Lessons in Art

I haven't had anything to say here for a while.  I've been busy with an online class I'm taking with Lesley Riley, called Compose Yourself.  She's covering the basics of composition, but with an emphasis on placing yourself into your work.  I'm learning a lot and stretching myself to try and keep up.

Ever since I began making art quilts, I have felt that I needed to stand back in the corner and keep my mouth shut, so that the "real" artists in the room would not know that I didn't belong.  After all, many of them had degrees in art or graphic design and they knew all the rules about what constitutes art.  Many of them worked in other media.  They were painters, sculptors, potters, etc.  All I knew how to do was operate a sewing machine. 

Over the years, I've taken numerous online classes from other fiber artists to try and learn as many techniques as I could.  I wanted to know all the secrets.  But, despite all that, I was still uncomfortable and unsure of my work.

It helped me gain confidence to enter and win recognition in a few art shows, but I still feel that the majority of the art world does not really accept textiles (a quilt?) as genuine art.  My other disadvantage is that my work is, for the most part, realistic.  Everyone expects or assumes that it will be abstract.  I don't know why. 

Earlier this year, I received an award at the Columbus Artists' Guild show.  The judge was a gallery owner, so I worked up my courage and approached her about having some of my work in her gallery.  While she said she loved my work (she did recognize it with an award), she did not think there was a market for it in her gallery.  She gave me the name of another gallery that might have some interest, and, by the way, did I do anything abstract?

That's one of the reasons I decided to take Lesley's class.  If I can learn the rules of good composition, maybe, just maybe, I can get a grip on how to go about making abstract art.  Don't get me wrong, I will continue to do realistic work--it's what I understand and I think it's where my talent lies--but, I would like to know enough to be able to try abstract to see if it's something I enjoy. 

There are some abstract pieces that I like and some that just leave me shaking my head, but I don't feel I have the knowledge to understand which piece is good artistically, and which is not.  Of course, that won't change my mind as to whether I like it .  I think people's reaction to art is almost totally subjective.  You either like it or you don't--it holds your attention and speaks to you, or not.  If you have to analyze it before you decide you like it, then  obviously you don't.

I also find it fascinating that people seem to purchase art, not based so much on their own likes or dislikes, but on whether other people think an artist is good.  My theory is that they are afraid to purchase and display something in their home unless they think it is acceptable to others.  Conformity and social acceptance are strongly ingrained in most people, and that's unfortunate.

And so, no photos today--just my thoughts. 

One More Show

Last Friday, I attended the Georgia Quilt Show north of Atlanta.  I had never been to this show and was impressed by the quality of entries and by the fact that they were from all over the country, as well as a few international entries.  It's not a huge show, but it was well done and well attended.

I had entered my "Cowgirls Just Wanna Have Fun" and was pleased that she received a third place award in the Small Wall Quilts category.  They don't have a separate category for art quilts, so there were lots of different types of quilts in the group--some pieced (a gorgeous miniature that took 1st place), some applique from patterns, and a good number of what I would call art quilts (original designs, realistic, representational, and abstract).

This is my entry--from a photo of Sarah, my youngest granddaughter.  The big brown UPS truck brought her home to me today--that's always a relief when they come home safely.

I was able to enjoy the show with my daughter, Marla, who had never been to a real quilt show before.  I think she was rather impressed with the amazing work on display.

Another highlight was a regional meeting of SAQA, which allowed me to meet several fellow art quilters from around Georgia.  That was a treat and I hope it won't be our last get-together.

I've just completed a Quilt of Valor, which I'll ship out in a few days (as soon as I get an assignment destination).  This is the only one I've made this year--wish I'd done more.  I still have to do the hardest part, which is to write something to the recipient.  That's always tough because you have no idea who you're writing to--man or woman, young or not so young.  But I think it's important to put some kind of message with the quilt to make it more personal.

I'm taking a class online with Lesley Riley on composition.  I hope it will help me have a bit more confidence in what I'm doing, especially when I do a piece and I know there's something not quite right about it, but I'm not sure what that something is--very frustrating. 

I received my copy of Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine this week with the photo of my "Smoky Mountain High" included in a piece about mountain-related art quilts.  It was a thrill to see my work published. 

Ga National Fair Results

After my wipeout at the Asheville Quilt Show, it was nice to go to Perry, GA last week and see the results of the Fine Art and Quilt Competitions. 

My "Where the Pavement Ends" won 1st, "Black Hills September" won 2nd and "Top Gun" received an Award of Merit in the Fine Art show. 

The quilt I recently finished for my bed, "Perseverance", aka, "The Quilt From Hell" won a 1st place and an Award of Excellence for Best Piecing.  I was very pleased.

Next week is the Georgia Quilt Show.  I have one piece entered.  I'm really looking forward to it, as I've arranged to meet my daughter for lunch and the show.  She's never been to a quilt show, so I think it'll be fun to see her reaction to all the wonderful quilts.  My entry into the show is my portrait of her youngest daughter, Sarah (Cowgirls Just Wanna Have Fun).  Then, there's a regional SAQA meeting where I'll have an opportunity to meet other art quilters from GA and SC.

I'm currently working on a Quilt of Valor.  It's pieced and ready for quilting, so I will get busy on that next week.   

Show Time

We're back from the Asheville Quilt Show.  I entered two pieces--no awards...sigh...It was a nice show--over 300 quilts and numerous vendors.  We drove up on Saturday--it's about a 5 hour drive--and made a stop in Hendersonville for apples.  They're the best.

We went to the show on Sunday morning, then drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Folk Art Center.  It's a great collection of arts and crafts from the Southern Appalachian area.  There were lots of quilts and art quilts, pottery, wood carving, weaving, etc.  If you're ever in the area, be sure to visit.  And, of course, the parkway is wonderful--except the traffic was pretty heavy--but then, it was Sunday afternoon and close to a large city, so I guess that's to be expected.  The trees have just begun to show the fall colors, so the next couple of weeks should be peak time. 

We had a miserable, rainy drive home.  We do need the rain badly, but I hate driving in the dark when it's raining. 

The GA Nat'l Fair opens on Thursday of this week (Oct 4th) and runs through the 14th in Perry, GA.  I'll be going down at some point to see how my entries fared (no pun intended).  I have 3 art pieces in the Fine Art competition and 1 quilt in the quilt competition.

I'm so glad to see Fall arrive with cool mornings and warm (but not too warm) afternoons.  It's the perfect time of year, in my opinion, and then, there's the color.

Speaking of color, I took some of my hand-dyed fabric to my favorite local quilt shop (Sunday Best Quiltworks in Ellerslie) to see if Linda was interested in trying to sell some of them in the shop.  We had no sooner worked out an arrangement for her to take them on consignment when a lady came in and immediately bought a piece.  Then, a few minutes later, a second shopper came in and grabbed 2 pieces.  That left 5, so we hung them on a quilt rack to display them to their best advantage.  The next morning, Linda called to say that 2 more had sold--woohoo!  That means I can make some more--and that was the whole point of selling them.  I had to be able to justify doing more.

By the way, if you're interested, I'm making generous half yards (20" x width of fabric) and we're offering them at $15 each.  They are unique, one of a kind pieces--really suitable for framing, as is, but they present all kinds of possibilities for making your own art.  E-mail me if you'd like to know more.

New art quilt and hand dyed fabric

I got the letter yesterday from the Schweinfurth Art Center.  They declined both my entries for this year's "Quilts = Art = Quilts" exhibit.  The letter said they had 331 entries from 191 artists--they chose 77 for the show.  I guess that means I've got lots of company.  It's always disappointing to get a rejection letter, but you just have to chalk it up to experience and move on.  Speaking of...

On a more positive note, I finished the piece I've been working on that is made from my hand-dyed fabric.  I call it "Sanctuary".  It was primarily made from one piece of my ice-dyed fabric.  I used a hand dyed piece that I had in my stash for the sky.  All the details (grass,trees) are thread painting.

I also have to share some of the other pieces that I dyed.  These are 3 examples.  They were all done using the same 3 dyes (1 red, 1 blue, 1 yellow).  I told you it was cool! 

Each of the pieces is just over a half yard.  I started with about 20 inches x the width of the fabric.  I wanted to be sure I had a full half-yard of fabric in each piece.  I hate it when I buy a yard of fabric and, after it's washed and dried, it ends up being 33 or 34" long.

As promised a while back, I'm also posting a photo of the final "Black Hills September" after some tweaking.  It's currently at the GA National Fair, waiting to be judged in the Fine Arts competition, along with "Top Gun" and "Where the Pavement Ends".  The fair opens October 4th, so we'll see how it goes.




 

The Waiting Game

It's the time of year when all the quilt/art shows seem to be taking place.  I've entered my work in 4 venues.  So far, I've shipped out or delivered 6 of my babies--two to the Asheville Quilt Show, which is the last weekend in September, and four to the GA National Fair.

 I decided, after some arm twisting by the ladies at Sunday Best Quiltworks to enter my newest and largest bed quilt, "Perseverance", aka,  "The Quilt From Hell" in the quilt competition, along with 3 of my art quilts in the Fine Arts Textile Division.  The fair takes place Oct 4 - 14th.  I'll be attending both events.

Next week I'll send "Cowgirls Just Wanna Have Fun" to the Georgia Quilt Show, show dates Oct 18 - 20th.  I've already planned my day at that show on Friday, Oct 19th.  My daughter will meet me for lunch and the show, then there's a reception for the GA/SC members of SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Associates).  I'm looking forward to meeting some fellow art quilters there.  After that reception, there's a Meet the Makers event for those with quilts in the show, so it will be a long day.

I'm watching the mailbox with fingers crossed, as I've submitted two entries for consideration to the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY, for their "Quilts = Art = Quilts" exhibit.  That one is a long shot, but I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  They were to mail out notices of acceptance last Friday.  I should get something from them tomorrow.

I have a new piece almost finished.  It's a real experiment.  I have been toying with the idea of hand dyeing fabric for a long time, but since I'm the world's messiest painter, I just didn't want to deal with all the hoopla of trying to dye my own fabric.  Then I saw an article on ice dyeing in Quilting Arts Magazine.  It sounded pretty uncomplicated, so I tried it.  I'm afraid a new addiction has been added to my list of things I can't resist.  The results are wonderful--I don't think you can mess it up--and the most fun part is that you don't know what you've got until you're done.  You can begin to see beautiful results when you rinse the excess dye out of the fabric, but the real "Christmas morning" moment comes when you take it out of the dryer and stand amazed at what you've created.

I must confess that I've bought numerous pieces of hand dyed fabric over the years.  I have a neat, beautiful stack of it.  The only problem is that every time I decide to use it in a project, I end up putting it back on the shelf.  Why?  Because I always feel like I might be "wasting" it on the current project and I should "save" it for just the right thing.  Trouble is--how do I know when the right thing comes along?  So, I get it out and look through it and stroke it and admire it and then put it back on the shelf.

Well, I decided that since I had created this beautiful fabric myself, it was okay to use it--even if I messed it up, I could make more!  That was a very liberating discovery.  Sooo, I took a piece of my new creation and looked at it, until I began to see something in it.  Then, horrors, I actually cut it and rearranged pieces of it and made an art quilt.  Imagine.  And I even took a piece of the stack I've been saving and used it, too.  I'm really living dangerously. 

I don't have photos yet, as I'm about to hand stitch the binding on it tonight, but I'll post some soon, along with shots of some of the other pieces I dyed. 

Talk to you soon.

Finished...at last

I should take out an ad in the newspaper (am I the only one who still reads a newspaper?) but since I'm a 21st century kind of gal, I'll use this forum to announce that I have finally finished the "quilt from hell".

 I can't remember exactly when I started this beast, but I know it's been several months.  I decided I would make a new quilt for my bed--one that actually covered up the sheets so they didn't hang out on the sides.  Then I came up with the bright idea that it should be something really special--not "quick and easy" or "down and dirty", but something that might someday be considered an heirloom.  Of course that would mean that I was dead and gone, but that's okay, too.

I had seen a beautiful quilt at Sunday Best Quiltworks in Ellerslie, GA, made by Teresa Singleton.  The patterns were based on Italian floor tiles--gorgeous.  She assured me it was not that difficult, so I bought the book.  My first mistake was to choose a quilt pattern from the book that was not the one Teresa had made.  I hadn't taken into account that patterns published by reputable companies sometimes contain errors and/or omissions.  Let's just say my life with this quilt got a lot easier once I found the "corrections" page of the author's website.

The center of the quilt is a mariner's compass, which had to be paper pieced.  Not a problem, I've done that before.  Unfortunately the pattern gave me a 20.5" square and the quilt required 22.625".  Once I had found a "fix" for that problem, I discovered that the borders I had already cut to pattern specs were too long.  It was during that stage of ripping my hair out that I found the above-mentioned website with the corrections--big relief.  

It was also necessary that I enlarge the original pattern by adding about 30 inches to both the width and length.  That meant making an additional 250+ paper-pieced, square in a square blocks (2" finished) to go with the 240+ I had already made.  Oh joy!  At this point I did seriously consider scrapping the whole project and maybe converting it to a wall hanging, but I am a very stubborn person (my Mom could tell you stories about that).

I finished piecing the top and lay it on my bed.  I wasn't sure I even liked it, but by this time, it had become a struggle between me and this demon quilt.  I began to quilt.  At 102" square, that was no small feat.  I have an HQ Sweet Sixteen quilting machine, which is a sit-down machine like my regular sewing machine, just with a wider throat to fit the quilt through.  I went back and forth between it and my Bernina machine and completed the quilting in about 3 weeks.  Sewing the binding on was a cinch and I was absolutely thrilled to put the final stitch in that baby on Thursday, August 16, 2012 at about 6 p.m.

At the suggestion of my friend, Maryanne, I named it "Perseverance".  That's a bit nicer than "The Quilt From Hell", which was the working title.  And, oh yeah, I LIKE IT.