Studio Art Quilt Associates
The Minnesota Quilt Show and Conference was held in St. Cloud this past weekend.
Despite some bad weather, it was a great show.
The Minnesota SAQA members had a special exhibit of their work, really beautiful work with lots of color and depth. Susan Stein was there so we talked shop.
My special exhibit brought a lot questions about art quilting and surface design itself:
Is hand-dyeing hard to learn? What kind of dye should I use? That's mashed potatoes??!! It was a great experience (my first solo exhibit) and I may expand the exhibit for future venues. There are more photos of the show/exhibits at my blog: http://blogsfromthecave.blogspot.com/
Jill Robinson/The Fiber Cave
(920) 450-3010
We love Rosalie Baker a PAQA member
Blog Member: Casey Puetz
I live in Waukesha, WI and belong to several art quilt groups including SAQA, FAC (Fiber Art Coalition), MArQ (Milwaukee Art Quilters) and PAQA (Professional Art Quilt Alliance). My husband Pete rarely asks about my art related purchases and is my most loyal supporter.
Quilting gives me a chance to be creative regardless of the subject matter. My goals are to use cloth to produce something that is different from what other quilters and mixed media artists have done. What started as hemming flour sacks into dish towels on my grandmother’s treadle machine has turned into manipulating fabric and adding various embellishment possibilities.
A piece begins with either a specific or a vague idea of what the piece should convey. Fabrics, beads and ephemera are then pulled from the stockpile to achieve the desired effect. The design board is my favorite tool because it helps form the image in terms of color, surface quality and design elements. Design changes occur almost continuously throughout the life of the piece.
I believe that artists should continue to develop their skill sets. I take technique classes that are presented by nationally known teachers on a regular basis. Reading books and magazines also provide endless source of inspiration. While I like the look of hand dyed and painted fabrics, it seems that my time is spent using those yummy fabrics made by other artists – in short, I’m a user of fabric more than a maker of fabrics…but that doesn’t stop me from silk-screening or painting now and then.
Currently “Lady Audrey” is on display at the Waukesha Civic Theater. “Portals” which is at the Schauer Arts and Entertainment Center received a State Award in the Wisconsin Regional Art Program. It will be a part of the statewide competition this fall and will be eligible for a possible cash award. I am actively working on a commissioned triptych of a pair of cypress trees on the coast of California. When completed it will measure 3 ½’ H x 9 ½” and will hang in the lobby of the Waukesha Public Library.
SAQA membership has been invaluable to my continued professional growth. New friendships have been forged and new opportunities to exhibit my work have occurred. A big “Thanks” to those fellow artists who have answered many questions and demonstrated the professional behavior incumbent to members of the art world.
“Tranquility” is a piece that was made in response to a special exhibit at the Anaba Tea Room on the north side of Milwaukee. This mixed media art quilt incorporates tea-dyed batting and muslin, dyed 4x4 cotton gauze, dyed silk cocoons and painted/heat-shrunk Tyvek®.
In our on going series of featuring our members please let me introduce to you – Clairan Ferrono
Although I have done some sort of needlework my entire life, I did not recognize its importance for a long time. My education and career experience was entirely in languages and literature. I began by studying myths and writing poetry. Eventually I did a graduate degree in Comparative Literature and taught for 25 years. In 1997 I discovered art quilts, and by 2002 had become a full time studio artist by seriously deciding to commit myself to making a series and sending out images of the strongest work I was doing. At 50 years old, I had no time to waste.
For me color usually comes first. It is always an emotional and motivating force. Finding and creating patterns is next: the rhythm of things. What happens when seemingly unrelated elements come together? Patterns are both hidden and revealed. I am drawn to the dense visual surface. The tension between fore-and background mirrors one of the essential problems of city life. Bombarded by images, sound, clutter, chatter and message, how do we distinguish the important, the necessary and the real? What comes from within and what from without? What to keep, what to reject? This constant push/pull, interior and exterior, history and present, family and individual, and the resulting struggle for balance, informs my work. The quest is to create harmony amidst the chaos.
For a number of years now I have been working on a series of Windows. They continue to be an interest, as I constantly push myself to explore more deeply and work differently. I’m also asking, “what would happen if…?” Simultaneously I am working on an entirely new series which merely references windows.
I joined SAQA in 1997 because it was my professional organization. But I did not become involved until I began taking a “tour of duty” at the SAQA Booth at IQF Chicago in 2003. I met so many friendly, generous and knowledgeable women there! This quickly led to my becoming the IL/WI rep, which I did for nearly 5 years. Now I am managing curator of “Reflections” and “Sightlines.” I also enjoy working the SOFA exhibit in Chicago. I cannot stress enough the benefit to my growth as an artist, especially one who must market her own work, to the connections I have made through SAQA. I feel I have gotten out far more than I have put in!
2 Pond 
Paint Box
Blue Mountain
SAQA active member, Jean M. Judd, of Cushing, Wisconsin will be giving a presentation on June 28, 2010 at 6:30pm at the Minnesota Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Contemporary Quilters monthly meeting at 6:30pm will feature Jean as the guest speaker. Jean will be discussing her evolution as a studio art quilter and the process of being juried into art exhibitions as well as quilt shows and exhibitions. She will be showing some of her art quilts that have been traveling in exhibitions.
Posts
All Comments
