Anderson Valley Open Studio Tour

The AV Open Studio Tour dates are Memorial weekend, May 28-30 and June 4-5.  This is a great opportunity to view art and studios all around Anderson Valley.  You can get more details from the AV Artist Guild website here.

Here is a tiny peek at some new work of mine.  I don't want to show the whole quilt as I may want to enter it in some quilt shows, so can't post it online yet.  And yes, I have been  busy at my photoshop class and learned many new tricks.  Yes, the sign is sideways in this part of the quilt, but it is repeated upright elsewhere. 

So come up to my studio Memorial weekend and see the whole thing as well as some other new work using photoshopped images in quilts.  Also, local jewelery and glass artist, Judy Nelson, will be demonstrating her glass bead work and showing her jewelry at my house too. 

May 5 Art Quilt Meeting at ACU

Hello Everyone,

1. We discussed the upcoming show at Art Center Ukiah to be up by the first Friday August 5. The cost will be $200. I put down a deposit of $100. We can offer art for sale; the Gallery will take a 40% commission on any items that are sold.   The title and theme will be Explorations in Color and Cloth.

Everyone who wants to show will have to fill out a form at the June meeting stating the number and size of pieces you will be showing, for insurance. It will expedite this if everyone joins the Art Center.

We are still searching for the ideal name for the group.  Keep sending suggestions.

We need people to do publicity for the show.

2. Coming meetings:

June will be Japanese-themed, don't forget Japanese street fashion. We'll have more discussion of the nuts and bolts of the coming show.
July will be memory and/or memorial quilts
August we will put the finishing touches on the show, to open the next day.
September: Sue will present a focus on the work of a single artist (not necessarily a quilt artist)

Additional ideas: passing a project from one person to another, each adds something.

3. There is a mosaic show at the art center, and people were working on a large mosaic to be installed in Ukiah. It is not too late to participate in this: check the Art Center Ukiah website for details. There is a lot of variety in the show, so stop by if you haven't seen it.

Mosaic and quilting have a lot in common, so we studied the show with the view of applying ideas to our own work. Face images, new color combinations, and the search for the strange were among the ideas we picked up. We are also attempting to make work more dimensional and add more randomness to our work. Can tiles be added to quilts? Is there an equivalent in quilting to the lines of grout that are seen in tile?

4. Show and tell was a high point of the meeting. I cannot put this into words. Many people showed work. Mary Ann is making a complex quilt honoring ancient peoples including metamorphosis images. She showed the templates which she makes using the Illustrator computer program, and some of her amazingly precise paper pieced blocks made using those templates.

5. Miscellaneous:

Sue recommends experimenting with paint sticks.
Cheryl is seeking styrofoam trays and plastic net bags, so contact her if you have some.
Bernina is offering free webinars (online tutorials). Check their website.


Keep thinking about the show.

Best wishes,

Catherine

April 7, 2011 Art Quilt Meeting and Art Quilt Explorations

First, the coming meeting:

1. The next meeting will be Thursday May 5, 2011 at 6 pm at the Art Center Ukiah at the corner of State and Church Sts. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, the challenge will be to make or bring any Latin American-themed item, possibly with some revolutionary component. Of course we will have show and tell of any other fiber things also.

We’ll discuss the upcoming show (#4 below)

As always, anyone interested in in fiber art is welcome. Please bring $2 cash for the room rent.

2. Future meeting:
         June: Japanese themes/memory quilts. Bring or wear any Japanese-themed item. Japanese street fashion is a possibility. Bring a quilt related to a memory.

3. Other ideas that may be incorporated:

your first work
your worst work—or alternatively the piece you like the best
demonstration of your favorite technique or cool material. The demonstration may inspire a workshop later
fabric and material swap meet
presentations by members

4. Show at Art Center Ukiah

We have tenatively scheduled a show for the month of August, at Art Center Ukiah of course,  to be up by the first Friday August 5. The cost will be $200. We can offer art for sale; the Gallery will take a 40% commission on any items that are sold. Should there be a theme?

5. Art Quilt Explorations II followed the small group meeting (more on Ann’s presentation at the end of this letter). More planning is needed to continue these explorations. A small group will form including some of our members and some MQA members. Please send any ideas you may have regarding goals and possible activities for the larger group. Virginia Hanley, Genie Dietz and Catherine Reed will represent our group, others are welcome also.

 6. Ann Horton of Mendocino Quilt Artists showed 32 beautiful quilts and described her experience over 28 years of quilting. Each quilt showed a new technique, type of image or approach. Ann has made both traditional and contemporary quilts, and some of her most successful pieces combine two or more techniques, including piecing, machine embroidery, photo transfer, beading and other embellishments, and applique. She has used a variety of fabrics including cottons, Thai silk, Indian embellished fabrics, Guatemalan handwovens and old shirts. Her themes include history, both national and personal, spirtituality, nature, and experiments with color and technique.

Ann has won over 100 ribbons, her quilts are shown all over the world, and she has a corporate sponsor (Husqvarna, supplying her with top-of-the-line sewing technology). How did she become so successful? She attributes creativity to both an inner spiritual force (the creative voice within) and to life experience. The hobbyist who wants to upgrade to professional must stake out her territory, make a space to work in, invest money in decent equipment, and protect her work time. She must get her work out there: the elation of success overcomes the disappointment of rejection.

Thank you, Ann, for your thoughtful and inspiring presentation.


Catherine Reed

Art Quilt Explorations

The next meeting of Art Quilt Explorations will be this Thursday, April 7 at Art Center Ukiah, 201 S. State St.  The Ukiah Art Quilters will have their meeting at 6:00, then break at 6:40 for tea and cookies.  At 7pm, Ann Horton will give a presentation on her quilts and process of design and construction.  Ann has won many awards and these quilts be an amazing treat to see, so don't miss this event.  After Ann's talk, others are invited to bring a quilt to share.  Later, Joyce and Betty will lead a discussion on where to go next with this larger meeting format.



Be there or be square.

Deanna

Report on Ukiah Art Quilters Meeting

Hello Everyone,

1. The next meeting will be held April 7 at the Art Center Ukiah, 203 3. N. State St, corner of State St. and Church St., at 6 pm. This is Art Quilt Explorations II, the second large group meeting hosted by Mendocino Quilt Artists. Ann Horton will give a presentation on her design process.

The challenge for next month is to make a piece using a color you don't like.

In addition, bring a piece to show, completed or in progress.

As usual, we will pay cash for our $25 room rent to our Art Center contact Marilynn Zensen.

2. Laura Fogg is prepared to offer a full-day textile landscape collage class to a group of 10-16 people in late April or in May. If you are interested, contact Laura directly, <fogg.laura@gmail.com>.

3. The last month's challenge, to make a small quilt, produced lots of interesting pieces. There seems to be a developing interest in photo transfer.

4. We looked at books we found inspirational: some technical and quilt-related, some on other types of fiber art, and some just full of beautiful pictures.

5. Many people showed work of a great variety of subjects and techniques. Don't be shy about showing work. We can all learn something from every piece.

6. Daphne reported on Japanese Street Fashion and urged us to look into it and try it. Not everyone is prepared to take on that baby-doll look, but there is interest in wearing unusual clothes to a future meeting.

7. Unique Artisans was suggested as a name for the group, as opposed to the more generic Ukiah Art Quilters.

8. We could use another light or two, if anyone has any to spare.

 Thanks to everyone who attended. See you next month! Feel free to invite anyone who's interested in fiber arts.

Catherine

Report on new art quilt group meeting

Catherine Reed reported on the meeting on February 3 at the Art Center Ukiah.  Marilynn Zensen welcomed the group on behalf of the ACU.  The group will pay the $25 meeting fee in cash every time,  so there is no need of a treasurer.

They brainstormed on goals for the group.  Goals that came up frequently included learning new techniques, setting and meeting challenges, enhancing creativity and inspiration, getting outside the box, exchanging ideas and information, socializing with people with common interests and sharing work and love of fabric.

Many of these goals can be met just by meeting regularly and showing each other our work. Other goals are better met with structured activities either at the meeting or at home. The 5” x 7” quilt is our challenge for the March meeting. The books will also help with inspiration.

Several people showed beautiful and interesting work. Some of the techniques used may be the basis for future meetings or workshops, such as the appliqued sweatshirt shown by Evette, the netting techniques and the printer transfer.

Reminders for next time: 

1. The next meeting will be held Thursday March 3 at 6 pm (yes, six) at the Art Center Ukiah at 203 N. State St, near the Corner Gallery at the intersection of Church and State. All fiber artists are welcome. Bring $2 as we need to pay $25 per meeting to rent the space.

2. Make and bring a 5” x 7” (or larger) quilt to show. This project will help us overcome the fear of cutting into beautiful fabric. Marian will bring a portable display wall.

3. Bring an inspirational book to show. Put your name in it.

4. Bring other work to show, whether completed or in progress.

5. The lights in the art center are not quite bright enough. Are there a few volunteers to bring additional lights? Probably the extra lights can be stored at the Art Center.

6. Some people do not like the name Ukiah Art Quilters. Any suggestions for a better name?

7. There are many events coming up in the area that not everyone is aware of. For example, Velda Newman is coming to Clear Lake, and there are two Santa Rosa quilt guilds. If you have information on these, or just a link to a website with the information, please send this out by “reply to all” to this e-mail list.

Reported by Catherine Reed

New Art Quilt Group

As a result of our Art Quilt Explorations meeting early this month, a new art quilt group is starting up in Ukiah.  Art quilters and other fiber artists are invited to join a group with the goals of sharing, critiquing and showing work. They will meet at the Art Center Ukiah, next to Corners Galalery, 201 South State Street in Ukiah, at 7 pm on Thursday February 3 and on Thursday March 3.  Bring work to show. A larger art quilt meeting hosted by the Mendocino Quilt Artists will be held at the Art Center Ukiah on Thursday April 7 at 7 pm. For more information contact Catherine Reed.  Her email is   reed.catherine at gmail.com.


It's exciting to have another Art Quilt group in Ukiah and we look forward to sharing and connecting with other artists.