Leni Wiener

Today I hung a solo show in my home town, and it occurs to me that some of you might be interested in some easy rules to remember when hanging a show.  It isn’t rocket science!

First of all, no matter what hanging system the venue has, it won’t work without a problem.  This is a promise.  Especially since most gallery spaces are set up to hang pictures with wired backs, and rarely do these hanging systems fit into the eyehooks most of us put at the end of our rods.  So you always need to bring a supply kit with you, which should include:

1. scissors
2. tape
3. painters tape
4. fishing line
5. S hooks
6. picture wire and wire cutter
7. extra rods
8. quilting safety pins (they must be quilting pins, if the show will hang for a while, you don’t want rust spots!)

and you can be sure that whatever you bring, there will be something else you could have used.  Also, based on what happened today, I would also recommend a bottle of water and some granola bars.  This took several hours, no A/C in the room, and the water and sustenance would have helped.

But on to actually hanging the artwork.  I begin by organizing the pieces so that they relate in color, size and theme.  This is no different whether you are hanging a solo show, a group show, or one with lots and lots of 12″ x 12″ pieces.  Put together pieces that work well next to each other, and start laying them out on the floor in front of each wall.

This photo may not look like much, but here you can see the pieces laid out on the floor in the order I liked.  Had this been other people’s work, I would not have put them directly on the rug, but would have put down a clean drop cloth first.  For my own work, I was ok with the rug.  (I shouldn’t have been)

Once the pieces are laid out, then you need to space them on the wall.

In this photo you can see that the hanging system has an upper and lower strip from which to hang the work.  Frankly, if you ask me, even for framed art the lower one is much too low and the upper one too high, but they didn’t ask my opinion when they designed the space.  So I hung the pieces directly on the wire hangers (with quilt safety pins on the back of each piece) on the easy to reach lower level so that I could check the spacing, make sure I liked the way the show flowed from one piece to the next, and to get them off the floor as quickly as possible.

Now the fun starts.  In this situation, it was clear that every piece needed to be put onto fishing line from which they would hang on the upper level.

So step one was just to get them up and then adjust the hanging length.

The goal is to have all the pieces either start at the same level, or relate in respect to eye level.  So this is when the fine tuning occurs.

Finally, the pieces are properly spaced, hung at the right level, and flow from one to another.  The final task is to adjust the lighting to pin point the art, usually done by the venue.

In the end, it is usually the tweaking that takes the most time and energy.  Arranging the work should not be too difficult if you just trust your instincts and your eye.

For those of you who are struggling to “find your voice” I thought I would share with you my thought process in reexamining and evolving my own “voice.”  Even once you have found your true artistic voice, it is important to reevaluate, reexamine and grow as an artist.  To find one thing you do well and never change is boring, plus it makes your work stale and uninspired.

Finding, or changing your voice takes time and reflection.  It is not something that happens in an afternoon.  There are questions you must think about, and the answers need to rattle around in your brain for a while until a clear path emerges.

The first thing I do is make a list of the things I am happy with and those I want to change.  Here, for example is my list (in no particular order, as this is something I do for myself alone):

• I have built a reputation as an artist who depicts people, and since I am drawn to that, I do not want to change the theme of my work and start working on nature, landscapes, etc.
• having made that decision a while ago, however, I have been working on closeups of faces, which, after much reflection, is really not where I want to be.  People like in my work the nuance of body language that my figures have, not the detail of the faces.  I need to move away from faces and back to body language.  This is my strength.  Always go with your strength.
• My work is somewhat dark and moody, in both subject and color palette–something I am happy with and do not wish to change
• I do want to rethink the sizes of the pieces I make, feeling they need to be larger for more impact.
• I have felt for a long time that the work I do lacks refinement, something I want to work on
• The edge finish is also something I want to change, as I am not happy with the way I currently finish the edges of my work–it also feels unrefined.  I have some new ideas that are a bit “out of the box” and may further serve as a unique aspect of my work.
• This may seem trivial, but this was a major revelation for me–I need to rediscover why I work with fabric.  Right now the pieces I make could be done in paper, or even painted.  There is a reason I am drawn to fabric, to piecing (which I have let go of) and now need to embrace the material more.  Having recently reread something Henry Moore wrote about working with stone, I realize that I have not been letting the medium define the process.  So I need to go back to piecing, at least in part, and to use fabric in a way that only fabric can be used.
• Having thought a lot about it, I do know that I am not interested in hand-dying or painting fabric.  I did think a long time about dying (but I so want to avoid the contact with the chemicals and fumes) or painting (but I decided that if I wanted to paint I would be a painter.)  One of my favorite aspects of this kind of work is finding the right match in a commercially available fabric.  A trip to a fabric store gets my heart pumping, with so many gorgeous options out there, I am not interested in attempting to create my own fabric by any method.  It took me awhile, but I am firmly committed to working only with commercially available fabric.
• I am still not interested in any sort of surface embellishment.  That hasn’t changed.
• my work is too photo-realistic, and I want to let go of most of the detail, most of the “environment” in the background and move towards work that is more abstract, while still holding on to depicting figures.
• I have also spent a lot of time looking at other art–most specifically NOT art quilts, for a clearer direction that will make my art more ART and less ART QUILT.

I need to be true to myself, to my voice, while striving to make it better.  I hope that this glimpse into my thought process will help you to find your own direction based on the things you want to achieve in your work.
Please share your journey with me by leaving comments!

I often hear from artists when confronted with the comment that their body of work is inconsistent, that they are simply thinking outside the box.  Thinking outside the box and producing a consistent body of work are mutually exclusive.

“Thinking outside the box” means to discover a way of working that is different from what other artists are doing; it does not mean reinventing yourself with each new piece. It is not enough to try something new, the idea must be fine-tuned, nurtured and developed until it reaches its pinnacle. Thinking outside the box does not mean creating a haphazard and frenetic collection of unrelated pieces, your outside the box idea still needs to be developed into more than a single piece.

No one means to suggest that you should stop experimenting, challenging and pushing the envelope in your work; as an artist you should always be re-examining and evolving.  Thinking outside the box and producing work that does not conform to the standard treatments and techniques is fresh and exciting–but those pieces must work as a group with a thread of connection.

Take, for example, entering a juried show.  The jurors are looking for new and interesting interpretations of the materials and techniques; they WANT work that is “outside the box,” work that takes the medium to a new level.  But if you were to enter three entirely different styles to a show, you would not be illustrating to the jurors that you think outside the box, but rather that you are still struggling to find who you are as an artist.  Even a highly successful piece submitted this way may look to the jurors like a happy accident, something you could not achieve again.  This is certainly not the message you want to sent when you submit work for a show.  It often means that even that highly successful piece will be rejected.

Learning to edit your work is as important as finding your voice.  Even if you are experimenting with different styles and techniques, you must be able to pull together a portfolio of pieces that tell the same story, explore a theme, or are connected by color and/or technique. Showing unrelated pieces only says that you are still struggling to find your artistic point of view.

By all means, do think outside the box.  Use the materials other art quilters are using, but in a way that makes everyone sit up and take notice; add new materials and techniques that no one else is using.  But when you find this “outside the box” approach, really develop it into your own unique artistic voice.  And then, create a cohesive and consistent body of work.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people are out there looking to scam us in order to steal our money or into giving up our personal information (in order to steal our money).  I had two just this morning.

First was the email from Caroline Moore.  When I opened my email this morning, the first one I saw was an email asking about the availability of two of my pieces.  Of course, we all want to think that someone found and fell in love with our art and wants to buy it.  But the suspicion here was the broken English (this is one of my pet peeves–if you are going to try and make it in the cutthroat business of email scams, it behooves you to learn to speak the language at least well enough to know what letters to capitalize and where the punctuation belongs.  Geez, at least have someone else check the wording for you before you send it out!!)  My suspicion was confirmed when I saw that the next several emails were all posts to the SAQA Yahoo group by other artist members of SAQA who had received the same email from the same person.  And in all cases, good old Caroline had inquired about the two pieces each of us had pictured on the SAQA site.  What a lazy scammer she is!

How does one handle these emails?  Probably the best way is to just delete it and ignore it.  Sometimes, the abundance of evidence does not make it so very clear from the beginning.  I have never sold a piece from an online inquiry, but I suppose there is always a first time.  So if in doubt, I politely answer that I only accept payment through paypal and do not ship outside the country (another clue that you are being scammed is the request that the sale be handled quickly because the buyer is leaving the country–which is usually followed by a request that the artist accept a larger than needed third party check and refund the balance to the buyer).  But I have found that sending the paypal email means I never hear from these scammers again.

The other scam happened while I was opening and reading all these emails.  (I guess this was just my day!)  It was a phone call from American Express asking me if I had made any large charges yesterday.  My suspicion was raised by two things; first the caller ID said private caller, and secondly, the woman told me the charges were made in Los Angeles and she sees that I live in New Rochelle.  That didn’t sit right with me, so I gave her my husband’s phone number and called him on his other line.  Sure enough, when she called him she said we really had to cancel the card right away, and when he asked her for more identifying information, she hung up.  A call to customer service at American Express confirmed she was a scammer.  I am sure she would have asked my husband to confirm the account being canceled and the security code, and then she would have been off and running with our card number in hand.

I truly believe that most people in the world are good and honest people who are just going about their lives in the best way they know how.  Unfortunately, there are those few who give the rest of humanity a bad name.  As with everything else in life, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  A request to purchase your work could in fact be legitimate, but proceed with caution.  Better not to sell a piece than to be taken.  Don’t click on any links that look suspicious ( I get lots of spam saying it comes from customer service at, for example, paypal.  I never click the link.  Instead, I go to the paypal site and get to customer service that way to confirm or deny the problem).  And NEVER give out either on the phone or in an email, any identifying information like your social security number, credit card numbers, even your birth date.  Better to be cautious than sorry.

It is wonderful to think that someone finds our work online and wants to own it.  In some cases, this can be true.  But I find that in today’s world, it is better to keep your eyes opened and be suspicious of all inquiries until you can confirm their legitimacy.  Be careful out there!

Many art quilters are confused about what it means to present a consistent body of work.  This is often asked for when applying to galleries, professional organizations, or entering shows.

A consistent body of work is a group of pieces that hang together and are clearly by the same hand. There should be a consistently clear, distinct and unique voice, in a style that does not look like, or seem derived from another artist’s work. It is the style—that is the artistic approach—that must be consistent. Simply unifying otherwise unrelated styles of work by theme does not constitute a consistent voice. (This is the goal of an exhibition, when many artists show how their different styles address the same theme.) If you are showing a “wide range of styles”, in fact you are revealing that you have not yet settled on a style you can call your own.

The first step in creating a consistent body of work is to find your voice—that is, to establish your own working style. Only then can you produce a group of pieces that express your singular artistic position. Finding your voice is not a quick and easy exercise, it involves self examination and self discovery, along with experimentation and development of a clear, strong direction. Some things to think about:

• Ask yourself what you enjoy in the process and what you would like to let go.

• Develop an expertise in the techniques that inspire you and eliminate those that you feel are holding you back.
• Think about fabric choices—are you more comfortable with commercial fabrics? Patterns or solids? Hand dyeing your own fabric?
• Do you want to include surface design and/or embellishment?
• Are your colors consistent with your voice? This does not mean you must always work in the same colors, but whether your color selections are subdued pastels or strong saturated colors can change the look of your work, and the impact they have as a consistent body of work.
• What do you want your work to say; do you wish to make a political statement? Express the tranquility of nature? Examine the inner workings of human emotions? Do you want your work to appear serious or whimsical? Subdued or full of movement? What motivates you? What do you want people to take away after seeing your work?
• Consider working in a series, this will allow you to examine and explore different aspects of your subject and techniques in order to help you determine what you want to continue to develop.

Only after you have established a voice that embodies your unique artistic vision, can you begin to build a body of work. All the pieces should appear to be from the same hand, make the same statement, and utilize the same technique or combination of techniques that form the thread throughout the “body” of work. Presenting a cohesive and consistent body of work requires that you edit your existing pieces with the following criteria in mind:

• Are your techniques similar in all the pieces? Combining works created using different techniques rarely holds together simply because they all have the same subject matter.
• Keep in mind the age of the pieces. A great work from 5 years ago is likely to appear out of place with your current work as we all evolve over time.
• Are the materials/colors dramatically different amongst the pieces in the group? If you work mainly in primary colors but include one or two pieces in subdued, earth tones, this will not look cohesive. The same goes for working with mainly solid fabrics versus highly patterned ones.
• Do all the pieces make the same statement, set the same mood?

When all else fails, have someone else look at your body of work and see if anything stands out as different from the rest. Many artists find it helpful to have professional critique of their work to help them establish a direction.

When you begin to enter your art quilts into shows or exhibit locally you can expect to be asked for three things:

1. An artist statement
2. A professional resume
3. A short bio

These three things can be confusing to some people and it is important to understand what they mean in an art context.

A professional resume is not like the resume you might prepare to send out for job interviews.  It does not include your education, where you live, or jobs you have had.  A professional resume is simply a listing (usually chronologically with the most recent at the top) of

1. exhibitions
2. awards
3. public installations
4. publications
5. teaching
6. major collections that have purchased your work (if your family and friends own your work, don’t list it here, it looks unprofessional–everyone’s family and friends have their work.  The most comprehensive collection of my work is in my parent’s apartment in Florida, but that is not particularly impressive).

A professional resume should be organized like a list by category and should always have your name and contact information at the top.

A short bio is just that–short, maybe a paragraph or two.  It should outline your artist biography, not your personal bio.  Not relevant are things like how many children you have or where you have taken workshops (actually listing workshops can work against you as it invites comparisons to see if your work is derivative).  Use this to talk about art education (not graduate education in unrelated areas of study), where you live, and any high points of your art career that you want to stress.

The artist statement is the area where most people seem to get hung up and don’t know what to say.  So here are some guidelines about how to write an artist statement.

First of all, the artist statement should be written in the first person–I, me, my–and not the third person.  This is not a press release or an article about you for a magazine, it is your personal statement about your artwork, therefore it should come from you.

The artist statement is your chance to explain your work as if you were standing next to someone looking at your work in a gallery.  Talk about:

1. what influences you
2. your process
3. the materials you use and why
4. what it is you want to say through your art
5. Communicate what you want people to see or to think about while looking at your work
6. If your work has ever been favorably reviewed, quote it–but be sure to identify the source.

Avoid using “artspeak” and write for an audience who knows nothing about the medium or your work.  If you have several distinct styles or bodies of work, you may want to consider writing a separate artist statement for each of them.

Many venues will ask for a short version of your artist statement, so write and keep two versions–one no longer than a single page and one that is about one or two paragraphs long.  The artist statement should be about your work in general, unless you are specifically asked for a statement to accompany a particular piece.

Finally, your artist statement should be written in your voice, in other words, it should sound the way you would phrase it if you were speaking to someone about your work.  Don’t use trendy or flowery language, and don’t try to make your artist statement a work of art on its own.  Avoid writing it as poetry or haiku, make clear and concise statements that sound like your normal conversational style.

Choosing fabric for an art quilt differs from choosing fabric for a traditional quilt.  In traditional quilts, attention must be paid to print scale, if too many prints are the same scale the quilt will lose impact.  This is not true of an art quilt, where overall surface design is more important than the creation of a design and secondary design. As in traditional quilts, however, where each fabric sits will have a major impact on the look of the final quilt. You want lighter values to sit next to darker values, and control of the placement of complimentary colors, so the eye is drawn around the surface of the quilt and there is contrast and visual excitement. Each fabric should support those around it so the finished quilt has that wow factor.

If you are working with a photo and think that the values in the photo are optimum, then you have a guide to the value placements in your art quilt.  If you feel the photo lacks sufficient contrast, you need to either make adjustments to the photo or think about your value changes when choosing fabrics.

In “Yellow Hat” the colors of the original photo were changed to have greater impact in the final quilt.  By using strong, saturated blue for the water in the pool, and a lighter value for the ground underneath the woman in the hat, the stage is set and a pleasing composition established.  By dressing her and the chair on which she sits in purple, the complimentary color of yellow, the visual excitement is in their fight for attention, drawing the eye directly to the part of the composition I felt was most important.  Because purple and blue do not fight with each other for attention, the purple works with the water color and the only fight for attention is with the yellow of the hat.  It is no accident that the band on the hat is orange–the compliment to blue.

The first thing to think about is which color will set the tone and mood of your art quilt.  This will help you determine what other colors will serve to create visual interest and draw the eye of the viewer.

This piece, “The Boy in the Banyan Tree” has been discussed in this blog before, but it illustrates the point about using just a hint of complimentary color in order to establish where I want the viewer to look.  The mood is set using gray blues, and the grandfather blends into the color tones in his blue/gray.  But the boy (who in reality was wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans in the original photo) now wears orange (the compliment to blue) which allows him to jump out as the most important part of the composition.

The complimentary color for pizzazz used in smaller amounts focuses in on the boy for maximum impact. Using equal amounts of complimentary colors would create visual chaos rather than sparkle. Evaluate the photo to determine what your focal point is, what the story is that you wish to tell, and let the complimentary color do that job for you. In art quilts, complimentary colors are often used in a single area, as a way of establishing a focal point in the composition, or as a way of pulling the eye through the composition.

In “The Void” the same principles apply, even though the colors used are not complimentary.  Here, I used only black and white fabrics for most of the quilt; the amount of black vs the amount of white in each fabric design setting the value of each; and used just a touch of orange in the bag that sits next to the woman.  There is no compliment to black and white; using the orange as the only color in the composition naturally draws attention.  Although in this case the bag is not the focal point, it serves two purposes:  the first is to draw the eye up to the color and then the woman sitting next to it; and the second is to assist is emphasizing the asymmetrical composition.

In “Lawn Chairs” (one of the patterns in my book, “Photo-inspired Art Quilts”) the house in the original photo was a taupe/gray color (not many people choose to paint their houses bright pink).  But as the green set the tone for the summer setting, using the pink creates a contrast that makes the entire composition more exciting and more interesting.  In this particular composition, the green and pink are in almost equal amounts, the resulting visual chaos adding to the mood of the quilt.

Many of the very same fabrics are used in “Tulips in a Green Vase” (another pattern from my book) but set against the lighter neutral background they appear slightly different.  The vase is made of the same fabrics used in the chairs; the same pink is used as the lighter value of the tulips.  Again, playing the red against the complimentary green makes the tulips and their leaves the most important element in the composition.  Isn’t nature smart?!?

Placement of fabrics in art quilts cannot usually be effectively determined before you begin work. As work progresses, decisions must be made about each fabric–how it works in this particular area and what it means to the surface as a whole. For this reason, it is easiest to work on art quilts from stash fabrics; auditioning candidates and comparing them before making final decisions. I have often gone to a fabric store knowing that I need something specific for an art quilt that is either in my mind or on my design wall, but have never been able to purchase all the fabrics I need at once before I begin. Creating an art quilt is much more of an evolving process, each decision laying the groundwork for those that follow.

Cindy Bettinger wrote a comment on the blog to ask the following question:

When you take a picture of someone to make into a quilt, do you need permission?

This is a good question and is worth addressing in this blog.

As I understand it, and I am not a copyright attorney, any photo taken of a person out in public can be used for non-commercial purposes.

Primarily because I do not want to invade anyone’s privacy, rather than the legal subtleties, I will make every attempt to change the person’s face enough that they would not be easily recognized, even by the person in the photo.  I do this by simply making the face either a bit thinner or rounder, moving the eyes slightly, or by combining maybe the eyes and hair from one face with the nose and mouth of another (as long as the photos match up well enough).  Changing hair, adding sunglasses, or showing the person from an angle where their face is not clearly seen can alter the image enough.   Also, in using the technique of cutting pieces of fabric, the detail of the faces is often lost, making it hard to exactly identify the person depicted.

This woman in “Patience” looks so different from the original photo that even I am surprised when I look at the photograph (since I now see her as she is depicted in this art quilt).  For the same reason that I changed her face for the art work, I will not show you the original photo here; but although her body language remains the same,  in the original photo the woman is older, her face is thinner, her hair color is different, and she is not wearing sunglasses.  I doubt that she would recognize herself in this piece.

The face of the little boy in this quilt “The Boy in the Banyan Tree” is depicted with so few lines of thread that he becomes a more generalized version of a young boy rather than a portrait of a particular boy.  His grandfather (I assume, or at least I see him as the grandfather) is only seen from the back.

Likewise, in “Sunday Morning, Central Park” the actual face of this woman is depicted with only one piece of fabric, so that any identifying details in her face are lost.  Hense, no invasion of her privacy.

The faces in “Tourist Season” are also made up of so few pieces of fabric that this is not a portrait of anyone, it is simply a generic depiction of a collection of people.

I have never encountered a problem with someone recognising themselves in any of the photos I have taken out and about.  I take great care to alter their faces just enough to make it unclear who they are, and always treat my anoymous subjects with respect.

Having faced my own obstacles in the past week or so, I am back on track today and ready to get down to work.  I am more and more convinced that the state of the studio has more to do with my motivation to work (or lack thereof) than even I previously thought.

While working on that new series of small pieces of closeup faces, I was undecided about a color range for the next piece.  Consequently, I had pulled out several options; blues, greens, green/yellows, brick tones before deciding on blues.  At this point, however, there were so many fabrics out that the room looked chaotic and I didn’t want to go in there.  So instead I blamed my not feeling well, the fact that I was busy with other things, and feeling creatively blocked for my lack of motivation.  Does any of this sound familiar?  All the things I warn in this blog to be cautious about when you don’t feel like working on your art.

Because the “mess” is really just fabric that needs to be folded and put back in the proper bin (which is boring, I admit) it isn’t like really cleaning, and only took about half an hour.  OK, I admit, there are some fabrics that I put on top of a bin because I just didn’t want to fold any more.  But the studio is more than neat and ready to go into and work.  When it feels like a sanctuary, I want to be in there and feel inspired.  In fact, when it feels like a sanctuary I enjoy just going in there to sit and listen to music or have a cup of coffee (and it is far from the nicest room in my house).   When it feels chaotic I don’t want to be in there at all (how inspired and creative could I feel?).   So my note to myself is that putting off the half an hour I needed to straighten up the room cost me more than a week of inactivity.  Not really worth it.   Think of the things I could have done in that time!

In the meantime, however, despite the disaster in which they were made, I almost completed two baby quilts over the weekend.  A close friend just became a grandma for the first time, so one for baby and one for baby when he comes to his grandma’s house.  Nothing too complex as far as piecing is concerned.  Baby quilts are great to make–they are quick, they don’t need to be too fussy since they are all about the fabrics and colors, and they are made to celebrate such a happy event.  (I love babies, especially other peoples’ babies.  I need my sleep!)

I also spent several hours yesterday cleaning up the room in which I keep my computer and my files.  BORING.  But now that I know where everything is, and that room looks neater and tidy, I am feeling less anxious about all sorts of things.  Don’t underestimate the power of your environment to affect your mood and your motivation.  Getting organized and straightening up is cheaper than therapy, takes less time, and saves you money you can spend on fabrics (that will get strewn around the room and will need to be folded…..)

No pictures today, but in the next day or so I hope to have new work to share with you.  I am still waiting for brave readers to share their work with me and the other readers of this blog–and I am happy to answer questions or critique your work (don’t worry, I am gentle!) so that others can learn from it.

A nasty stomach bug has kept me from updating my blog, but I am back at the computer, ready to share my thoughts.  This week brought more snow (more than was predicted) which was particularly beautiful.  This snow clung to the trees most of the day and into the evening, not great for power lines, I am sure, but gorgeous to look at.

My favorite tree (again).  I take as many  pictures of this tree as I do of my children!

these will make great thread paintings some day…

The color of the sky at dusk in winter is so magnificent that I painted our family room (which is mostly windows) this very color.  For about seven minutes each day, it is the most glorious sight.

So that is it for winter.  It was beautiful, got some nice pictures, had some nice walks, I am now ready for spring.  Enough is enough.

Moving on to the real reason for this post.  Today I want to talk about entering juried shows.

One of the biggest questions art quilters starting out ask is “how do I know when I am ready to enter juried shows?” and the answer is simple.  When you feel that you want to try, when just creating the work isn’t enough for you anymore, then you are ready to give it a shot.  You will never know until you do.  Here is a list of pointers I wish I had when I started applying to shows back in 2004.

Ten things to know about entering juried shows:

1.  Start simple.  Begin with guild shows and other local venues that may not be as competitive (or expensive to enter) as the big national shows.  You have a better chance of succeeding and building both your confidence and preparing for heavier competition on the national (and international) level.  Contact your local library to see if they will show your work.

2.  Submit the maximum number of pieces allowed, and make sure they are consistent in style.  This was the biggest mistake I made in the first year I tried to get into juried shows.  I was still finding my voice, and working in three somewhat distinct styles.  I made the mistake of sending one of each style to each show, hoping to show them my “range”.  I didn’t get in anywhere, and I am sure now it is because in trying to show them my range of styles, what I really showed them was that I hadn’t found out who I was as an artist yet.  By sending two or three pieces (whatever is allowed) shows them that you are working in a consistent style.  It also always surprises me that the piece I am sure will get in does not, and an “also ran” is the one they will take.

3.  Know what the show is that you are entering, and obey the rules.  It is impossible to second guess what the judges will be looking for in any given year, but by looking at the shows in prior years (most of the major shows have websites that will show you highlights from previous shows) you can get a sense if your work is really off the mark.  If the show is looking for updated traditional and you are doing abstracts (or vice versa) don’t bother.  And read the call for entry to be sure you understand the parameters.  If the call for entry asks for pieces that are no smaller than 36″ on any given side, don’t send them your favorite piece that measures 24″ x 18″.  You are just wasting your money.  And however they tell you they want the images labeled, whatever additional information they ask for–do it the way they want it.

4.  Take decent photographs.  This is so important.  I hear over an over from judges that they don’t want to see photos of quilts hanging on the garage door, hands and feet showing, or the cat in the corner of the shot.  You want to send the most clear and simple (and in focus!) representation of what the quilt looks like, with no other distractions.  The good news is that digital cameras allow you to take dozens of photos, see them instantly on your computer, and make changes until you get it right.  (In the old slide days, you would have to shoot a roll, pay $20 to get the film developed and hold your breath.)  I could do a whole post on photographing your work (and maybe I will), but keep it simple–just the quilt, and nothing but the quilt.  No fancy lights?  Pin your quilt to a sheet of foam core and take it outside in sunlight (not strong sunlight that will create shadows) and shoot it there.  Try to make sure you are shooting straight on so that the edges don’t get distorted.  Remember that the judges will want to see the edges of the quilt, and that your detail shots should show them something unique and special about your quilt.  More on this in another post.

5.  Get it in on time. Make a list of the shows you want to enter and keep a calendar.  Mark the due date as a week before the actual date, so that you don’t find yourself scrambling at the last minute to get it done.  Some shows now allow email submissions, some still want that image on a CD.  A little advance planning avoids the extra overnight charges that procrastination insures.

6.  Don’t overlap submissions.  There is nothing more unprofessional than having a piece accepted to a show and then realizing it is not available because it also got in somewhere else.  Nice for the ego, but having to contact the show and tell them you can’t send it will not score you any points.  In the beginning before you have a large body of work, it is tough to have three pieces ready for every show you want to enter (I found myself frantically finishing pieces for every deadline in the first year I entered shows) but you have to make certain you understand the dates they will want your work, and don’t commit to more than one show in any time frame.  If the quilts don’t get in somewhere, they will be available for the next round of submissions.

7. Keep good records.  Keep a list somewhere of the shows you want to enter, the relevant dates (submission deadline, announcement date, exhibition dates, expected return date) so that you know what has been submitted and what is out.  It is easy to get confused about where your quilt is and when it is coming home, so write it all down.  I also find that keeping a spread sheet of the quilt titles, sizes, dates completed, shows they have been in, where they are now, prices, etc. makes it easy to keep track of what I have, and to find the information I need when I need it.  I photograph each quilt as it is completed and keep them in a computer file, so that entering shows means pulling and image and some information from the computer and I can be done in a few minutes.  I also keep an artist statement and short description of materials and techniques for the same purpose.  No drama.  And once the quilt is accepted somewhere, I add it to my resume immediately so that nothing falls through the cracks.  Why get into shows if you don’t remember to put it on your resume!?!

8.  Finding the calls for entry. Magazines like Quilting Arts always have a calls for entry section that will list upcoming deadlines for different shows.  Professional organizations like SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates, www.saqa.com) also make this information available to their members.  If you hear about certain shows over and over again, google the names and get the information about the next call.  The good news is that once you get into a show, they will send you a reminder for subsequent years and you don’t have to do as much leg work.

9.  Getting in and not getting in.  Nothing feels as good as getting into a show, but if you get a rejection letter, don’t beat yourself up.  I know lots of stories about a quilt that was rejected from one show only to go on to win first place in another.  But be honest about your work–is it not quite there yet?  Are your photos holding you back?  Or maybe it was just the wrong piece for the assortment the judges were putting together.  The rejections hurt, but it only makes the acceptances feel that much better.

10.  What you learn from seeing your work in a show. If you live close enough to go see your quilt in person–do. It is not only an ego boost, but it will also provide valuable information about your work that you won’t get anywhere else.  For example, to my horror, I found out at one show that I needed to do much denser quilting so that my pieces would hang flat and neat once they arrive.  The shows won’t press before they hang, so if your piece looks wrinkled and messy, you only have yourself to blame.  Important lesson learned.