Archive for April, 2007
Hi gang,Well, the class on Collage went very well on Saturday. The piece I showed at meeting , the 17th, was used as a sample. Joe, the tattooed fish. This new group Lily and I work with is really coming along. We had 18 there and they talked, shared and 3 hours flew by. We had 4 that were new to the group so I really talked up the next 2 meetings as Merrilee and Emmie will give presentations. It was fun to watch their excitment getting designs, fabric and ideas together. I used Susan Carlson’s book as the basis for the class and 4 had the book already, some for over 2 years, but none had started a project. One got the book out for the class, had at least tried 3 fish designs and brought them. All of them had bought the book intending to make projects and were happy to start using the information. I also found out later that night that 2 more ordered the book.
I also have a sizable book collection and know I have not made projects from all of them. Working with this group, new to Art Quilts. gives me the opportunity to use some of my collection to introduce the techniques and pleasure of creating. It also makes me use the intended technique in a piece each month as an example.
Well, now I am getting ready to go to Paducah, visit my youngest brother there, then next week to Indiana to see my best friend for a few days. See you next month and be creative.
Maureen
April 22nd, 2007
The following are pictures of work that members brought to share with the group. I took the pictures with the artist holding his/her work, but only Merrilee looked happy. Everyone else either looked mad or their quilt was so small I got more artist than quilt in the picture. What’s important here? Well, two things that are important are Titles and Sizes, both of which I forgot to write down, so the sizes are estimates. Excuse me, please, if they are way off.
This is an applique quilt done by Merrilee Tieche using a pattern designed by Kathy Kansier.
This quilt is by Arleta Johnson who likes to use Japanese designed fabrics. It’s about 60″x 60″
Clyde Fairbanks, our one male member, made the next quilt. About 20″x 20″
Cathy Jeffery is the next quilter. Someone commented it should hang at the United Nations. About 24″x 40″
Maureen Ashlock made this last quilt. It’s about 24″x 24″ and the Title is: “I Think Joe Was Swept Up In The Current Tatoo Craze.”
That’s all folks. I’ll try to do better next time. Emmie
April 19th, 2007
I have tried to keep busy as well. Monday , the 9th, I was the guest speaker at a luncheon for over 100 members of the group “Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake” in Kimberling City, MO. This is a group that started out as the Welcome Wagon for the area. I presented a talk on the Life of a Fiber Artist, showing samples of weaving, knitting, dyeing. I presented a mini fashion show with 14 wearable Art quilted and embroidered outfits, some complete with purses to match. I also had 4 Art quilts and 2 large appliqued and embroidered bed quilts. I talked about our group and I think many learned that” there be Art” in this area. The program chairman who booked me wanted a fashion show and I wanted to slip in the Art quilts. She is also working with their annual fund raising event in November. The Bazaar chairmans spoke about wanting to get that event and silent auction to be more than just crafts and elevate the standard of goods. I know that by spreading information visually about our type of Fiber Art in this and the surrounding areas, we will increase awareness of it’s importance to the community.
Our new Art quilt group now called Quilt Odyssey, a subgroup of the Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild, is coming along and I really want to thank the members of this group for your support. Merrilee and Emmie will be giving lecture/classes to the new group in May and June. Having support from our friends and members of Uncommon Threads helps Lily and I give our best to this fledgling group.
Maureen
April 11th, 2007
Got back from my trip to Colorado…no broken bones…and it is colder here than it was at 11,000 feet!
While I was away Merrilee delivered a couple of my pieces for me in a juried show at the Waverly….then I got a call from her saying that both had been accepted and that they had won two of the three jurors choice awards…yay!!!! One was my tryptic from the UT challenge last year…”Complementary Trees”, and the other a lowly watercolor, (of trees of course). You are invited to the reception…May 4 at 5pm. Would love to post pictures….but still ignorant of that particular skill.
April 10th, 2007
The very beginning of this quilt appeared much earlier in this blog, so I thought you might enjoy seeing the finished top. The quilting will come later. My daughter Alison is expecting a baby girl the end of May; my first grandchild. I have named her “Lola” until she arrives and her parents tell us her given name. Alison and I live in different parts of the country, so we shopped for some of the fabric together via e-quilter.com. The fabric arrived and the print was a little bigger than I was expecting, so I incorporated it into the quilt in the wide borders. I wonder if a child can develop attention deficit disorder from being exposed to too much color? Even the cat was on top of it, pawing at some of the patterns.
April 7th, 2007
Hi guys! I am FINALLY getting around to posting on this blog. Pam went to so much effort to set it up. I’ve been such a slacker in some areas. On the other hand… This has been a good month in other areas. I went to the Best of Missouri Hands conference in Jeff City a couple of weeks ago and really got revved up about my next marketing actions. I also made some new really good friends- always a bonus. I got the contract for my work at Barnes Jewish Hospital which is very exciting. Last weekend I did the Quenny Park show in StL. Thankfully it was an indoor show because there was lots of R-A-I-N!!!!! I was awarded third place in 2-d. To me that has a bit more umph than say 1st place in fibers. Out of all the 2-D artists- painters, photographers, printmakers, mixed media 2-d, graphics and drawing artists I got third place.
After our last meeting my Niche Award finally arrived in the mail. In the box was a certificate of the award, about 100 stickers to attach on any promo packs saying- Niche Award Winner, a generic press release, a booth sign and… drum roll please… a big honking glass trophy. I think it weighs 7 lbs..
The most exciting news is that I have an appointment next week with a high powered gallery in an art oriented town within a half-day drive of here. They had already heard of me from another artist in their stable in December. I had forgotten about that. I cold-called there 2 weeks ago after researching them on the internet. I felt only medium warm about how the phone call had gone. Then last weekend the artist who had referred me was at the Queeny show. She asked if I had ever talked to the gallery. I embarassingly told her I had talked to them but had failed to mention her name. Then I asked if she speaks with them very often. She said that yes nearly every day and she’d put in a good word for me. The next day she tells me they have talked and the owner wants me to email her again with my images, data etc. I did and the upshot is I have an appointment to meet with them next week. Fingers crossed BIG TIME! I have talked with 3 different artists who had been with them 10 years and all three raved about how well they are treated and how much effort the owners go to in order to promote their work. Also- each had had many large scale sales from that gallery…..can you tell I’m excited????? Now I just need about 4-5 more nationally and I will drop most of my shows. I’m leaning this direction right now for 2 reasons. First- it is a marketing direction I have not tried to learn previously. I have work currently in several fine craft galleries but they really primarily sell my smaller works. What I want is a gallery that really wants to know my goals and works to make those happen. I’m thinking long-term. I want a relationship of mutual respect for my work and their efforts, and who has a clientele who can afford my larger works, and consequently knows enough about my work personally to be able to educate their audience on the merits of my work. From what I have learned, this gallery fills the bill. It is not the gallery I mentioned at the meeting- totally different town, totally different direction.
The second reason is to facilitate my being able to be on the road less often. It’s more in fairness to my husband than anything else. If I can replace the income AND be home more well, we all win!
I’m working on several exhibition proposals for the next year plus figuring out which exhibitions I wish to enter. As you know there is lots to do. Looking forward to seeing everyone later this month.
April 6th, 2007
Well, I finally found time to get on our blog and do a post. I also updated my profile with info about myself. I’m currently working on a large underwater scene. It’s in batiks and polka dots and will be heavily beaded and embellished with sheers and netting overlays etc. I will enter it in the Houston Festival in their new category called “embellished quilts.” I was stuck on the designs and colors of the fish for two weeks … up till the wee hours every night. Fortunately, Merrilee came over to discuss the quilt and its design elements. It is always so helpful to get input and perspective from another person. I’ve always planned to call this one “Hitting Rock Bottom” because it has so many rocks on the bottom. I wanted to put a whiskey bottle on the rocks. I’m now thinking of putting an old shoe with Amelia Earhart’s name on it (and call it “Where’s Amelia?). OR I may put an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny yellow polka dot bikini on the rocks (and call it “Skinny Dipping”). I’ll post some photos of this quilt venture next week. I just have one more fish to make and then I can hit my drawer of beads and threads. I asked Merrilee if she thought I was “loosing it” over this quilt and she told me that happened a long time ago! Here are 2 great quotes from Amelia Earhart that seem to pertain to my current quilt project:
“Preparation, I have often said, is rightly two-thirds of any venture.”
“It is far easier to start something than it is to finish it.”
Kathy Kansier, Ozark, MO
April 6th, 2007
