Weekend Wonders

I had the pleasure of traveling to the southern part of Oregon this last weekend to see two excellent art quilt shows.  Both involve artists that are members of Studio Art Quilt Associates.  The first show was in Medford at the Rogue Gallery.  It is a juried show put up by the members of the Oregon and Southern Washington region of SAQA.  The show is titled Blending Poetry and Cloth.  Each piece is the artist's response to a poem or inspirational quote.  Although the individual poems were not included on the wall tags there is a catalog that shows the title of the related poem.  There are 45 quilts in the show so there was a lot to enjoy.  Here are some views of the gallery and the quilts.

Although there are any wonderful quilts in the show, Mandy Miller's piece Georgia Does Midtown is one of my favorites.  It is pictured here on the far right.  It was inspired by the poem "Chicago" by Carl Sandberg.  It has such great depth and movement. 

Another very dynamic quilt is by Anne Daughtry A Painted Ship done after "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.I think you can see the texture and dimension Anne archived with her choice of fabrics.

I am pleased to say the my piece, Rolling In, was also chosen to be a part of the exhibit.  Mine was inspired by the poem "The Voice of the Rain" by Walt Whitman.

I was also very pleased and proud that the gallery chose this piece to show a portion of on their postcard and as THE image for their listing of the show on the their 2016 schedule of shows.  For as long as I have worked at my craft, it feels good to be finding my voice and earning some recognition.

The second show was the juried international SAQA show Concrete & Grassland at the Grant Pass Museum of Art.  Photography was limited at this venue so I just snuck a quickie of my quilt in the show, Rift Valley.  It was a satisfying way to spend the weekend with others of similar passion.

13th Around Oregon Annual

The opening reception at The Arts Center in Corvallis was well attended this evening. The lovely, summer-like evening was probably a contributing factor.  There was a wonderful selection of pieces chosen by the juror Johanna Seasonwein.  The show includes painting, photography, basketry, mixed-media, 3D, furniture and one textile piece, my Rift Valley.  Johanna's desire to include a wide range of media resulted in a beautiful, interesting show.

Here is my piece hanging in the stage area.  Watch those appetizers, please!

The Arts Center is a lovely old Gothic Revival style church and is a beautiful venue for showing art.  What I like about this place is that they never crowd the art.  Each piece gets a chance to really shine on its own.  Below is one of the winners of the four Juror's Awards.  It is Silver Salmon by Analee Fuentes.  

Here's The Art Center from the outside.  Pretty cool building!

Rift Valley moves on

Rift Valley has been accepted into the Around Oregon Annual at The Arts Center in Corvallis.  The show opens Friday, May 29th with a reception and juror's talk from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  There is also a Brown Bag Artist Talk at noon on June 4th.  The show runs through July 11th.  The Arts Center is located at 700 SW Madison, Corvallis, OR.  For more information go to www.theartscenter.net

Currently this piece is being shown at the last venue for the statewide SAQA traveling show, Exploring Layers.  This show is up at the Artist In Residence gallery at Pioneer Place in Portland, next to the Mark Wooley Gallery. It really is a big beautiful space and the show looks great there.  That show is on display through May 18th. Stop in if you are in downtown Portland before then.  Here are some images from the show.