More Scribbles

Still working on 12"x12" blocks. I have been invited to show at the Jonal Gallery in Columbia, Pennsylvania this summer (June 22 through July 22) and have been working on these smaller sized pieces. The owner of the gallery told me that the top sales price is around $1,000. My big pieces come in significantly higher than that, but I will show some anyhow. Then everybody will think these smaller pieces are a real bargain and snap them up. I've mounted them on stretched canvas painted black so they are easy to hang (and don't look like place mats.)

Scribble #10

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Scribble #11

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Scribble #12

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Scribble #13

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Scribble #14

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Scribble #8

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Scribble #9

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Destroying the Evidence

Sometimes there is just too much stuff. My studio, in particular my work table, accumulates stuff. And not all of it is related to quilting. Today I've been putting stuff in its proper place and I'm hoping I will be able to work without that claustrophobic feeling that results from too much stuff. I would like to be able to work in more than 2 square feet.

That brings up the question of what to do with pieces that just aren't quite up to standards. These are pieces that might have been experiments, trying out some new design or technique, or maybe finished pieces that should never see the light of day. I don't even want to give them away because I don't want them out in the world with my name on them. Today I took 5 small pieces that fit into this category and sliced them up with my rotary cutter.

Now some industrious people might do this and then attempt to make a silk purse out of these sows' ears by putting them back together. Maybe if I thought I could redeem these strips I would try that, but then I think why should I use up Valuable Quilting Time trying to fix something that really should just be thrown out. So out they will go. I have too many other things I would rather be doing than working with materials I already don't like.

I need to go through my closet galleries and pull out some really old work and see if it needs the same treatment. I know there are some pieces like that, but there are also some pieces that could be sold or donated. I might not like them any more, but that would be because I'm not working in that style now. 

Outside/Inside the Box

Continuing comments on the weekend in Philadelphia. The show at the Crane Building, Outside/Inside the Box, was most impressive and quite an expansion on the idea of fiber. Very few of the works would fit the definition of  "quilt". Materials used included aluminum mesh, wires, grommets, hemp, ropes, printed cloth, words written on vellum, leaves, fruit peels, ostrich shell beads, oxygen tubing, cable ties, florist card holders, plus things that immediately come to mind as fiber - linen, cotton, wool, thread, etc. I loved the knitted sock monkey suit, which you can see in the slide show, along with most of the other works. 

And I was thrilled to see my friend Linda Colsh's work hanging in this prestigious show. She is one of only a few artists who has 2 pieces in the show. Linda flew in from her home in Belgium for the conference, since she in on the SAQA Board of Directors. Since her family lives sort of near to me, we rode up together to Philly, and had a wonderful time gossiping talking about people we know, shows, her move back to the US in 2 years, and so on.

Defiant

©2011 Linda Colsh

Almost There

©2011 Linda Colsh

So now it's back home and time to get serious work done. It was truly inspiring to see all that artwork. And it was also very exciting to see 13 students from East Carolina University, where they are enrolled in the Textiles Program. It was inspiring to listen to them talk about their work and their enthusiasm was contagious. They are not the least bit constricted by the old traditions of quilts, and are pushing the boundaries in ways the rest of us haven't even thought of.

And for all the people who gave me grief about not posting, behold, 3 posts in one day.

Which one?

It's that time of the year again when SAQA asks its members to donate a small quilt for the Benefit Auction. I've contributed a piece in every previous auction and will do it again this year. I've been working on a graffiti-type theme and continued that series in these 12"x12" blocks. I will pick one of these to donate to SAQA, and right now I'm thinking about #6.

Scribble #1 

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Scribble #2 

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Scribble #3 

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Scribble #4 

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Scribble #5 

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Scribble #6 

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Scribble #7 

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Fantastic weekend

I spent last weekend in Philadelphia at the SAQA / SDA conference and it was terrific. Got re-acquainted with lots of people and was able to put faces to names I know from the SAQA email list and also from Facebook. Was chastised for neglecting my blog. Spent a day trying to see as much of FiberPhiladelphia as my poor brain (and feet) could handle. Just had a plain old good time.

Friday night was the opening of Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center. This is the 10th exhibition of this show and it has become one of the premier art quilt shows in this country. The venue is fantastic and the show committee pulls out all the stops and puts on a great show. I bought the catalog to help me remember what is in the show. It's a great record of the show, but unfortunately, the color is off. This seems to be a common problem in the printed renditions of art, and I guess AQE is no exception. But don't let that stop you from getting the catalog; use your imagination! I tried to find a place on their website where you can order the catalog, but it seems to be quite well hidden. I guess you will have to contact the Wayne Art Center directly if you want one. It's $20 plus shipping.

Saturday was the day that we spent touring FiberPhiladelphia. What a fantastic accomplishment this is. More than 20 exhibits, all related to fiber, is almost too much to handle. Actually, it is too much for just one day so it was necessary to pick and choose. First we hit the Snyderman/Works Gallery for the 8th International Fiber Biennial. I took some pictures but the ones on their website are far better. We also went to Bluestone Gallery, where Lisa Call is having a solo exhibit. While we were there, several of her small pieces were purchased. Let's hope that one of the big ones goes out the door, also.

The Highwire Gallery was another stop on our tour. More great fiber art, much of it by people I know personally. Must be coming up in the world. The highlight of the tour was the exhibit at the Crane Building gallery Outside/Inside the Box. I applied to this show and wasn't accepted and after seeing what was, I wasn't surprised. There were actually very few actual quilts in this show. It was fiber in all its manifestations and there are some very cool things hanging there.

Philadelphia has some old, worn out areas with buildings that are neglected and falling down. This, of course, makes them extraordinary photo ops.

Whaddya know! Stikman is here, too.

The Painted Bride Art Center is a piece of art in itself. Totally covered in tiles on three sides (the fourth side is a wall shared with the adjacent building). Can't even imagine how long that took. Wonder where they got all the tiles.

This post is long enough so I will continue in the next one.