For the past month or so I’ve been enjoying the Lark publication Masters:  Art Quilts (subtitled Major Works by Leading Artists).   This book is one in a series of fine arts and crafts such as Porcelain, Beadweaving, Gemstones, Glass Beads and others (forthcoming) on Wood Turning and Gold.  This series is a nearly square 9×8 inches, and hefty…the shortest is 300 pages, with the Art Quilt volume the heftiest at 416 pages. (Note: all photos in this post are clickable to see them a bit larger–scroll down for LOTS of great review pics.)

How author and curator  Martha Sielman, executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA ) and an art quilter herself, managed to whittle her selections down to a mere 40 of the many, MANY outstanding art quilters working today I do not know.  What I can say is that she did a smashing job of selecting a representative sampling:  from some of our trailblazing artists to some newcomers who deserve to be included in the top tier, from abstract to highly representational, from those who work exclusively with fabric and thread to those whose quilts are nearly encrusted with embellishments, and from around the world, Martha has included something for everyone’s taste, and introduces us to some quilters we may not have known–well, even though I read voraciously and troll for news of the art quilting world outside the United States, there were some artists that were new to me.  The artists (in the order in which they are presented in the book) are:

• Jane Sassaman
• Michael A. Cummings
• Ita Ziv
• Cher Cartwright
• Noriko Endo
• Deidre Scherer
• Carolyn L. Mazloomi
• Hollis Chatelain
• Linda Colsh
• Charlotte Yde
• Joan Schulze
• Judith Content
• Kyoung Ae Cho
• Jette Clover
• Eszter Bornemisza
• Pauline Burbidge
• Yvonne Porcella
• M. Joan Lintault
• Katie Pasquini Masopust
• Nancy N. Erickson
• Susan Shie
• Caryl Bryer Fallert
• Jeanette Gilks
• Jane Burch Cochran
• Pamela Allen
• Therese May
• John W. Lefelhocz
• Miriam Nathan-Roberts
• Jenny Hearn
• Terrie Hancock Mangat
• Wendy Huhn
• B.J. Adams
• Inge Mardal and Steen Hougs
• Chiaki Dosho
• Inge Hueber
• Michael James
• Velda E. Newman
• Anne Woringer
• Clare Plug
• Elizabeth Brimelow

The book begins with a brief Introduction by Martha Sielman, and is followed by profiles of the artists.    Forty art quilters are included, each with 10 pages.  Each “chapter” begins with an introduction written by Martha and a detail photo on the left-hand page, while the full quilt is showed as large as can fit on the page on the right.  Each photo has the title, year it is made (which allows one to see progression in the artists’ work and style), size, and a brief summary of techniques.  On the subsequent pages, full-shot photos of an representative sample of that artists’ quilts are accompanied by quotations from the artists that give insight to their style, goals and personality.

With only a few exceptions, the photography is outstanding, showing even the stitching detail.  For those not familiar with taking photographs of quilts, it is challenging (to say the least!), so the ability to see this level of detail throughout the book is a rare treat.  Here are some of my favorites, beginning with one of my quilting idols, Hollis Chatelain:

I had not known of the work of Michael Cummings:

or Kyoung Ae Cho before, but I am certainly glad I do now….time to go surf the internet, eh?

and a photo of another of her pieces:

Ita Ziv of Israel uses highly unconventional materials, like the bags you get while shopping!

Charlotte Yde’s name was familiar, but I got to see some new works:

I love her bold use of color, her often monochromatic quilts, and in these pieces the repeated shield or banner shapes:

Jenny Hearn’s work reflects her South African heritage though it is not always obvious.  There is a rich complexity to the visual texture:

and another piece (by the way…sorry about the flash glare!)

Inge Mardal and Steen Hougs’ quilts always stop me in my tracks when I see them in a show.  They are very large….often between 5×5 or 6×6 feet!   They are densely quilted, and glorious:

I honestly don’t know how Martha managed to restrain herself to a mere forty art quilters….  each and every chapter is a feast for the eyes.  I also don’t know how Lark managed to publish such a sumptuous coffee-table book for only 24.95.  If you purchase this book from SAQA store, part of the proceeds will go to support the efforts of the Studio Art Quilt Associates promote our art form.   It is also available here at Amazon.com. Like The Art Quilt by Michael Kile and Penny McMorris, this book encapsulates the best of the best at a specific point in time.  I expect that this book, too, will become a classic and a valuable reference.  It’s also just a joy to sit down and savor.

This past Saturday, Kate, Kathy and I met at Quilt Divas from 10-12 for a book signing which the owners, Debbie and Doris, arranged for Creative Quilting with Beads. The three of us and Frayed Edge in exile Deborah had eight projects in the book! (I stayed until 1, since I had goofed on the day and scheduled it for the same day as the local quilt guild chapter meeting…so I stayed until some friends could come down and buy books…then we had a blast and went out to lunch).

That’s Kathy, who always looks happy, always looks nice, and is just plain fun! I’m SO looking forward to the next year or two when she MOVES down this way! Anyway, Debbie and Doris set up a nice table and display just as you entered the store. Kathy is holding her project which (drum roll please!) they chose as the FIRST project for the book! WOOT! Deborah sent up her triptych that is in the book, my blue and orange piece is on the same display, and Kate had already packed up her two pieces that were in the book (she had a meeting and had to boogie on time, before I remembered to take pictures!).

While there, Kate was kind enough to let me photograph her journal, since I’m going to develop a new lecture on Journal quilts. I decided the lecture should be about journals too…how you can use a notebook to record ideas and stuff for later use. Kate’s camera died on a recent trip to Italy (I’d have perished on the spot!), SO she sketched instead. Man is she GOOD! Just look at this drawing, which she colored later with watercolors, of beach peas in bloom in a jar….

I was so inspired when Kate first shared these with us… she told us about some watercolors she had bought … made in Russia. Surfing around the internet and then Dick Blick (an online and real art supply store) I found them…. Yarka from St. Petersburg. And I found the $$ my mom had given me for Christmas (and which I had carefully tucked away so as not to lose it, and therefore which wasn’t to be found for six months….) and SPLURGED! I had been wanting some watercolors, and nice, rich, deep colored ones, not insipid student-cheapo grade….. and the price on these was not to be believed (or skipped)…

Here’s the Dick Blick page. Of course, have I DONE anything with them since they arrived a week ago? Nope… maybe this weekend? Anyway, I’m hoping that in time my journals will be as colorful and maybe even a tenth as wonderful as Kathy’s and Kate’s…..I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such talent!

I had the MOST fun last week…. my beloved sister-in-law, Joyce, was born the same day (different year) than my hubby. It makes remembering birthdates easier! And best friend Marie was born two days later… all late May. Ya think I collect Geminis? Well, I had NO idea what to get Joyce. You see, I have known her for 44 years…. since I was 6 (or thereabouts). Yet we have never lived in the same town. We have always gotten to know each other through letters (the old fashioned written kind), then after I was grown up, through occasional phone calls and now e-mail (a lot). But when you aren’t near someone, you don’t always know how they spend their days, what they have in their house, or their favorite clothes. Add to that the fact that her passions are her garden, her dog, and my late brother. Hmmm….. hard to send plants via the mail…..

Then I had a lightbulb moment! Joyce has worked for Toyota headquarters for 30 years and is contemplating retirement. And I have been having a good time delving into the several mountains of accumulated magazines and books (the last year hasn’t been a good one for staying anywhere NEAR caught up on reading). One book is The Decorated Page by Gwen Diehn (click on the title to see the book at Amazon). SO…. I thought Joyce might like a new thing to do in retirement, or at least a notebook in which to make lists…. so here’s what I made for her:

I made her the bag not quite big enough to fit the book, but you could squeeze a magazine in, and definitely big enough to hold the notebook and stuff! I sent a copy of The Decorated Page, a 5 x 8 sketchbook (with a batik fabric fused to the cover to make it prettier) into which I drew a few things, a set of sketching pencils, Neocolor II water-soluble sticks–like a pastel, nicer than a crayon, easy to use, a waterbrush (think fountain pen meets paintbrush… fill the handle with water, squeeze and it drips out the felt tip allowing you to paint), a glue stick, an eraser, and some laminated cards to use with the notebook.

Here is what Joyce found when she opened the notebook:

and

Since Joyce might never have used some of these things, I told her about the book I’d enclosed:

Following Diehn’s advice, it is sometimes easier to begin when the page isn’t blank, so I decorated a few for her here and there through the journal:

… and I showed her what each of the items does:

And finally, I have her a few ideas about what to do in the book…after all, all those blank white pages can be intimidating!

I can’t remember having such fun with a putting together a gift….. best of all, she really enjoyed receiving it!

After visiting Natasha Kemper-Cullen‘s studio (see earlier post), Kate, Kathy, Hannah and daughter Nina and I headed to a beach on Orr’s Island (at least I think that’s where we were…..). We drove down route 24 through Harpswell until we reached here:

Kate had brought some cloths to spread on the damp sand, and we munched away:

For once, I remembered to do a stand-in for Deborah (our dear friend in exile in the wilds of the Dallas metropolis) who always used to remember to take photos of our lunches. We each brought something to share… we had initially planned to meet at Hannah’s house where she was going to fix a salad, but we changed our plans to picnic, so she treated us to lunch-on-the-run from the local grocery. Here’s what I picked:

Now wouldn’t that make a glorious quilt?

After eating, we trolled the beach for beach glass and pottery shards.  I did OK finding the glass, but didn’t really know what I was looking for with the pottery…. but Hannah gave me her findings, saying she had MORE than enough at home…so here is my “booty”, displayed on a piece of fabric I  monoprinted (with dye) and overdyed last fall in Carol Soderlund’s workshop (pop Soderlund into the search box on the upper left sidebar if you want to check out those blogposts)… anyway, the fabric seemed perfect….

On the way home I actually had time to dawdle on the way, so thinking of Deborah I stopped in at Smitten in downtown (!) Wiscasset. Deborah just LOVED this store and the sign. I have to admit…Wiscasset really is a beautiful little town:

The for-the-oh-so-chic home items in this store are lovely and expensive, so I enjoy the visual treat. Then I moved up the street a few doors to Rock Paper Scissors, which is a great name for a store also, and not so coincidentally, owned by the same someone (I think).
I love the stuff in this store…the paper, the pens, the ribbon….. but they SERIOUSLY need to work on customer etiquette. When I walked in the clerk was on the phone. I browsed. She got off the phone, but didn’t say a thing. I browsed some more, and spent some serious time considering some ribbons. She never said hello or may I help you find something, not a thing. I browsed more, headed toward the door. I left. She never ONCE said hello, good-bye, thank you, let me know if can I help you, NOTHING. So as much as I love the contents of the store, I’m getting over it. I’ve been in there a few times, and every time it is the same. Not a way to win repeat customers!

Then I drove home to kids, family, work and all that stuff that makes life worthwhile.

Sheesh….. the week has evaporated yet again! This week started with a glorious Frayed Edges (my mini-group) day, so I’m going to break it into two posts. Then I got swamped when I realized entries for Houston (IQA) are due June 12th, and my quilt isn’t done let alone photographed and forms completed, so I’ve been quilting like a madwoman all week. I finished the quilt (well, except for the hanging sleeve and label, and they don’t have to be done to photo the front) last night, and will put entry in the mail on Monday. In the meantime… I get to share the wonderful day we had on Monday…

Hannah Beattie, the youngest of us, now lives in Harpswell, which is south of Brunswick, Maine, on a peninsula that has to be one of the most beautiful in Maine, and that is saying a LOT. I believe that Hannah must know and be friends with every amazing artist between New Hampshire and the mid-coast…see she’s one of those people that everyone love! So anyway, over the weekend Hannah writes to ask, would we like to go visit Natasha at her home and studio? Heck YES! As you can see f rom the photo above, when you drive up to the house you know you are in for a major treat… I mean, don’t you want shutters like these? I do! And in the vegetable patch to the left of the drive, look at these awesome garden people (which Natasha makes on commission, too)–that’s Kathy, Hannah and (in her arms) Nina:

For those of you who have come to art quilting lately, Natasha was one of the trail blazers, and has been at the forefront of the art quilt movement for longer than she probably wants to remember (and it also means she started young!). Here’s her website…I encourage you to go look and enjoy (and shop?). Anyway, there was plenty of color and creativity in her home… both in her studio and in the other rooms. Here’s Natasha with one of her works in progress…she began with white cloth, used lots of Shiva paintsticks and more:

and her studio (PS…please don’t blame me for the studio lust you’ll feel)

Repetition was a theme which I enjoyed… her yarn baskets:

Pencils and pens:

The pillows for sale on one table: (Kathy bought one!)

The broken-ceramics tiling she did on the woodstove chimney in the living room:

and close up:

Then there is the jewelry for sale (does natasha ever sleep????):

And tho it isn’t repetition in the same way, I LUST after this bathroom mirror:

OK..I also lust for color, and the time to create….

.

Doesn’t that piece just make you want to RUN to the studio and play?

And finally, on the way out….

Next post (or maybe the one after), what we did with the rest of our day….