THE ART OF QUILTING: SNEAK PREVIEW The quilts are in! To the walls of artCentral’s Hyde House, they bring all the splendid colors and textures of living and loving. These quilts are extraordinary works of art. They are stunning! Come see! You are invited to “The Art of Quilting” Opening Reception, Friday, October 5, 2018, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free. Quilters with outstanding entries chosen by juror, Michelle Hansford, will be named and honored with cash awards. The Art of Quilting exhibition continues in the galleries, upstairs and down, through October 25 generously underwritten by Edward Jones Financial Advisors: Darren Collier, Kristi J. Montague, Joe Ryder and Garrett Stramel. |
Joan Banks: The idea for many of my quilts begins with the fabric, which was the case with "Apogee." The cotton background fabric suggested a starry sky to me, and I decided to put a moon in that sky. Still, the idea of layering circles of silk organza on a quilted background and then making it more ethereal with another layer of organza appealed to me. So what had I created? The word apogee popped into my head. I looked it up to make sure I had some idea of the meaning. My one tiny appliquéd "moon" is the smallest element and represents the furthest point in the moon's elliptical orbit around Earth: the apogee. The others? Just an art quilter's suggestion of our lovely satellite's path.
Ruth Potter: “Another Windy Day” came about by finding the background fabric in Paducah, Kentucky. I could see leaves falling in the fibers. So I purchased some gradation fabric from Caryl Fallert's store and a year later I gathered leaves from our yard and enlarged one to make this one of a kind quilt.
Sue Swindle: “Butterfly Fly Away” is an original design made from a block inspired by Molly Kohler. Quilted on my home sewing machine, my quilt is enhanced with a scalloped and piped edge.
Jinny Hopp: “Full Bloom” was designed by Barbara Persing and Mary Hoover of 4th and 6th Designs for Island Batik fabrics. I was drawn to the bright Batik fabrics and was challenged by the machine appliqué to create the flower blocks. A very satisfying process! Long arm machine quilting by Cheryl McFadden completes the quilt.
Karl McDaniel: I made my “Hanging Gardens” quilt when Miami Calico Quilters made a full size quilt for a fundraiser. I enjoy sewing ¾” pieces on my featherweight Singer sewing machine.
Barbara Montague: I fell in love with a quilt I saw in a 2001 Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine. Many years ago I started collecting a variety of plaid fabric for my own “Homespun Stars”. Some are re-purposed men’s shirts and some are quilt shop homespuns. (The hunt is half the fun!) I made a sample block and then the project set dormant for a few years, though I continued to add to my fabric collection when a certain plaid caught my eye. When I saw an opportunity with the “Art of Quilting” exhibit I was re-energized to finally make this quilt.
Mary Thornton: Cotton patchwork, metal charms, ribbon, braided cord, Angelica, wood frame. The poem was written first, which the inspired quilt, “Hourglass of Life”. The star points were cut off, wrinkled, and scrambled to represent passage of my life. Parts of “me” have broken up and fallen to the bottom. The positive thought is that people can reach out and reverse the hour glass and begin again: “Time ticks on in small bits. But each bit has the power to take large bites of one’s being….We can't alter the past. We attempt to deal with the present. We can only dream of the future, knowing in all certainty it is only a dream….[Time] is cursed, it is envied, it is abused, it triumphs. It adds balance to music, rhythm to dance, flow to words….The beating of the heart, the swinging of the pendulum, the movement of the celestial bodies are all put in motion by its power. Time will take it all back. To dust.”
Still I have more good quilt stories to tell and tease your interest. Return with me to Art Notes next week and not only will I share more quilt stories, I’ll also name names.
Yes, by then the award winners will have taken home their cash prizes and left their beautiful art work in our safe keeping for your viewing pleasure.
Mark your calendar for an early autumn outing and then another to artCentral during weekend gallery hours: Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. For more information or to schedule a weekday visit please call (417) 358-4404.