Tag Archives | Exhibits

It’s always a joy to visit a regional quilt show and the one in Daytona Beach, in February, was no exception.

I kinda changed the way I took pictures this time. Instead of focusing on the big winners I, instead, searched for fine details, great compositions and things that were new to me. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing them.

LeAnn Hileman’s mastery of details was very apparent in her quilt Missouri Barn.

Check out her vines on this fence post.

And her cheese cloth weeds along the fence.

Mariane R. Williamson has a strong sense of composition, as you can see in her piece, Tornado.

But, she also includes wonderful details with paint, raw edge fabrics, and HEAVY free motion quilting.

This quilt, on the other hand, has merged delicate details into shapes that skillfully represent the people and their instruments. It’s called The Gault Family Band, and it’s made by Jan Hutchison.

Check out the detail shots. Look how little it takes to depict a mouth or a nose.

I love the color and composition in this piece! It’s called Stone Lakes, by Jan Soules.

I was happy to also have a piece in the show, my Coastal Overlook. With it, I tried to portray the motion and energy of the Pacific Ocean as it crashed and swirled below me.

I definitely enjoyed the show and look forward to the next one.

Ellen Lindner

IQA, the International Quilt Association, has their big juried and judged show at the International Quilt Show each year. The quilts are always spectacular and it’s definitely an honor to be selected as one of “finalists.” (What they call all 400 people who have quilts in the show!) These quilts are just a small sampling of the magnificent pieces on display. Click any image for a larger view.

This piece was made by Claudia Pfeil and is called In Full Bloom. I was intrigued by the way she used simple shapes to create a colorful garden.

Most of it was pieces, but applique was used to add some curves and details. And quilting, too.

This colorful piece was made by Susan Jackan and is called Radiant Roots.

Check out the fragile little details she included. Makes me want to eat my vegetables!

This piece by Noriko Endo is soft and subtle like some of her other pieces. I was first struck by the different colors of trees and their interesting “bark.”

The title is Birds, and I only noticed them after reading the title. Cut me some slack: those trees are REALLY interesting.

(Now I’m not sure this piece was in the IQA show. It’s hard to keep track of it all!)

I thought Kimberly Lacy did an excellent job of showing the layers and colors of rock canyons and formations. This is called Sunset on Coyote Buttes.

Patriot is the name Angela Bowman gave to her striking quilt, which depicts her husband. The black vertical line on the left is the black back drop, not the quilt. His face runs right up to the edge of the quilt. I thought this unusual composition was very successful.

His face was paper pieced.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my photos, but I know what you really want. You want to see the winners don’t you? Ok, then. Check them all out here. 

Ellen Lindner

I was really happy to visit the Houston International Quilt Festival this year. It was amazing! There were over 400 quilts on display, many of them stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous.

I used restraint with my photography, focusing on the ones demonstrating something new or other interesting characteristics.

First, I had to visit my own quilt, Jubilation. It was in the IQA judged show, A World of Beauty. It’s always nice to see your quilt in Houston! They do a great job with presentation.

I checked out the two SAQA exhibits. My favorite was Layered and Stitched,  which was a retrospective of the last 50 years in art quilting. It was very interesting to see what those first art quilts looked like, with solid polyester fabrics, large graphic designs much like today’s Modern quilts, and hand quilting. And, it was even more exciting to see quilts that I’ve admired in magazines and online hanging in front of me.

Although the lighting was uneven, this piece by Ruth de Vos was stunning. She calls it Not Even Solomon. Don’t you love those red floral tendrils floating around?

This quilt by Katie Pasquini Masopust, Spring Equinox was also in the exhibit.

As I approached it I thought it might have been made by Pat Pauly, who loves strong colors and highly patterned fabrics. But, when I got closer I could see that the fabrics were all solid. The pattern was made by small bits of fabric which had been added to create texture. I’m not sure I’d be patient enough for that!

SAQA also had an exhibit in which the pieces were created with recycled materials. Most of them didn’t speak to me, but I did appreciate this one made by Libby Williamson. She calls it Clan of Misfits, and each gridded section starts with four used tea bags.

In addition to the tea bags, she has added fabric scraps and a lot of hand embroidery. Even some measuring tapes. I liked these details a lot.

(I wouldn’t have the patience for all that hand stitching either.)

Terry Grant and Maria Shell both had solo exhibits in the “Rising Stars” special exhibit. Maria wasn’t there when I stopped by, but I got to meet Terry. (I’ve been following her work for decades.) She joked that she wasn’t sure how “rising” she was she’d already been at it for 30 years.

It was great to see her work in person. She has a distinctive style, which is very stylized and accented with thin dark lines. This was my favorite piece, called Camas Prairie Idaho.

We talked a bit about those lines and she pointed out that they’re seldom actually black (although they often read that way.) Here they’re a dark plum color.

She also adjusts the line color throughout each piece as needed to create depth. This quilt, Rooftops Ecuador, is a good example. See how she used softer fabrics and line colors in the background? Lowering the contrast is very effective at making this section recede.

This fun piece by Natalia Lashko is called Being and Time.

It had a LOT of texture in it. (Their faces and hands looked almost woven.) And I really liked the subtle images in the background. I imagine it to be photos and memories of people and events through the years.

I have many more quilts to show you, so check back for the next blog post.

Ellen Lindner

In addition to the fabulous work of Lorraine Turner, the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, (in Dunedin, FL) has an abundance of textile art on display. One of the exhibits is the “New Quilts from an Old Favorite: Bowtie.” Although they all include (or reference) the bowtie block, they’re very creative.

Another space features the work of Jane Sassaman. She’s known for her use of bright colors, stylized floral imagery, and satin stitching.

This is her quilt Illinois Album.

And this is a detail shot.

Another gallery showcased the work of Sheila Frampton Cooper. She creates abstract designs, using bright colors and solid fabrics.

This is her Venus in the Garden.

And a detail shot.

We enjoyed these quilts but my group was really blown away when we saw the work upstairs. That exhibit featured the work of the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild. These creative artists presented a very diverse array of textile art.

This is called Through the Veil and it was made by Aida Sheets and Sarah Butz. Materials include a variety of papers:  handmade tree bark paper, vellum, and brown wrapping paper. They were rather loosely held together so  the whole thing floated slightly away from the wall.

As you can see in this detail shot, the papers were printed and perforated, adding more subtle interest.  We loved this piece!

This piece was also made by Sarah Butz, called Floating Through the Universe.

Tattered Garment Jacket, by Sandra Black was another group favorite.

I think you can see that the serged seams are exposed, and other little texture items have been added.

Sherry Dorst Created these wonderful woven pieces, Gift 1, 2, & 4. They were some of my favorites. How can you not like all that color draping from the ceiling?

But, the piece I wanted to take home was this one. It’s called Moebious Volley, by Carolyn Kosser. Don’t you think it would look good against my “paprika” colored dining room walls?

I think you’d really enjoy a visit to the Dunedin Fine Arts Center to see all these wonderful textile pieces! If you’re near Tampa before August 18th, you’ll have your chance.

Ellen Lindner