ADDENDUM to TRANSFORMATIONS '09 photos

An earlier blog posting of the SAQA Transformations '09 exhibit in at Guilford (CT) Art Center did not include photos of several of the artists represented. This posting serves to correct that oversight on my part. I made a second visit to the exhibit, kissed my Spoils of War goodbye for a good long time and snapped the 'missing' photos.

From the left, CUMBERLAND BURIAL SITE by C.J. Pressma, WITLEY DECAY by Gloria Hansen, and A WALK IN THE WOODS by Andrea Limmer.

Grietje van der Veen's GOOD MORNING AMSTERDAM, followed by the works of Bodil Gardner, Elaine Quehl and Beth Carney (see previous blog post, November 16, 2009).

Karen Bates' SLICK: OIL ON WATER faces my SPOILS OF WAR piece.

My intention was to post photos which would give artists an idea of how the exhibit was hung, not to display the individual works. The SAQA catalog is available for purchase from www.SAQA.com for those interested in individual views of the works in the exhibit as well as artist statements.

'Gallery Talk' a Success!

I made my debut talking about myself as an artist at the Guilford Art Center on Saturday afternoon. It went surprisingly well....of course, it is always easier when one has an appreciative audience! There were about seven or eight artists from the center and the Sisters in Cloth art quilters gathered to listen to my friend Judith Plotner and I talk about our work exhibited in the SAQA Transformations '09: REFLECTIONS show. It was gratifying that several visitors to the exhibit stumbled upon us and stayed to listen and chat with us.

We each had a table set up in the gallery for a display of our 'wares' and information about our work. Judith made several small format fiber collages set in shadow box frames that were stunning. I made some fiber on board and canvas pieces for the talk as well, and I brought four other quilts which are representative of my 'other' artistic voices (I seem to have several voices!).

Judith's ADIRONDACK LOVE AFFAIR is shown on the left wall. Displayed on the table are notecards, her looseleaf portfolio showing her body of work over many years, a selection of framed fiber collages, and the Quilt National 2009 catalog which featured Judith's NOTES ON A STREAM, another work inspired by the scenic and inspiring Adirondack Park where Judith makes her home with her husband Stan.

And this is Judith in front of her quilt during her gallery 'talk.'

Yours truly during my gallery 'talk.' My seminal piece, EXPLETIVE DELETED, is on the table in front of me.

This was a lovely feeling - coming upon a serious conversation about my work!

The table displaying my small works on board, my FLEETING MOMENT quilt a few more of my works.

THANK YOU to Diane Wright, Linda Zimmerman, Yvette Howard, Barbara Adams, Ruth Anne Olson and the many Sisters in Cloth who made our visit to Guilford so enjoyable, comfortable and congenial! And last but not least, thank you to SAQA for the opportunity and to Guilford Art Center for hosting the exhibit so close to our home in New York before it travels to Alaska, Oregon and California in 2010!

TRANSFORMATIONS at GUILFORD ART CENTER

I am fortunate to have my piece, The Spoils of War, juried into the SAQA TRANSFORMATIONS '09 art quilt exhibit. The Guildford Art Center is hosting this marvelous collection of contemporary art quilts from now until January 3, 2011. SAQA members Diane Wright and Linda Zimmerman, their art quilt group Sisters in Cloth, and the impressive Guildford Art Center have done an incredible job hosting this exhibit. I was there on Friday evening for the opening reception. I arrived early so I could take photos, a good thing, the gallery was SRO at the stroke of 5:00! Not surprisingly, the art quilts met with RAVE reviews. Although the SAQA catalog is gorgeous, we all know nothing compares to viewing fiber in the 'flesh.'

I did endeavor to take photos of the entire exhibit but I fear I've failed, I do apologize for the ones I missed...it was hard keeping track when I was interrupted every few minutes by questions from the public who began streaming in to see the show.

The entrance and exhibit introduction highlighted by Shelley Brucar's STORMY.

From left to right, Robin Robboy's MEDITATION, Jette Clover's LETTER LANDSCAPE I, and Allison Muir's OIL ON TROUBLED WATER.

Marie Jensen's THE GREEN BELT, Eileeen Doughty's MOON DANCE, Kathy Nida's LOOSELY WOUND, and on the facing side wall, Judith Plotner's ADIRONDACK LOVE AFFAIR.

Bodil Gardner's SPRINGTIME ON EARTH, Elaine Quehl's REACH, Beth Carney's STRUCTURED CHAOS 10. A slice on the far right of the Center's Holiday Sale of Fine Craft & Art.

Behind one of the two tables laden with gourmet hors d'ouvres, on the long wall, Fanella Davies' VENETIAN REFLECTIONS, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs' ETERNAL ENIGMA, and my piece, The SPOILS OF WAR.

Left to right, Janet Kirjan's MYSTERY I, Domanie Nash's STILLS FROM A LIFE 10, Alison Schwabe's EBB & FLOW 8, and Carol Taylor's RAINDROP REFLECTIONS.

On the right, Deborah Sniders' ENCRUSTACEANS I.

On facing walls, the two parts of Chiaki Dosho's LIGHT & DARK, a portion of Elizabeth Barton's FERRY BRIDGE, and Joan Sowada's PLAINSONG (see closer shot below).

Leslie Carabas' FANTASY 3 and Laura Wasilowski's SPROUTS on the left of photo and Alison Schwabe's again in the background.

Pat Kroth's BITS OF GOLD, Denise Linet's SQUAM LAKE - EARLY AUTUMN and Brooke Atherton's ONE WONDERS.

Full shot of Elizabeth Barton's FERRYBRIDGE and Joan Sowada's PLAINSONG.

On wall facing Brooke Atherton's piece is Marti Plager's PAGES #14: NOTES FROM GIVERNY and a tiny bit of C.J. Pressma's large piece, CUMBERLAND BURIAL SITE. Facing this piece but not shown, is Andrea Limmer's A WALK IN THE WOODS, and then, also not shown, Gloria Hansen's WITLEY DECAY. On the right of the photo is Elly van Steenbeeks's NOTES ON HAPPINESS.

My sincere apologies also to Karen Bates, Andrea Limmer, Gloria Hansen and Grietje van der Veen for not getting shots of your work this trip...I'm returning to the scene of my neglect on December 5th and I'll be sure to get photos and amend this page in my blog.

My reflection on REFLECTIONS: Such an impressive collection of the art quilt medium, a splendid selection chosen by juror by Laura Cater-Woods. The works hang cohesively and reflect the entire scope of contemporary art....whimsical, meditative, protest, contemplative - the abstract, and the representational. I'm honored to be included in this impressive list of artists who use fiber and thread to express their artistic reflections.

SAQA Transformations '09 Exhibit: Reflections

I am so gratified to have been chosen by Juror and Art Quilter Extraordinaire Laura Cater-Woods for the SAQA Transformations '09 exhibit 'REFLECTIONS'....I just received my hard copy catalog yesterday and it is gorgeous, but you all can enjoy the entire exhibit on-line by clicking on this link:

http://www.saqa.com/aboutus/Reflections.aspx

There are so many extraordinary contemporary quilt artists represented, including my friend Elaine Quehl from Ottawa, Canada, and my friend Judith Plotner, from upstate New York. The exhibit debuted at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK, last summer and will be at Guilford Arts Center, Connecticut, November 13 through mid-January. Guilford is close enough for me to travel too, I'm very excited to be going to the opening and I'll be staying over with friend Diane Wright and presenting a 'talk' about my work on Saturday. Friend Judith Plotner will be there as well, and I'll be seeing the many friends from Connecticut who came to my SAQA 'parlour' meeting last May, a great crew! I'll have lots of photos to post here.

Walkway Over the Hudson STATE PARK OPEN!

It has finally happened....the long awaited grand opening of a spectacular historic event took place ON TIME and AS PLANNED this weekend. The historic Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, once the rail 'gateway to the west,' is now a STATE PARK! Free access to the world!

The walkway (inspiration for my BRIDGE series, see recent blog posts) was open for the first full day on Sunday, October 4, and I was there. The weather was WARM (following two days of wet and cold for the grand opening ceremonies, unfortunately) and sunny with patchy clouds - 'no jacket' weather, as you can see from the photos.

IF YOU ARE IN THESE PARTS, DO NOT MISS THIS, truly spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley (foliage will be at its peak in about two weeks) and memorable emotions.

View of the entrance gates to the walkway on the Poughkeepsie (east) side.

View across the expanse, from east to west.

Looking south from the midpoint of the Walkway. FDR Poughkeepsie Bridge spans the river for vehicle traffic from Poughkeepsie to Highland, NY.

Looking north to the Catskill Mountain range from the Walkway overlooking City of Poughkeepsie.

A long portion of the Walkway spans the City of Poughkeepsie. The view looks upward from the front of my favorite Italian bakery on Mt. Carmel St.

BRIDGE II completed...

....and just in time, this is the big weekend, on Sunday afternoon I shall be standing in the middle of the bridge (three quarters of a mile!) overlooking the majestic Hudson River! Very timely in accordance with Ken Burns' National Parks series on PBS which has been enthralling me all week.

Thanks to my MANY viewers (huge response really blew me away) I have completed BRIDGE II with only one sleeve....in the final analysis, the A's had it, by a huge margin! This is the finished product and it is hanging on my dining room wall. I am quite pleased with it, I highly recommend the process of making art just for one's SELF! Nobody else to please, no angst, just pure, unadulterated satisfaction and happiness.

A full view and a detail are posted here. Now I can grapplel with the completing BRIDGE I (tentative title), the BIG ONE.

If one Post is Good, TWO is BETTER!

Dear Diary....to make up for being so neglectful all summer, I'm posting TWICE today!

I'm BACK in my GROOVE, and I'm about bursting at the seams with all creative juice that is in my system ever since September arrived. I'm working on two large whimsical quilts that I hope will be destined for gallery exhibits calls in the near future (I missed all the call deadlines this year so far, Brush, Whistler, FiberArts in Pittsburgh, the Schweinfurth, and more, I'm sure...I guess I needed a rest while FIVE of my pieces travelled near and far, nationally and internationally!).

So what am I so excited about TODAY? On October 3 there is an IMPORTANT HAPPENING in these parts...historical and contemporary history is being made. The Walkway Over the Hudson will officially be open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. This long and high expanse of metal was built to accommodate the busy rail traffic between the northeast and all places west in 1888. A devastating fire in 1973 put an end to the use of the bridge, but it was so expensive to take down, it was thankfully left so it could be put to good public use as a park in 2009! To learn more and see photos, visit http://walkway.org/. If you are near this area in October, you don't want to miss this important event...and at the HEIGHT of our FALL FOLIAGE SEASON! SO many other things to visit in these parts, FDR's HYDE PARK, Eleanor's Valkill, Vanderbilt Mansion, Cleremont, Culinary Institute of American, Olana, West Point, Beacon's DIA, and many more places, too numerous to list, I'm SO BLESSED to live in the glorious Hudson River Valley....here is a shot of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, it is so long, you can't see the whole thing....

There is also a new book about the railroad bridge, here is an excerpt:

- Bridging the Hudson, by Carleton Mabee (excerpt): "The Poughkeepsie railroad bridge was the first bridge to be built over the Hudson River from the ocean all the way up to Albany. It was a technological wonder. Opened in 1889 soon after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, it is not only higher above the water than the Brooklyn Bridge, and founded deeper in the water, but also longer. When it opened, its promoters claimed it was the longest bridge in the world."

I digress.....what has my artful mind been up to in regard to the Railroad Bridge? This is what I backed and turned this morning after working on it all week. It measures 28 in. wide by 35 in. high.

WHY TWO PHOTOS? I can't decide which view I like best....can you help me decide?

View A?

or View B?

Neither (smile) is quilted yet. The back is a GORGEOUS Lunn batik that peeks around the edges. The quilt does lay flat, but it sure looks a bit three dimensional, doesn't it? I'm still working on a title, so far this is just plain, BRIDGE. I'm working on THREE in this series at the moment, no names yet for anyof them...this is unusual for me, I usually start with a title FIRST!

So, Dear Diary, tell me what you REALLY think!

GOT my GROOVE BACK!

Dear Diary, I've been totally derelict for three months now, no entries in my diary all summer! Summer and I do not agree. I was just not myself. I did travel a lot, and in between, anytime I tried to make art or even a traditional quilt I got bogged down with frustration, boredom or just plain laziness. I read a LOT this summer (among other things the complete Donna Leon mystery series, something like sixteen installments....) but once September came, BADABINGBADABOOM, I got MY GROOVE BACK!

In early summer, I did manage to finish an art quilt that I've wanted to make just for myself for a while. I live in the Hudson River Valley and I've been in love with the FDR Mid-Hudson Bridge which connects my city, Poughkeepsie, NY, with the village of Highland, NY, where my youngest daughter Jen and her family reside. So I cross the beautiful Hudson quite often via this beautiful Art Deco bridge, and I've always thought, if I ever make something JUST FOR ME, it will be this bridge. So I did it!

The first photo is the finished work full size. Work measures 22 in. wide by 33 in. long.

A close up showing the cables on bridge....I used a silver Magic Marker for the cables and one the large cables used a shallow zig-zag stitch on each side, which I also used on all the metal (red) on the bridge.

This close-up shows the heavily thread painted background, mostly zig-zag free-motion embroidery, but some straight-stitch FM for the river bed. For fabric, I used Heide Stoll-Weber's printed hand-dyes that I've had for years. I used a cutting technique I learned from Ellen Lindner in Ohio this summer to achieve a jagged edge. This is hard to see in the photo but it adds wonderful texture to the surface. I made a rule to only ZZ FM within the edge of the jagged cut edge, but I got carried away in 'the moment' and broke the rule in many places.

This piece looks great when it is mounted onto a 24 in. by 36 in. canvas that is painted RED (similar red to the bridge but a bit darker, a brick red). I have the canvas and I have the paint...one of these days I shall do it and post another photo.

SOMETHING NAGGNG AT ME about this piece: Even before this piece was finished, I kept having the thought that it wanted to be varnished. I've never done this before, I have no idea where this idea came from. But the thought is still nagging at me. I did buy some acrylic varnish in 'SATIN'....a Golden product. I have a sample to varnish before I coat the whole thing (the bottom that was chopped off to make it wonky-shaped). If anyone is listening who has had experience with varnishing a finished fabric/fiber work, I'd love to hear about it!

It feels GOOD to be back!

Dear Diary, I've FINISHED a WORK and mounted it, too!

For me this is HUGE.  It is, of course, the creative process that I love most.  So when a work is actually finished, I go into a sort of mourning phase because I know it will take me HOURS to do any number of the following so I can get it out there....take photos, tweak photos, label, statement, blog entry, mount, hang, add to my inventory database....the list seems endless. This morning I have spent about FOUR HOURS on these post-create tasks on ONE PIECE.  But I'm ready to hang it and blog it, so here goes.....

TEMPEST in a TEAPOT is it's title.  I started this at SAQA Workshop in Ohio earlier this month with painter and textile artist Leslie Gabrielse, from Holland.  (Leslie was featured artist in the Winter 2009 SAQA Journal, fabulous article.)  I really liked how the piece progressed but had so many other works and things to attend to, I wasn't sure I'd get to finishing it.  On Monday (the first day of the rest of my life after the Parlour Meeting...), I sat in my studio in a watershed mood and made a list in my journal of things to do to help me set my priorities (neverending task).  I hadn't even added my TEMPEST to the list!  On my way back from the kitchen with my second cup of coffee, I took him/her off the design wall in my hall and began to do more hand embroidery.  Two days and a trip to the store for more Perle cotton No. 5 thread and I was FINISHED!  In anticipation of taking him/her (leaning toward 'him') to my monthly SAQA meeting tonight, I decided he needed to be mounted on canvas.  I stretched Quilter's Dream black batting over a 24" x 24" canvas and sewed him on askew and he was ready to roll!   

Here is a detail shot.

The light value patterned fabric is one that I made in one of Jane Davila's workshops last year, I really hated it, Jane loved it.  Leslie liked it too, he pulled it out of my stash at the beginning of the workshop.  Thanks, Leslie, great three days spent in 'Complex Design' activities and camaraderie!  

For some strange reason, I was seeing teapots in Leslie's work and in mine in that workshop, teapots on the brain.  Photo three is an air-brushy paint technique Leslie taught us, an intentional teapot on a piece of 'grundge' fabric (turned wrong side up).  The red strips of fabric pinned onto the bottom are a template/test for weaving some variegated fabric to provide a ground for the teapot.  Now that I've finished TEMPEST, I'm game to finish work on this baby, too. This one is definitely the 'she' type teapot.