Hot off the press

"Reflecting on Friendships" is my newest piece and probably the last of 2009.

I'm still, after several years, reflecting on age and maturity. This time an old campfire song kept me company: "Make new friends but keep the old, some are silver and the other gold". Using my personal metaphors of the barren tree and fallen leaves, I've looked back at years of cherished friends and how much or little they are included in my present life.

This 23" x 22" piece includes ink printing, oil stick rubbings, hand-dyed and commercial fabrics, machine and hand quilting, embroidery, and metal "hands".



I'll leave with this photo that I shot this morning after our first BIG snowstorm of the year. Actually, I don't think we've had this much snow accumulate in more than a decade. The parents and kids we share our home with are, of course, out sledding while older more mature and experienced folk (and dog) enjoy the day from the warmth of my studio.

Interestingly, our old dog loved the snow but then she was one quarter St. Bernard. Our five year old Australian Shepherd/Standard Poodle (aka hypo-allergenic Aussie-Doodle) mix prefers dry weather...at least dry sidewalks;^)

Analyze This

This is my blog analyzed by Typealyzer (http://www.typealyzer.com) whose motto is "What personality is that blog?"

I read about this on Sandy Donabed's blog Waiting for the Muse (http://sandeedee.blogspot.com). I thought I'd give it a go and was surprised that our personalities had so much in common. So, it's not my personality that's holding back my art....hmmmmmm.

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

I can say that the analysis is spot on with respect to planning ahead and management positions....unforturnately. e.g. I STILL have "creating a website" and "getting organized" as New Year's resolutions for TWO years. And now it's time to mull my 2010 resolutions and those two are still on the list. As a rationalization: I DID start a blog this year. Does that count?

Saturday: a big ol' "two-fer" day

Actually, it was really a "three-fer" day! Led by our fearless SAQA regional rep, Kate Themal just under forty SAQA members from all over, braved cold rain to meet at the Guilford Free Library (Guilford CT).

First: SAQA Executive Director Martha Sielman gave a slide presentation about the making of the Art Quilt Masters book that she curated. In fact, many of the artists represented have work in the current New England Quilt Museum's exhibit. (I feel a road trip to Lowell MA coming on.)

Second: Kate had also arranged for the SAQA Trunk Show B to be available for the meeting. After the delicious box lunch arranged for by Sisters in Cloth member Barb Adams, all were able to study the Trunk Show and the Sisters' Photo Challenge exhibit that was mounted in the room.

Of course, it wouldn't be an art quilt (or traditional quilt meeting for that matter) without Show and Tell.....and it was a particularly wonderful Show and Tell at that. Pictured here is Barb McKie with one of her magnificent pieces. Incidentally her's is also on the cover of the current Quilting Arts magazine.

Two Marthas: Pictured here is my buddy Martha Wolfe, who probably should have been given an award from journeying the farthest for the meeting: Indiatlantic, FL! She's getting Martha Sielman's autograph on her copy.




Pictured here is Norma Schlager and Barbara Somebody-who-I-can't-remember-because-of-dead-grey-cells, both from CT discussing one of the Trunk Show pieces. Oh, and that's Sister member Carol Ludington on the far right.

As the time drew near to the end of our meeting, we had a drawing of items and gift certificates donated by local merchants who we support and we wanted to share. Shops like Chroma Gallery, CT Wool, Evergreen Crafts, Blue Moon Artisans.

THEN after all this, with maps in hand, we adjourned to carpool over to the Guilford Art Center where we all enjoyed seeing the incredible SAQA Transformation: Reflections exhibit. One of the artists included in the exhibit, Debbie Bein had traveled from Poughkeepsie NY for the meeting and was on hand to talk about her work.

Boy, it was quite a day!

Photo Challenge in new venue

Our art quilt group Sisters in Cloth has just mounted the Photo Challenge again. It will be on exhibit at the Guilford Free Library, Town Green, Guilford CT through December.

Pictured here are three photo groupings: " Kyoto Summer Palace", "Gaudi Barcelona" and "The Gates NYC".

We are very happy to be asked to exhibit annually at the library and, right from the beginning, we thought this challenge would be a perfect candidate for its audiences.

To add to the fun, we are hosting our regional SAQA group (http://SAQA/CT.blogspot.com) meeting this next Saturday. Like "Topsy" our meeting has grown. The executive director of SAQA, Martha Sielman is giving a presentation about her new book "Art Quilt Masters"; we will preview SAQA's Traveling Trunk Show B; we will enjoy a box lunch; have (surprise) drawings from local retailers; view attending members' Show and Tell; AND, journey to the nearby Guilford Art Center to catch the fabulous SAQA Tranformations: Reflections exhibit. Phew!

If you haven't done so, check out the SAQA/CT blog for information. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. Join us. The more the merrier! For box lunch information and reservations email Barb Adams: b.c.adams@comcast.net.

SAQA Transformations/Reflections 09

Saturday Artist's Talk at Guilford Art Center (www.guilfordartcenter.org)

In support of Studio Art Quilt Associates' fabulous exhibit Reflections, we (in the person of Linda Zimmerman: zimmermandezigns.blogspot.com) invited exhibiting artists to come to the Art Center to talk about their work. We were very lucky: Debbie Bein (quiltstew.blogspot.com) and Judith Plotner (www.judithplotner.com) came last week, staying over after attending the Opening Reception. This week Andrea Limmer from VA generously accepted our invitation to chat with viewers all afternoon about her work "A Walk in the Woods".

The exhibit is generating a lot of buzz about art quilts. Fingers crossed that the feet in the door is so great that we will be asked to mount more exhibits!

Thanks to all who made this possible...and there are many!

Studio Art Quilt Associates' Reflections 09

Viewing (but not touching, honest) Denise Linet's "Squam Lake-Early Autumn" is Aurelle Locke, Yvette Howard and Judy Ross. Behind Aurelle and Yvette, peeking out, is a partial of Pat Kroth's gossamer "Bits of Gold". Two of the pieces in the fabulous SAQA Transformation 2009 Reflections traveling exhibition now on display at the Guilford Art Center, 411 Church Street, Guilford CT (www.guilfordartcenter.org). Aurelle and Judy drove down from the Hartford area today to join Yvette and me to see the exhibit and...of course...lunch. In fact, we ran into another CT/SAQA member, Mickey Lawler, who also had driven down from the Hartford area today to see the exhibit.

With a ton of help from my trusted team of exhibit installers (Linda Zimmerman, Robin Wolek, Barb and Roger Adams, and David Wright) this exhibit opened last Friday.

Why am I only now posting? Good question. My husband sometimes tells me that I keep trying to fill a five pound bag with ten pounds of stuff....okay, that's a paraphrase. But, he's right.

The good news is that the opening was a huge success! And the steady stream of folk through the exhibit since then, with all their compliments, is very satisfying.

The exhibit will be at this venue until January 3 when we take it down and pack it up. Ours is its first venue in the US (it previewed at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England) and it's only venue on the East Coast! How lucky we are! Next it travels to Alaska, Oregon and San Diego.

Back from Ghana

We have returned from an amazing three week cultural exchange trip to Ghana, the home of the most hospitable folk on the planet!

Everywhere we went curious children asked for their photos to be taken...and we accommodated! Irresistible!

We were hosted the first week by a young family in Akosombo, a town created by the Volta River Authority when the dam forming the Lake Volta (the second biggest man-made dam in the world) was constructed. We were taken into their hearts and home like long lost members of their family.

The last week we were hosted by a vibrant family in Cape Coast, the ancient capital and early slave-trade port operated in turn by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Their early forts make for grizzly, sobering visits. It's important for tourists to visit and take home the memory of those horrors...along with the memories of the warm welcomes offered by our hosts and the beautiful beaches.

In between there were Durbars (chiefs' celebrations) in Ashanti territory, tasty spicy food with wonderful new aromas and textures, dancing with drumming at the drop of a "hello", and the markets and streets filled with vendors selling everything imaginable.

We were in country when Ghana's Under 20 Soccer Team won the World Cup!!! (Our host town erupted!!) And the MVP, the goalie hailed from the little town of Offinso in the Central Region where we were hosted for the second week.

The women pictured wearing those incredible fabrics were two of the celebrants at the Durbar performed for us at the Cedi Bead Factory near Kumasi in the Central Region.

Each bead is made individually from recycled glass...amazing...even the decorative dots added on each bead are made from a recycled glass slurry and fired again in the kiln.

The two things that peaked my interest the most, with respect to purchasing, were fabric (what a surprise) and beads. There was ample time to fill an extra suitcase with incredible African fabric. I did focus on that which was made in Ghana...with just one beautiful print from Mali. I also tried to focus on fabric made at the textile factory in Akosombo (Akosombo Textile Limited or ATL).

I have to say it was difficult not to buy more fabric...but...that wasn't the focus of the trip.

It was once in a lifetime experience....I hope I get to see our host families again!