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!

Butterflies!

 My butterfly collection began over two years ago with these butterflies:

This is a small portion of the many colorful butterflies made by my dear friend Carol C in New York.  She made them for the centerpieces of a luncheon that I was hosting (when two special people were celebrating a momentous life marker).  Carol could not travel to celebrate with us in person, so she made these lovely butterflies to decorate each table at our kiddush luncheon.

Why butterflies?  Because we were planning to donate these butterflies (the ones above and the others below) to the Houston Holocaust Museum.  The museum is collecting over one-and-a-half million butterflies for an exhibit in memory of the many children who perished during the Holocaust (click here for more details on the Museum's Butterfly Project).

These butterflies were made the day of my sons' B'nai Mitzvot; made by their friends who came to witness as they chanted from the Torah and shared their insights into the Torah portion of the week.  As the luncheon was taking place, guests were invited to make a butterfly or two to be given to the Holocaust Museum.

Other friends heard of my butterfly collecting and asked to be included too, so I delayed turning in the B'nai Mitzvah butterflies to allow time to gather more ... and more ... and more.

My quilting and fiber art friends made fiber butterflies: some quilted, others embroidered and each one unique and special.  Each is a gift from the heart ....

My friend Sheryl L made five butterfly garlands with her daughters to add to my collection.   I love that her garlands are ready to be displayed!

Tissue paper can be used in a variety of ways to make and/or decorate butterflies.  This collaged collection is made in honor of my recent Toddler classes and Kindergarten classes.  In another class, we dyed coffee filters then gathered with a pipe-cleaner into a butterfly shape (see below).

This is my full butterfly collection, shortly before I bundled it all together and delivered it to the Houston Holocaust Museum last week. While it seems like a lot, remembering that I collected them from many places, people, students and friends alike, this is a teeny tiny portion of the over 1,500,000 children who perished in the Holocaust.

If you wish to add to the butterfly collection - you may send (or deliver) your own group of unique butterflies to the Houston Holocaust Museum.

The current deadline for submission is June 30, 2013.  

The final exhibit promises to be amazing, moving, one-of-a-kind -- just like each of these butterflies -- and just like each of the children lost to the horror of the Holocaust. 

Texas Quilt Museum

An enjoyable day-trip from Houston (or Austin or San Antonio or other locales in-between) is to La Grange, Texas.  Why, you might wonder?

 To visit the best little quilt museum in Texas, of course!

Texas Quilt Museum, La Grange, Texas

This museum opened in 2012 and is located in the heart of La Grange in a beautifully restored 1890s building (originally a furniture store).  It is simply wonderful.  I visited for the first time recently and now am wondering what took me so long. 

The exhibit I saw with my friend is the third installment of "Texas Quilts Today" featuring quilts from Lone Stars III.  I wish now that I had not missed the first two exhibits of the quilts from this book. I may have to go back to see this exhibit again before it closes on September 30, 2012.  For more information, the museum's website is http://www.texasquiltmuseum.org

After soaking up the visual eye candy of these wonderful quilts, you may be hungry for lunch. My favorite lunch spot in La Grange is Weikel's Bakery.   I love their sandwiches and always take home a loaf of fresh bread (or two)!

As you head for home, you may enjoy a stop at All Around the Block Quilt Shop in Giddings (they have a fabulous fabric selection and patterns and notions too) or Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top (they have "a delightful collection of decorative and functional crafts, all handmade by Texas artisans").

I hope you enjoy your day-trip as much as I did.  I'm already planning a return trip .... soon!

Happy Holidays!

Greetings from Austin!  I wanted to show the fun pine tree mantle runner that I made several years ago.  I travel to Austin every season to see how my stepmom has displayed it in the new year.  Sometimes it has her Christmas village arranged on top, but this year thers is the lovely red poinsetta-lights, and some of her angels dancing across it.

If you travel to Austin, Texas before January 3, 2010 -- be sure to visit the Legacy of Quilts exhibit, featuring antique quilts and more in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, near the State Capitol.  It is Fabulous!!!! Amazing that it is only a small piece of the Joyce Gross quilt collection that was acquired by the University of Texas (click here for more on the acquisition) which contains over 170 quilts.

Click here for my earlier post about this exhibit.

Better still, take $7.00 and hurry over to this museum before Jan. 3rd!
This is a Must-See Exhibit for all lovers of textiles and antique quilts.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

A Legacy of Quilts

A new exhibit featuring antique quilts has opened at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas.  Titled A Legacy of Quilts, this exhibit runs from November 21, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

A Legacy of Quilts is the first public display of the Briscoe Center's Joyce Gross Collection. Spanning more than 100 years of quilting, the exhibit features 28 quilts made approximately between 1844 and 1950. Each of the quilts is a story written with fabric, needle, thread, and loving hands.  Included in the display are award-winning quilts from the 1930s, red and green appliqué quilts that were popular in the mid-19th century, a Hawaiian flag quilt and two remarkable album quilts.

Additional programs offered:

High Noon Talk - American Quilt Makers

Wednesday, December 2  
Noon - 1 p.m.  FREE

Marcia Kaylakie, a quilt collector and AQS Certified appraiser, will speak on American quilt makers Bertha Stenge and Pine Eisfeller.

Explore the Story: Stitch and Kitsch - Intergenerational Stitch Party

Saturday, December 19  
1 - 3 p.m.  FREE with exhibit admission

Spend the afternoon at a 1930s-style stitch party, set to hot tunes from Aunt Ruby's Sweet Jazz Babies. Bring a current project or start a new one; enjoy knitting lessons, special prizes, and more.

Be sure to come to Austin to view this special exhibit of quilts.

Read more about the Joyce Gross Quilt Collection (and how the University of Texas acquired it) by clicking here.

To learn more about the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (including directions and admittance fees), click here.

Tapumes

I wandered this morning over to the Rice Gallery on the Rice campus (the only university museum in the country dedicated to installation art), to see the current exhibit. This is a little of what I saw while wandering there.

Looking through the windows before entering the art gallery, you can see the massive piece, Tapumes by Henrique Oliveira, spread across the entire back wall, overlapping onto the sides, clinging to the ceiling and spreading out onto the floor.

It is wonderful!

(Question: Is my new lens (which replaces my old one, damaged months ago) up to the challenge of photographing this work? I hope so.)

The dimension of this piece is as amazing as the actual size. The shot above zooms in on the dangling piece in the first photo.

The work bends and curves so gracefully -- yet it is made of wood salvaged from construction sites throughout the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is home to the artist, Henrique Oliveira.

This is a lovely blue onion, one of a pair and easily stands 4 to 5 feet tall.

Do you see the face profile here? The nose leads the way ...
(It also reminds me of the racing profiles of the Tour de France cyclists).

I would love to crawl through this tunnel -- but this is art, not a playground, so I refrain from letting my inner child run free.
Wouldn't it be fun to try?

Another view capturing a small slice of the full piece (1/6 - 1/8 of the whole), including a second peak at my tunnel.

The gallery has included three short videos for viewing: one of Henrique working on other art pieces (in Portuguese, his native tongue), an interview with him about this Tapumes installation at Rice University, which I've included below (courtesy of YouTube and Rice University Art Gallery),




and a slideshow/video of the installation of the piece in the RIce Gallery, which is below (a second thank you to YouTube and RiceU Art Gallery).

To read two reviews of the Rice Gallery's exhibit Tapumes, click here or here.

Here he is -- the imaginative artist Henrique Oliveira who is the ultimate salvage/recycle/reclaim artist, creating colorful pieces (like the one I've shared here) built entirely from wood collected from the streets and construction sites in Sao Paulo.

He calls these installations "tridimensionals" as they incorporate painting, architecture and sculpture. He also participated in the invitational Something from Nothing show held in New Orleans last year. I look forward to seeing what this young man creates next...

If you live in or near Houston, be sure to stop by the Rice Gallery on Rice University campus, as his installation Tapumes has been extended through August 17, 2009. Note: there is ongoing construction in this building so the actual exhibit may or may not be open for visitors. I popped in today and was lucky to find it open. Tapumes is not as easily visible from outside the building as the website suggests.

People's Choice ... cast your votes!

The Cyber Fyber show at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios is open at last! If you are near downtown Columbia, South Carolina, USA, pop into the Gallery and check it out!

I have learned that there will be a Best of Show award for the Postcards and ATCs, and also a People's Choice award for both categories. Please take a peak, leave a comment on my postcard, my ATC and on any of the others that tickle your fancy. My postcard is #223, featured here. My ATC is #139, featured here. If you list your postcard and ATC numbers in my comments below, I will return the favor by posting comments on your pieces.

Of course I really want you to enjoy looking at all the postcards and ATCs, leaving as many comments as you please -- that is what makes a true People's Choice Award! Click here for the entire Postcard exhibit and here to see all the ATCs.

Congrats and Thank you to Susan Lenz for organizing this phenomenal show! I love the story of how she entered the fiber art world -- read it here. Check out her daily blog dedicated to this exhibition here. I am honored and humbled to be a part of this international collection of fabulous fiber artists! Be sure to browse through these links ...

BTB show extended

Our Beyond the Borders "Unifying Threads" exhibit at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft has been extended one more week. It will be in place through December 28. If you are in the area, be sure to come see it!

The HCCC gift shop has many unique hand-crafted items that may finish up the last of your holiday shopping too.

Unifying Threads

I'm pleased to announce that my Beyond the Borders Art Quilt group (BTB) will be the featured artists in an upcoming exhibit at the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts!

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"Unifying Threads"
Fabric, Fiber and Thread

Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts
4848 Main St. - Houston, Texas
In the Museum District

October 26 - December 21, 2008
Opening 6:00-8:00 pm, Friday, October 24


featuring these Beyond the Borders quilt & fiber artists:

Elizabeth Broussard - Susan Byrne - Elaine Connelly
Nancy B. Dickey - Connie Fahrion - Susan Fletcher King
Mary Ann Littlejohn - Linda Teddlie Minton
Sara Sissenwein - Jo Sweet - Catherine Winter

Excerpt from the HCCC October mid-month newsletter:
Unifying Threads showcases beautiful art quilts by the contemporary art-quilt group, Beyond the Borders. The Houston-area group has been meeting for over nine years on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at Quilt ‘N’ Sew in Katy, Texas. Their goal is to embrace creativity, while coloring outside the lines of traditional quilting. Juried by HCCC’s Curator of Fine Craft, Gwynne Rukenbrod, the show includes 24 pieces, ranging from large-scale traditional-style quilts to postcard-sized quilt collages that demonstrate a wide variety of themes and techniques.


Please come to our show Unifying Threads while you are in town for the International Quilt Market and Festival. HCCC is in the museum district, not far from downtown. You will be glad that you did!

Texas Fiber Art Slide Show

In Austin, Texas during May 24-26, 2008 (Memorial Day weekend), the Texas Museum of Fiber Art held its 2nd show, "Deep in the Art of Texas" in the State Capitol extension. The slideshow above features most of the artwork, beginning with the top prize winners. Click an image as it scrolls by to see the title and the artist's name.

I love the diversity of this show, from the very small (detail and size) to the very tall (vision and size). The artists hail from across our grand state of Texas, and many came to either the Reception Preview (Thurs, May 22) or to the show itself (Sat-Mon, May 24-26).

This is a detail view of "Contestant" (Honorable Mention) by Linda Lewis, a piece designed to be hung so that it casts a shadow. The shadow is the actually piece of art!

Sally Middleton's piece "Life's Clothesline" (Second Place) features several aprons and the invitation to sniff the contents of their pockets, thus bringing a new sense, the sense of smell, to a very tactile show.

Do you see the inspiration photo for Rachel Edwards-Ridder's second piece that she calls "Capturing Memories"? I love that Rachel dedicates this piece to her mother who will celebrate her 100th birthday this year! The edge of this quilt has so many family photographs, each made into its own little quiltlet and each telling its own story. Rachel uses a pair of her mother's glasses, too.

It was a true delight to meet so many fellow artists. My one regret is that I did not get everyone's photograph standing next to their work. I enjoyed meeting each of you and hope to see you again soon.

I must also extend a huge "Thank You" to Carol Ikard, the Executive Director of the Texas Museum of Fiber Art, and her crew all of whom worked long hours to put together this show "Deep in the Art of Texas."


After admiring these pieces by Texas fiber artists, why not make a resolution to submit your work to a local show whereever you live.
I dare you!