Day 3: FB Art Challenge

This is about my 3rd Day of the Art Challenge currently circulating on FaceBook. I was nominated by Pam Biswas.   Thank you Pam!  For this third day of the 5-day challenge, I am sharing three pieces that appeared in contests and shows, including one award winner.

This first quilt, "My Favorite Presidents", was made in 2003 for a competition held at Quilt Impressions, a quilt shop in Stafford (which has closed). 

 

The challenge was to make a quilt using the fabric with images of Washington, D.C. sites during cherry blossom season: the White House, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials and the Congressional building.    I combined the fabric (the blue squares in my quilt) with seven of my favorite Presidents of the United States: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton. 

The seven President blocks were all made by using patterns from Presidential Redwork: A Stitch in Time (click here for a link to Amazon).  After tracing the portraits, I used crayons and archival safe pigment pens to give the Presidents a little more color.  The Presidential Seal was included.

 

This quilt is the closest to a neutral monochromatic quilt that I have made ...  (however, on my "quilt bucket list" is a plan to create a beige-cream quilt).  My Presidential quilt won first place in the store's challenge, though it was really a Viewer's Choice award.  Customers in the shop could place votes per each can of food they brought and donated to the store's food drive (I confess - I may have brought a large bag or two of donations!  Did I buy my first place?)

The next piece is simply known as "Texas" and was featured on the program cover for the Texas Museum of Fiber Arts 2008 exhibit, held in Austin, Texas.  Here it is as it appeared in the show.

Texas is a locker-hooked rug made with 100% cotton fibers in an original design of the state of Texas.  It first appeared in the second Fiber Art show held at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas in February, 2008.  My Beyond the Borders art quilt group were the featured artists in the first two fiber art shows at Copper Shade Tree Gallery.  The fiber art show is a February tradition now, and features fiber artists from across the state of Texas.  My rug, Texas was purchased during the show, but not before Carol Ikard of the Texas Museum of Fiber Arts admired it.  

Carol contacted me, requesting permission to use my Texas rug on her program cover, and she also tracked down the new owner and received permission to borrow the quilt for the exhibit. 

Such validation that someone admires your work when they want it to share with others and also want to feature it!  Here I am at the show's opening.

This last piece is a small, beaded piece that I named "DNA Gone Wild!" and is now also in a private collection.  DNA Gone Wild appeared in a Beyond the Borders show held in the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts in October/November 2008.  This was quite a year for our Art Quilt group!

Here is the description that accompanied my piece:

Everyone has studied the double helix shape of DNA in a science class somewhere - in this piece, DNA Gone Wild!, the double helix has spun apart (or perhaps tighter), until the spiraling ladder configuration has reformatted into a single strand with multiple arms spinning out from a single core.  This new form is preparing to venture into a brave new world.

Materials used include: batik cotton fabrics, fibers, beading and buttons.  The size is 4" x 6".

It sold at the show (Wow! It is exciting to sell your precious hand-made art!)

 

I am including one more piece.  "Cooler Days Ahead" which features beading and hand embroidery on a mono-printed background fabric.  This 4" x 6" postcard appeared in the January 2009 show curated by Susan Lenz called  Cyber Fyber.  Click here to learn more about that show.

I nominate Patricia Marek to join this 5-day Art Challenge by posting three photos a day of her artwork, and nominating another artist to carry the challenge ever forward. I look forward to seeing your lovely art!

Focus on Fiber 2011

Houston Area Fiber Artists

presents their
Annual Member Gallery Show

FOCUS ON FIBER 2011

Juror: Mari Omori, Professor of Art,
Lone Star College Kingwood

October 1 thru October 26, 2011
Opening reception Saturday, October 1, 2011
from 6 to 9 PM
includes a Silent Auction

Complimentary valet parking will be available.

Betz Gallery
www.betzgallery.com
1208 W. Gray in Houston, TX
(713) 576-6954
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 am – 6 pm

Unique Centerpieces

The Texas Federation of Fiber Artists began their biennial conference this past week-end with the opening of Celebrating Our Creative Spirit, an exhibit of their work at the Houston Contemporary Craft Center (HCCC). Fiber enthusiasts came from across the state: from far (Alpine) and wide (the Rio Grande Valley) and from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and surrounding smaller towns for this show and to mingle with their fellow fiber artists at the biennial conference.

During the conference, at each of Saturday's meals, table centerpieces featured colorful necklaces. Curiously each had a small number nearby. We were told that everyone would receive one of their table's necklaces as a keepsake of the day. We learned that trading was allowed, but perhaps more interesting was to see artists scouting out centerpieces before sitting down at the next two meals. I do not think that I was the only one to do this, or am I mistaken?


Breakfast featured funky necklaces made of clothespins, bobbins, paintbottles, etc.

This is my new treasure, and yes, the whistle really works. The assorted doo-dads include luggage keys, buttons, needle case, paper clips and more. This necklace reminds me of the old game show Let's Make a Deal. Remember when Monty Hall would challenge the audience to come up with something crazy from their pockets or purses?


Lunch featured fun necklaces.

This one is long and brightly colored (and lightweight when compared to my first). I must have traded three or four times before I ended up with this necklace. I saw that it is easiest to trade with the closer table-mates. As soon as that first trade happens, everyone comments on which necklaces they like, leading to the next trade. It was quite entertaining. I am pleased to own this necklace, even though I liked the ones I traded away. Perhaps the fun was in making the trade?


The evening banquet necklaces were fancy and quite simply, fantastic!

I fell instantly in love with the one that I originally drew, so I traded with no one. The knot is wonderful and appeals to the scout leader that lives within me. To learn who made each my three necklaces is now my goal ... perhaps I will find out at our next HAFA meeting which is this week (yea! I can hardly wait.)

These centerpieces were a wonderfully fun, unique decorating idea. First - the necklaces made colorful centerpieces, yet each was different from every other one. Second - giving away the necklaces before the meal's end provided an easy ice-breaker. You met everyone at your table to admire the necklace they received. Third - all the necklaces made wonderful keepsakes of this great conference.


Kudos to the Houston Area of Fiber Artists (HAFA) who organized this biennial conference. Kudos to Iva Jensen and her fabulous team who spent many hours making necklaces as well as planning the many activities of the week-end.

Save the date now:
The next Texas Federation of Fiber Artists Conference will be co-hosted by
San Antonio Fiber Artists (SAFA)
&
Austin Fiber Artists (AFA)

February 24-26, 2012
Kerrville, Texas