And before we progress any further let me just reassure you that this post is provided so you can be excited about the quiltart, particularly if you are not going to be able to visit the exhibit. It is not exhibit grade photography; indeedy there are all sorts of challenges for an amateur in taking photos in this location with this level of contrast and with the proportions of the quiltart on display.Now, with that qualifier out of the way let me show you what's on exhibit:
This is the first view visitors have of our exhibit. The aim in inviting quilt artists to make a piece for this installation was to showcase the variety of styles of work being made by quilters today. That style ranges from traditional right through transitional to the level of art quilts. The design concept was for it to appear as a number of quilt threads hanging together. The brief to the artists asked for works to be very pale in appearance so as to "pop" against the dark grey front wall of the gallery, to be longer than 36" but shorter than 60", up to a maximum width of 12" and to likely be embellished. Green was required to be the focal or pop of brighter color among the sea of pale.
Fourteen artists responded to the call. The entire collection is shown above but for this post we are going to focus on the upper row of quilts. That hopefully means you will come back to see, up close and personal, what is hanging on the lower level (most of which you can see but not in detail) in another few days.
In upclose detail from each of the pieces of quiltart starting from left to right on the top row:
This first piece is by Suzanne Meader titled "Swimming Thru the Pale" 51" h x 11" wide. Suzanne comments that she was inspired by the Susan Carlson book "Free Style Quilts".
Suzanne clearly had a lot of fun with her piece and took to heart the direction to embellish - check out the shells and other fun extras. Pictured above is the top portion of her piece where she has a jellyfish that is a wonderful 3D addition.
Next along is "Pop of Green" by Carol Campanola, 47" h x 9.5" wide. A late entrant to the challenge Carol told me that she immediately knew how she wanted to produce her piece and she followed through with that vision in the fabric selections, piecing and quilting.
"The Mechanics of Nature" by Cecile Batchelor, 36.5" x 9.5", 36.5" x 6", 36.5" x 6". Cecile first told me that she was making three pieces. Wow. Then that it was a triptych and she was making it for her daughter-in-law. Although Cecile said they did not have to be hung all together we all agreed it looked so much better that way.
Cecile's piece is well quilted and embellished with unusual "findings" that serve to emphasize the title of her work. The green leaves give it a bright pop of color on the wall.
"Building Blocks" by Virginia Hodge 41.5"h x 8.5"w. A nicely minimalist entry, Virginia carefully followed instruction to create her piece. The pops of color from the green ribbon, the two rows of green quilting lines and the lower edge embellishment create a very successful Thread.
"Green: Gracious Hope" 43"h x 9"w is the work of Annabel Ebersole. Definitely a piece that falls under the heading of fiberart Annabel had a grand time working with silks, cottons and other sheer fabrics embellished with threads of wool, rayon, silk and cotton. An artquilter Annabel is one of our out-of-area members of the Center Street Cotton Collective.
Arriving in the mail from NC was "Green Weaves" 44.5"h x 8.75"w by Cheryl Kotecki. An intricately paper-foundation pieced work Cheryl then quilted her piece to mimic the topography of the landscape in the area of her home in the hills outside of Asheville
"Emerald Reigns" 45.25"H x 12" w was entered by Gayle Maisel. A series of tumbling blocks Gayle had this comment for the catalog "extended play with multiple sized cubes. The quilt's triple entendre name enhanced the fun for me". Gayle stepped outside the usual realm of cotton and included some glitter and non-cotton fabrics to fulfill the embellishment requirement.
"Green With Envy" 49.5"h x 9.5"w comes to us from the talented embellisher Prudy Traut. Once she had begun to embellish her piece Prudy reports that she had difficulty knowing when to stop.
Finally on the top right we see "The Flight of the Green Goose" 56" x 8.5" which is my entry. Quilters will recognize the flying geese undulating through a pale grey sky. Beads and sequins help light the way along their journey.
Come back here and visit later in the week to see the balance of the "Threads" pieces.
To better appreciate these lovely original pieces of quilt art I do so hope you will come visit our exhibit "Threaded With Green" now on show at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon VA 20170. Check their website http://www.artspaceherndon.com/
paying close attention to opening hours particularly with the upcoming forecast for some winter weather. Our meet and mingle with the artists receptions is scheduled for this coming Sunday from 2 thru 4pm.
Cross your fingers for good weather and a fine time for visiting the gallery!
3 comments:
Thank you for these up-close views of the Threads (with Green) quilts - I did correctly guess a couple of the entries' makers, but I am not familiar with all of the artists - well I wasn't before this anyway! It is a treat to see how the pieces come out when the guidance is specific in some ways but vague in others. I bet these make a grand entry to the show!
Glad you liked seeing these. Watch out for the next post showcasing the lower row.
This has been so much fun! It's been so interesting to see the individual "threads" pieces and admiring them, then seeing how you pulled them together. Disparate, yet cohesive. I learned a lot both doing my piece and seeing how others pulled theirs together.
I can't wait to see how it all looks pulled together since I had to leave midway through installation.
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