A Tip of the Iceberg

This past week has been extraordinary!  Just, WOW!

In fairly random order:  Driving to DC with my buddy Vivika DeNegre to attend the SAQA Conference "Capitolizing on Fiber" last Wednesday thru white knuckle weather conditions with strange and frightening weather alarms coming from Maryland Highway Patrol over our phones.  Flooded streets.  Hydroplaning cars. Scary.

My first meeting as an incoming member of SAQA's Board of Directors.  Most of my fears about how I would fit in and make a difference have been allayed.  Well, maybe some of them anyway.

Attending the lectures, talks, meals (okay…this could have been better with respect to the food in the hotel but certainly not the company), networking, exploring galleries, meeting friends old and new.

Participating in the Spotlight Auction and successfully winning Pamela Allen's donation (!)

Avery Revisited

The crazy thing about this is I never looked at the artist statement on the back while I was busy bidding.  I was just going for Pamela Allen.  Later I did read the statement: "Fabric collage beginning with a fragment on fabric of a Milton Avery painting.  The pastel-close tones and simplified forms attracted me"  Milton Avery(!!), American 20th century Minimalist, is one of my very favorites!!  Here's a bit of what Wikipedia has to say "Avery was often thought of as an American Matisse, especially because of his colorful and innovative landscape paintings."

SAQA CT had a huge group of attendees.  We might have been the biggest.  Among them, of course, was co-rep Cathy Smith who brought along postcards for me of the "Inspiration Quilts: Then and Now", 25th anniversary celebration exhibit at the Windham Textile & History Museum.  I happened to be one of the artists invited to interpret a quilt from the museum's antique collection.  I chose Flying Geese Variation.

After adventures too numerous to relay, I drove home…this time a happily uneventful time with Vivika and Kate Themel.  Upon my return I found in the stack of waiting mail a package from Quilters Express to Japan.  Another Wow.  The fabric is vintage and beautiful.  Oh, and did I mention that I'm going with QEJ (Susan Faeder) on an amazing tour to Japan in January?!

My head is stuffed with inspirations!  Where to begin…...