't take it.

I then quilted it....lots.  Gives me two feelings....one of a map or the texture of the earth....I extended the quilting out through the brown stretch velvet...and I felt for all the world like it was water running across the nappy shoulders of a buffalo.

I think I was probably influenced by some of Brooke Atherton's pieces....although hers are much more wonderful.

This was one of three pieces I submitted to the Studio Art Quilt Associate's Ohio Regional Show, and the only one to be accepted.  I am pleasantly surprised.  Correction, I am dumbfounded as a couple of people who I consider to do very good work didn't get in....and to think that this little piece which I did with found pieces, salvaged materials, and just my random stitching....well.. OK, it wasn't completely random as I did look at what I was doing, but it was completely without plan...got in.

A Glorious Day

Today I went to the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) Ohio regional meeting in Columbus at Beth Schillig's house.  Everytime I go it is a shot in the arm. I love seeing such wonderfully funny and talented people as Shelley Brenner Baird, Teri Ann Hartzell and Jen Siegrist.  Sharing and seeing the great things....and as usual, I saw some very moving quilts during show and tell.  Dee Dadik and Molly Butler gave a great presentation on how they arrive at appraisal values.

I think between riding over with Mindy Marik and talking to Shelley, I have gotten the swift kick in the pants (or is it paints?) to get on with my work.  In other words, the light is shining through the tree branches.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be as glorious a fall day as today was and my hip won't hurt so much.  I have talked to a guy to hire him to come help me cut back the garden.  It still looks pretty good, even though I have been neglecting it.

The birds and other critters (unfortunately a healthy collection of mice....but at least they were providing hawk food the other day) are enjoying my grasses and various fruiting shrubs.  Ilex verticilata, or winterberry , provides food for the birds but a wonderful red berry until they are devoured.

In theory, I shouldn't be growing them here as they are acid lovers....however they seem to be doing fine, with some leaf yellowing.  Like other hollies, the winterberry must be matched with the appropriate male pollinator.  I usually use one male plant for three to four female plants.

I meant to talk to you about my Heptocodon miconoides, or Seven Suns Flower, or Seven Suns tree or shrub.  It's a native of China, but has wonderfully sweet, lemony scented flowers in the late summer.  Bees and butterflies adore it.  After the small white flowers drop, they leave beautiful red calyxes which stay on for a while...but the winds and the rains I have been having have left me with only a few.  Take a look here to see what they look like. I don't have any fruit, so I suppose that I would have to have more than one for cross pollination.

It grows about 8 - 10 feet wide to a height of about 20 feet.  I planted it in front of my bay window in the hopes that someday it might give me a little shade on my deck.  At present, mine is only about 10 feet tall.  One of the other attractive attributes is that the bark exfoliates, so even in the dead of winter there is something interesting to look at.  The birds find its branching habit good for getting shelter from hawks and Lemmie the Magnificent when he's on one of his hunting forays.

One sad thing, I emptied my pots out this week....and because the roots were so severely filling this lovely blue pot....I accidentaly broke it when I was trying to get the roots and soil out with my little spade.  Oh well...one less thing to worry about putting away!

Dabblers

Someone over on the SAQA yahoo group made a comment about some people who were in the group were "dabblers" who were quick to try any technique which came down the pike and intimated that challenges were not for "serious" artists. She also went on to disparage quilters who worked in "photo realism."

I hope what she really meant was that SAQA is composed of two levels, Professional Artist Members and the regular crew.   Needless to say, I'm part of the regular crew and joined in part because I aspire to become better.  While I don't think there are enough days left for me to be a professional artist, in my heart of hearts, that's what I'd like.  However, I don't like being called a "dabbler."

These ducks, Mallards, are of a variety which are called "dabblers" as they float on the surface eating weeds and bugs and what they can get shallowly rather than being one of the diving ducks who dive with the purpose to grab a fish on the fly.  You can see, when you're a dabbler, you expose your backside.

I also don't think that participating in challenges which use a particular technique or material makes you a dabbler...someone not serious and driven to dive deep after that fish.  I usually participate in those types of challenges because I had been mulling over an idea which used either that technique or that material....and I think challenges drive you to produce...there's a deadline...which for me is always a good thing.

I don't think that there is anything wrong in experimentation with materials which may not be our norm.  We might indeed find that there is something which can really fit our vision or skills and they become incorporated into our tool box.  Or we may find that it just isn't for us.  Sometimes I think intellectually that I don't like something and by trying it out...I find I'm wrong...often just as much as I find I'm right. 

I don't see, however, where it is right to disparage either group...the divers or the dabblers.  Sometimes I get a bit grumpy about how people are reluctant to have their work critiqued, but that's because I see it as a vehicle to becoming better at what I do.  I do recognize that it is MY prejudice, and MY disappointment that I can't readily find a local group who is interested in critique.  But these are my issues and they shouldn't be projected on anyone else. 


The "realism" viewpoint is a horse I'm going to flog in another blog post.  Stay tuned.  Or not. :)

SAQA OH and especially Sue King and Carole Staples ROCK!

Saturday,  the SAQA OH (Studio Art Quilters Association's OH branch) held a "parlor meeting" in West Chester, OH hosted by Carole Gary Staples at the West Chester public library north of Cincinnati.  Carole and OH Rep Sue King did a wonderful job. 16 art quilters gathered for a potluck lunch, show and tell, discussion of future plans, and to view "Stitched".

I must admit, I was a very rude person as Deb Bentley would make a comment about the movie and I'd say "Ohh! just wait what comes next."  Or, "get ready for this part, pay close attention."  I was  bad because this was the fourth time I had seen the movie...so I apologize to all others attending.

I had had the pleasure of meeting Carole Staples in January at the parlor meeting that Maria Elkins hosted.  Her works are joyous.  This particular piece she made for a breast cancer awareness exhibition.  The two smaller pieces she is holding in the shot above are ones which she has been making by improvisation.  She reaches into a basket of scraps and pulls out pieces to work with, not making patterns, but just composing as she goes.  I love them because they are so full of joy.

Sue King, seen here at left, has only been the Ohio representative since last year and she's been doing wonderful things.  It is really a pleasure to talk with her.  She's been working on a series of quilts done from photographs taken for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) documenting the Great Depression here in Ohio.  You can see her work here, and she is opening a solo show this week:  Re-Imagining Color and Tradition at the Southern Campus of Ohio University located in Ironton, Ohio. The exhibition takes place in the OU Art Gallery located in the Dingus Tech Building. The opening reception will be held at 6:00 PM on Thursday, June 23, 2011. The show runs through July 14, 2011.

My photos are sparse and of rather poor quality.  I'm afraid that the chemotherapy I'm on is heavily affecting my eyesight which is extremely blurry.  I had hoped to spend more time looking in depth at the rest of the works that people brought in.  Maria Elkins, another SAQA member who was there covered many of the pieces on her blog which you can see here.

I am really enjoying my membership in SAQA.  I only joined last year, which is a real pity.  When I lived in Connecticut I ran into Martha Sielman the executive director of SAQA.  It must have been in the last 1990s and she encouraged me to join.  I was greatly embarrassed..I didn't have a studio, for heaven's sakes I sewed on the dining room table...and artist???  Hmmm...while I did my own thing in quilting and rarely could follow anyone's directions (I wanted to do my own thing which was sort of a problem for some of my teachers who I took classes from)...I hardly considered myself an artist.  I was a mom...and a museum curator and a wife....and....I keep on wondering where I would be now if I HAD joined when Martha suggested it..

This last picture is of fellow Miami Valley Art Quilters Carroll Schleppi on the left who is a recent joiner, and Debra Bentley on the right who joined at about the same time I did.  They are holding one of the loon quilts Deb is doing in a current series.  I was very distracted at the end of the meeting.....All of a sudden I was getting really horrific floaters.   Deb asked me if I had had flashes of light as well, which I had when I came into the meeting at about ll am....based on her experience it could have been a detached or torn retina which scared me pretty well.  Carroll and Debra drove me to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton where we sat and continued to chat until the doctors pronounced that I only had a vitreous detachment which is the least damage which could be done.  I admit, the floaters (dark shapes caused by the leakage) are quite large and distracting until I get used to them, but at least it isn't more severe damage.  Quite frankly, I'm really tired of my health dramas and would rather just quilt!

Scraps, Stitched and bits and pieces

I don't do many scrap quilts...at least not the traditional ones like this one.  This is a 1950s foundation pieced quilt top in the pattern called "Spider Web."  It used bits and pieces in the string quilting method to make the brightly colored segments.

Lately on the quiltart message board, people have been talking about how small the scraps they save are.  I have found that I am much more likely to use scraps and to quickly find what I need by keeping them ironed and in see-through plastic boxes labeled by color.  Then, when I need something, all I have to do is  flip through them and I find what I need.

For years I've been saving the smallest of scraps, thinking I'd make sort of an impressionist style quilt. At the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, I took a class from Noriko Endo who takes strips of fabric and cuts them into slivers using her rotary cutter.  A little different than what I had in mind, but it works.  Other people in my guild save snivels and snavels and use them to fill pet bed cushions.

Caryl Bryer Fallert, one of the current Quilting Divas (Queens? Rock Stars???) surprised me by posting one of her recent scrap quilts.  I thought "Caryl Bryer Fallert made a SCRAP QUILT?"  Well...I should have known.   Her scrap quilt has her signature style all over it.  Take a look here and I think you'll see what I mean. 

While at Cincinnati, I attended the world premier of "Stitched:  The film".  "Stitched is a documentary following Caryl Bryer Fallert, Hollis Chatelain and Randall Cook as they prepare, send off and attend the Houston Show.  It's more than that though....it talks about quilting and how big a deal it is...It talks about art quilting and the divide, at least on one side, between traditional quilters and art quilters.  It talks about process and procedure and it's very well done.  It is amusing at times and breathtaking when you look at the inspirations and process. 

 Here's a trailer which I don't think really does justice to the film.






I have to say, I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy of the DVD to show at my quilt guild and to lend to the neighbors who really don't understand what I do...heck, to show to my husband who doesn't really "get it."  I didn't feel that $19.95 was too much to pay as it was really good, really funny and really riveting.  I talked to Jenalia Moreno about when it might be coming to television.  She said not for a while because they couldn't get enough from putting it on PBS (who is interested) to cover even a small amount of the production fees. 

I strongly suggest that you buy a copy for yourself, get one for your guild or local library.  It's a keeper.  You can got to their Facebook Page or buy it on their website (which has some great information on it as well.)  No, I don't have any relationship with them...hey, I bought my own copy for heaven's sake!

I've been working on getting my sewing room cleared out and the fabric stowed (and I was able to avoid buying a single piece of fabric at the IQF show. I think I deserve a badge...I did buy paint, thread and some batting. :) ).  I am trying to finish a couple of small things for the exhibition at the Marianist Environmental Education center's show and will take some things over to the Piqua arts council today.  In the meantime, I'm struggling with extremely blurry vision. 

Vivien Zepf has being doing some remarkable things.  Her work on a homeless person was mentioned in a review of the Northeast Regional Fiber Exhibition in the City Newspaper.  You can see it here.

Now, for the chuckle of the day:  Overheard at the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati:  "I thought this was supposed to be a QUILT show not an ART show."  Amusing to me because the show included a segment of historical quilts, another on contemporary Baltimore Album Quilts, in addition to traditional quilts in the general exhibition.   Yes, Studio Art Quilt Associates were well represented by the Sightlines Exhibition and the Creative Force 2010 Exhibition (the link includes Luana Rubin's video-tour of the exhibition). Also, the "Oh Canada" exhibition had tons of work by Pamela Allen and others who do contemporary quilts as well as ones which are more traditional...It is worth noting that the lines between some contemporary quilts by traditional quilters and art quilts are getting more and more blurry.  You can see the quilts from "Oh, Canada" and the "America Collects" on this weblog.

Breakfast with Pokey

I have to laugh. Saturdays, I try to get up early (and usually do ) do a little work around the house then sit down for breakfast. My husband is usually twittering around and is either getting ready to go to the gym or is returning. He takes one look at me and says "Oh, Breakfast with Pokey." Sometimes he just says "Aren't you having breakfast with Pokey? if I have gotten sidetracked and it's 8:32 am.

You see, Quilting Arts TV comes on every Saturday morning on one of my local PBS stations. It's Pokey Bolton's brainchild and is a companion to Quilting Arts Magazine. It has a lot of good information with great tips from professional art quilters. It's eye candy. Sometimes she highlights new products (often these are paid spots, which is OK...although some --not often--are more directly in line with traditional quilters or home dec sorts of things--SOMEONE has to pay for the show), but usually it is a technique or introduction to the work of an art quilter...and usually all of the above.

Videos of past seasons are available for sale and some of the segments have their own workshop DVDs. In addition, other bits are put on as free downloads or e-zines on Quilting Arts Website.
So, when the quiltart.com list server had someone bring a blog up which was critical of art quilters and Leah Day in particular I was a bit incensed. The blog entry was written by a Nina Paley and in it she criticizes quilters in general and art quilters in particular as to not sharing their information.

She was "interested" in art quilts, but wasn't a quilter. Supposedly, she searched on the internet and couldn't find much. Well, dang. I Googled "art quilt" and came up with 76 entries and I know if I had used Dog-pile or one of the other search engines, I would come up with even more. This doesn't even touch all the independent blogs and how-tos on You-tube which which are free and show how to do things because the topic may be buried. No mind you, that was just art quilt, not "quilt art" which picks up even more.

In addition, most libraries are filled with books on quilting in general, many touching on art quilts, some solely devoted to technique or gallery (such as Visions, or Quilt National catalogs, or Art Quilt Masterpieces which don't show technique, just quilts). The Quiltart list serve is filled with information and helpful people who share technique, advise and critique (which is not a dirty word but a way to improve our skills and design). The Studio Art Quilt Associates website has plenty of information for non-members and if you want to join, there's even more.
Oops. More on this later. It's 8:35 am...time for breakfast with Pokey. (Slightly crisped whole wheat waffle made two weeks ago then frozen...I toasted it too long on one side.)

SAQA'S This is a Quilt entry finished and sent

This is a photo of a Great Spangled Fritillary I took in June of 2010. I loved the rich colors of this butterfly, even though it is a common one in the Northeast and Midwest. I've been meaning to do something with it since I took the photo.

I have to say that I have a little Devil or Angel who periodically sits on my shoulder and gives me a shove. Her name is Vivien Zepf. Vivien has strongly urged me to do items to enter into SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) exhibitions. Hmm.

Currently, SAQA is collecting little quilts that they will mat and put into a trunk show. The title is "This is a Quilt" and the goal is to explain art quilts and yet connect them with the folk art tradition. Why do we choose to do this type of art? A question I often ask myself as art quilts are not often accepted as "fine art" but are often classified as "craft" (with a negative connotation).

I struggle with this because I love to paint and indeed many of my art quilts have painting in them if they aren't done completely in paint. If I painted the image, I would be finished much more quickly than if I quilted the same image. I wouldn't have to quilt and bind and hand sew in a hanging sleeve. I would just have to wait until it dries, maybe slap a coat of varnish on it, and frame it. Much easier than quilting and certainly a ton less time consuming. Paintings regularly get into shows easier and also command higher prices. Phyllis Cullen has written a blog post on this topic (Is it Art ) . Hopefully the pieces put together with their artist statements will help explain quilts as art. In fact, the matting will make the point even stronger.

First, I selected a piece of rust dyed fabric as it seemed very similar to the background of the quilt. Then I drew the butterfly freehand with Derwent Inktense pencils. I think I need to learn how to get the pencil darker as it just doesn't get the richness that I know these pencils are capable of.

Here's what I ended up with. It is more of a collage as when I drew it, all I could think of is the 19th century specimen collections. I used specialty papers that I layered and wrote the Latin name for the Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele cybele) and burned the edges of the mulberry paper. This is partly because most people who think "quilts" wouldn't dream of having paper on their quilts, yet paper IS a fiber. the green ribbon is a wired organdy ribbon which came wrapped around a pile of fat quarters. I'm sorry I can't show you a close up as the only ones I took ended up being a bit blurry (it WAS early morning and I am decidedly NOT a morning person.) The other writing is in Pigma pen and is "Great Spangled Fritillary." The long whitish piece on the left is on a scrap of cotton grabbed from the waste basket at our quilting group and reads "Lepidoptera" the name of the order of Butterflies and moths.

I outline quilted the butterfly in a metallic/rust/dark brown thread and closely quilted the background to make it lay pretty flat. Why? Well, the reason I think I like quilting images is texture. Lots of texture. You can get texture in oilpaintings by impasto and a palette knife...but that's about it. With quilting the whole world is opened up with texture: the choice of fabrics, what you do with the fabrics (fraying, manipulating, etc.), the quilting itself, and then the myriad of embellishments such as beads, buttons, sticks, metal. You name it and you can do it. Art Quilting, unlike traditional quilting opens the world of materials. Things you wouldn't dream of incorporating into a traditional quilt all of a sudden becomes fodder for an art quilt.

I debated doing this piece for a while after I saw Terry Hartzell's Luna moth at the November SAQA show. I intended to do something with my photo, but Terry has done a couple of pieces with rust dyed fabric and a Luna moth as well as a Buckeye Butterfly. Was I using her idea? Did it influence me too much? I decided that that concept was ridiculous as many people do similar topics and even use similar materials, but each individuals vision creates a different piece. Take a look at Terry's work here and you can see how different they are....and hers are down right gorgeous!

It feels good to get something done and out on the road.

SAQA OH

Saturday, Deb Bentley and I drove to Westerville, Ohio (Columbus area) to attend the first Studio Art Quilt Associates Ohio Regional meeting. It was a blast! Sue King, the regional representative put together a great program. Not only were there opportunities to share and network, but she lined up three presentations: Shelley Brenner Baird presented her methodology and growth with printing and fiber art. Dee Dadik and Molly Butler addressed appraisals, and Terry Ann Hartzell showed her process which found me scribbling notes as quickly as I could.

Here Lisa Sellars-West is sharing one of her pieces.





Terry Hartzell is showing her heart quilt which was the focus of her presentation. At the meeting, I mentioned that I had hesitated to join SAQA since my "studio" was my dining room table in Connecticut. Now, I wish I had done so long ago.

Already, Sue has arranged for one "parlor meeting" --an informal regional meeting among members in the Columbus area. In early January, Maria Elkins will host one in the Dayton/Cincinnati area. We listed things which we would like to see the regional group do and hopefully, we will be able to do some of the suggestions we made.

SAQA's journal is worth the price of admission alone. I've learned a lot already and am looking forward to learning much more.

So, if you want to join SAQA, take a look at their website. SAQA Ohio's blog is here.

SAQA Auction!

Recently, I joined the Studio Art Quilts Associates at the gentle push of Vivien Zepf. I wish I hadn't waited so long. Martha Sielman had encouraged me to join years ago....but with the name Studio Art Quilt Associates, I didn't think little ole' me should be associated. After all, my dining room hardly counted as a studio.

In the intervening years, SAQA has grown and puts out a really wonderful journal.

Each year, they have a fund raising auction. This year, it starts on Monday, September 20th at 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) and will run until 2:00 p.m. EST on October 9. Check out the details here.

I've included some of my favorites, although it is really hard to choose. Some of the pieces are from "big name" people, others are less well known. They are one foot squares and bidding starts at $750, and if it is unsold, it drops each day of the offering. The quilts are offered in three sections.

The lead off piece illustrated here is by Shelley Brucar and is entitled Blustery Day. I love the motion and the colors are ones which always turn my head. This will go in the first section which starts Monday.

A little more subtle, but definitely in my favorite colorways is Goldenrod Galls 5 by BJ Parady. It's little wonder why I like this one...BJ specializes in the colors and wonders of the Midwest.

Now, when you look at this next one, you'll definitely see more of my favorite themes...I know I'm getting monotonous, but I really love these colors and the richness of the gold. Of course, I have a hard time separating this from my other favorites which are turqouises and cobalts, but.....

This is Puzzle by Leslie Carabas. Love that movement!






In contrast, I also appreciate the following pieces for their restraint and simplicity. This is Els Vereycken's Winter. I think one of the reasons it appeals to me is that it is a scene which is really familiar to me. When the snow just dusts the stubble in the fields. Simply done in what looks to be paints, but may be another method, it is highlighted with stitching.











Denise Linet's Roses at Dusk employs similar restraint, but unlike Els Vereycken's piece, it is abstract. Denise uses surface design and various sorts of imagery to construct her pieces. This one also uses stitching to give more texture and contrast.