Sunday, December 22, 2013

Art Quilt--Last Days Here



This art quilt titled, Last Days Here, measures 34 inches high x 36 inches wide. I created it specifically to enter it into Metaphors on Aging sponsored by Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). I was thrilled when this piece was juried into their traveling show.

Last Days Here was inspired by a quote from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I asked my 60-year-old-plus friends to describe the best and worst aspects of aging. The images on this quilt were derived from their answers.


Materials and techniques: Cotton, silk, upholstery fabrics, tulle, paper, acrylic paint, beads, sequins, thread, scrapbook letters;  photo transfer to fabric, machine and hand appliquéd, machine quilted, hand embellishment, painted, trapunto.

The show catalog is available for sale on the SAQA website (www.saqa.com).




Read on for more information about the traveling show.


Juror: Pamela Allen, Managing Curator: Mary McBride
Aging affects everyone in many different ways. Through the use of a wide variety of visual metaphors, these 35 works show the impact of aging on our lives: three generations sharing a cup of tea, a decaying leaf, an empty chair. These poignant images draw you in and challenge assumptions about aging.

Show Schedule:

Premiere Location: Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, England, August 8 - 11, 2013
International Quilt Convention, Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa, September 6-8, 2013
International Quilt Festival - Chicago, Illinois, June 20 - 22, 2014
International Quilt Festival - Portland, Oregon, August 13 - 16, 2014
Fons & Porter Love of Quilting Expo, Cobb Galleria, Atlanta, Georgia, September 11-13, 2014
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Fredericksburg, Virginia, October 2-4, 2014
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Overland Park, KS, October 9-11, 2014
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Fort Worth, TX, October 16-18, 2014
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, Tinley Park, IL, November 20-22, 2014







 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

"Stone Lions"--Art Quilt Wall Hanging

"Stone Lions" measures  36.5 inches high by 31.5 inches wide and was completed in 2012.  Photographs of iconic lion statues in Europe and the U. S. served as the inspiration for this quilt. Can you identify Georgia's Confederate lion? 








This piece was displayed the month of November, 2013 at the Bowen Center for the Arts as part of the Heart in Hand Quilt Guild show.

Materials: Hand-dyed and commercial cottons, paper, cotton embroidery thread, beads, acrylic paint.

Techniques: Hand applique, hand embellishment, machine quilting.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Not Thinking--an art quilt that depicts The Buddha in a leafy setting


I bought a 4-inch statue of the Buddha in a little shop in Manhattan.  I photographed it in many settings until I found a leafy one that inspired an interpretation into fabric.  For me, the color green and the Buddha have similar associations--nature, peace, tranquility, and balance. 

The finished piece measures 34 inches wide x 38 inches high. Materials: hand-dyed and commercial cotton fabrics, tulle, embroidery thread, and glass beads. Techniques: hand applique, hand beaded & embroidered, machine quilted. The title is "Not Thinking."

This piece was exhibited at the 2012 (November)Heart in Hand quilt guild show at the Bowen Art Center in Dawsonville, Georgia.