Leni Wiener

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.

The last of the creative writing inspired by Stories in Stitches at the New Rochelle Library is also by Sharon Latimer-Mosley and was inspired by the quilt “Market Day, Hong Kong.”  If you are close enough to New Rochelle, the show will be at the library until January 28, please visit and let me know what you think.  I would love to see your quilts and/or the stories that go with them.  Please email them to me at Leni@leniwiener.com and if you are willing,  I will share them with other readers of this blog.  Of course, if you don’t want me to share, I won’t! (But I would still love to see them.)

Here is Sharon’s story:

My son has asked that I join them in the United States. My husband is too ill to travel. My temple is here. My home is here. I shop here.  All things I need are right here. Dr. says my feet swell from too much water. Too much salt.  I tell him, I am 82 years old, because of me, he is a doctor. They can swell.

It is a son’s duty to care for his parents. It is a grandparent’s duty to care for grandchildren. Tell them about their ancestors. Help them grow. Children of today have lost sight of this. My son and daughter in law moved to the United States 7 months ago. Business. They will live there for two years. My precious granddaughter was born in the United States. I have not yet held her. They send me pictures of her by computer. Pictures by computer.  My neighbor’s son is a good son. He cares for his parents. Shops for them. Keeps his children nearby.  He makes sure I get the pictures of my granddaughter. She is so beautiful…reminds me of my mother.

Today’s writing comes from Sharon Latimer-Mosley and was inspired by the quilt “Outstretched Hand.”

Ahhh..…Peter…hadn’t seen him in at least 12 years.  He needed a wife at a time when something rose up and shook me- I wanted a child.  We met at one of those Museum Garden parties. He was the Assistant Curator of some exhibit. I was a sustained member. We became fast friends, best friends.  At 35, I had spent most of my young adulthood searching East Africa for a new skin graft agent. When I finally got it to market, we discovered it removed wrinkles too…Cash Cow.  Peter and I agreed to separate lives upfront.  I would donate to the museum, insure his directorship, smile, shake hands, pretended to care and he would give me Dolly.

Lives were private then. If there were whispers, we never heard them, didn’t really care.

At some point it all changed.  The business needed me more. So, Peter assumed the role as, what do they call it these days? Oh, stay-at-home Dad before anybody knew what that was. He changed diapers, wiped chocolate éclair from Dolly’s chin. He even taught her a mean lay-up.  Yes Peter was a Great dad…. Great dad. At Dolly’s graduation, he pulled me aside, said he’d found the love of his life.
Wanted a divorce. Don’t know why, but just couldn’t let him go. Wouldn’t let him go.

“So Mother will you come?” Dolly asked again her voice flat, reminiscent of so many arguments. She had been the first to extend a hand by calling. I’d be a fool now not to take it.

“All right. Where is this place?”

“It’s called the Empty Hand Zen center a few blocks from where we used to live in New Rochelle”

“New Rochelle?!” My back Dolly. I’m due for a steroid shot soon, the nurse is not on today and Joe is off too, I have no one to drive me there.

“Please mother. Please.”

“That’s 25 minutes on the train. I don’t know if I can sit…. “

“Just this once…don’t be difficult. It starts at 3:00pm”

I arrived in New Rochelle on the 2:08 train, remarkably my back still intact. It was a balmy 38 degrees in Manhattan. I had forgotten how much cooler New Rochelle could be, my bones ached a little.  The city was not how I remembered it. High rises poking the skyline. The K building was still there. Found that a bit reassuring.

The Empty Hand center was a small unassuming brick building, tucked behind a small neighborhood restaurant. If memory serves me, it’s the old Trolley Turn-around-strange place for a house of worship. A young bearded man with black wire glasses and in a black bib greeted me with  a bow at the door, I reached out my hand….”I’m Dolly Livingston’s mother.”

The following story was written by Glenn Slaby, inspired by the quilt “private world.” Here is Glenn reading his story in front of the quilt at last Sunday’s opening of Stories in Stitches at the New Rochelle Library:

Come be inspired to write your own story!  The show will be opened during library hours through January 28.

Here is Glenn’s story:

The stranger watches as the woman somewhat absent-mindedly steps in the snow and continuous to walk on the unshoveled path even though the sidewalk was cleared just a foot or so to her right.

She continues her walk, oblivious to the slight beauty offered up by the minor snow fall from the nigh before for the city has yet to fully awaken and ungainly mark the streets. Her senses fail to pick up the city sounds muffled by the blanket of white cotton, or the smell of air freshly filtered by nature’s condensation of moisture. Even the odor of fresh bagels from Steins Bakery does not seem to distract her from her quest.

Heads turn as someone slips on some small patch of ice near the corner light. Here the sidewalk changes from cement to steel marking the sewer. As this is the first snowfall of the winter, pedestrians have not yet garnered up the wisdom and experience of walking in winter’s not always small challenges. Two strangers come to assist the fallen, elderly gentleman who was somehow able to keep the morning edition of Sunday’s Post from getting wet. The coffee, however, added its ugly tint to the snow. The stranger watches as many heads turn, to confirm the fallen’s status as he gingerly and slightly embarrassed continues his journey. The snow has also brought with it the compassion of neighbors. These few early walkers nod affectionately to themselves upon the elderly man’s renewal of his journey – all that is expect for the young lady. Lost in thoughts known only to her or perhaps a lover.

What caused this internal solitude - was it this unknown lover or perhaps a sick child in need of some over the counter remedy. Or maybe she was on her to work, but would she have been more aware of the path to take snow, and not end up wet feet in the office

A dog, some mutt of various ancestries, tries to garner her scent, but is pulled back by his elderly owner who tries to make an apologetic glance but the women avoids all eye contact and continues on her journey in fog thicker than that of her breath. The mutt, male, showing some signs of grey protruding through his black and brown mange making him only slightly younger than his owner. He sniffs, finds a familiar scent - a dog he has known for some time, but never had the opportunity to meet. A female, he concludes, a few years younger than himself. How he knows this he cannot comprehend or explain if ever given the chance to, but that is likely, for no one ever asks. He is thankful that his pampered life has not dulled an instinct horned and sharpened by earlier generations of powerful hunting dogs of Europe’s Royalty, or so he wants to believe. It’s better than the truth which is generations of bitches and bastards making a living in the back alleys of the Village.

Slowly the mom and pop stores are waking up. The giant metal grates open with a clanking sound. Like eyelids of some giant monster featured in Chaplin’s Modern Times or Metropolis or some other Industrial Age gone haywire movie, the world stumbles to life. McDonalds has been open for some time now for a few hours. The smell of manufactured plastic food begins to dominate the street. Diesel fumes from some van heading for Chinatown tries to compete with that of Mickie Dees. Where else in the world can one get such an abhorrent mixture? Well probably throughout most of world. So much for globalization.

She heads toward the intersection and what seems like the last moment notices the ‘Don’t Walk’ sign turning to red. With her determined path, interrupted, she heads around the corner bypassing the Pakistani shoveling the sidewalk of his small establishment. In an instant she disappears.

Thanks to so many of you who came to the opening of my exhibit Stories in Stitches at the New Rochelle Library yesterday afternoon.  It is good to know that so many people like my work, sometimes working alone all the time I wonder if there is any point.  Obviously, there is.

There was a nice turnout, I got a certificate of merit from George Latimer (our NYS Assemblyman, pictured above in the beige jacket), and there was a lovely spread of wine and food.

My family was there to support me; shown here my husband, Fred; sons Jordan and Jared; and Jared’s girlfriend, Channon:

Barbara Davis, the community relations director of the library, organized the show and had a terrific idea for a tie-in with the exhibit.

She organized two creative writing workshops last week, and the quilts were the inspiration for the creative writing.  Three people shared what they had written standing in front of the quilt which inspired them.  I will post them one at a time for the next few days.  I always find it interesting the stories that others derive from my work.  I know the story that started the piece for me, but no one else does (I purposely keep the titles of my pieces somewhat ambiguous for exactly that reason).

Today, Ken Valen, who ran the workshop and what he wrote about this piece, Jordan;

Ken wrote:

There is an article in yesterday’s NYT about the Frick collection renovation which involved changing the colors of some of the galleries to better reflect the paintings in the room.

Here, the east gallery is shown in a New York Times photo by Fred Conrad.  The east gallery has been changed from dark brown velvet walls to what the Times describes as a deep coral (in the photo it appears to be an orange/red).  Look at the way the contrast of the paintings makes them really stand out.  My dining room is a similar color, and the artwork in that room looks far more significant than it did when the room was a more neutral and conservative linen white.

The other photo in the Times shows this gallery, in a deep charcoal gray.  I have long wanted to paint my living room this same color, but it makes my husband nervous.

This notion of adding color to the permanent collections of museums isn’t new, but it isn’t wide-spread, either.  WAY back in 1973 when I was doing my MA in Florence, Italy under the auspices of the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace Museums, they were experimenting with color in their galleries.  (Although a visit to the Uffizi website this morning indicates that with very limited exceptions, the galleries are all now neutral white or off-white.)

This is what La Tribuna in the Uffizi looked like in 1973, and as far as I know it is still the same color.   At first glance some may say that it is too garish, but the red on the walls adds a richness to the otherwise dark paintings and light sculptures housed in the room.  The single blue curtain frames the sculpture in front of it and draws the eye.  If the walls were white, the sculptures would be lost against it, and the dark paintings would look like black holes.

Here is the gallery of Modern Art at the Pitti (also in Florence) taken from their own website.  I love this rich blue, and the way the gold frames come alive.  The arrangement of the paintings is something more common to European Museums than those in the US, but these paintings, mostly works with expanses of water or sky, are beautifully complimented by this color.

The prevailing direction in the US is to use light neutral walls so that the art stands out and the walls disappear.  Although this can be true, this minimalist approach can also look stark and cold.  Obviously, galleries and museums cannot change the colors of their rooms with every change of show, but for permanent collections it can greatly enhance the colors of the artwork in each room.

Adding color in a gallery is similar to adding a border to a traditional or art quilt.  Start with a quilt with several colors and audition one of those colors as a border.  All of a sudden, that is the predominant color in the quilt.  Audition another color border and the overall complexion of the quilt changes.

Just look at these examples from my book “Photo-inspired Art Quilts” (what, you don’t own this book yet?  What are you waiting for!!?? Order it from my website and I will sign it for you, or from Amazon–but at least use the link from my site to get to Amazon).  You can see how the border color brings out that color in the quilt, making the quilt seem more that color than the others.  Changing the color of a room does the same thing.

So if you can’t choose the color on which your work hangs in a show, at least paint a room in your house to compliment your artwork!

Everything comes down to color, color, color, and value, value, value–both in creating work and displaying it.

There are lots of things to think about when hanging a show, the most important is how to actually hang the pieces.

Today I hung a solo show at the Lumen Gallery at the New Rochelle Library with the assistance of my son, Jordan (who was thrilled beyond belief to be there!).  Having already checked all the rod pockets, cut rods to fit each quilt, and put eye hooks in the ends of each rod, and sewn the rods into the rod pockets, I figured I was good to go.

Here is what the space looked like when we arrived.  The hanging rods shown here are called the Walker system, and it works just fine, sort of.  We had to use additional hanging hooks because the eyehooks on the ends of the quilts did not fit over the receiving pieces in the walker system.  We tried to wire the backs, but the quilts didn’t hang straight.  Bottom line, always be prepared for an on-the-fly solution to a problem you don’t anticipate.  And a tall helper isn’t bad, either!

Because I had a series of “walls” that each contained three panels the same size, I decided to begin with putting my largest pieces in the centers of each wall, being careful to put quilts that related to each other opposite each other (the walls are in rows, so each wall has one facing wall.)

Here, Jordan attaches the large center piece to the wall.

Once the central pieces are hung on each wall, it is important to evaluate what will hang with it.  The pieces can either relate thematically or by color.  Since balancing color is so important to me when I create my art quilts, that was the prevailing consideration when combining quilts on each wall.  I feel that most of my work relates thematically, anyway.

Just because I love a quilt, doesn’t mean it works anywhere.  Here, I like the way each of the two quilts on either side relate to the one in the center, but not the way the wall looks as a whole.  Plus the sizes are too different.  Just like creating your artwork when hanging a show, everything has to flow and the balance needs to work together.  So Museum Steps (the one Jordan is hanging) doesn’t get to stay here.

I like this combination much better.  The two pieces on either side are both equally strong in their color saturation, the colors are similar, and they both relate nicely to the center quilt.  Definitely better.

Here, the red color in the first quilt leads into the large piece in the center, which in turn, leads into the green tones on the other side.

The walls here could have handled much larger work than most of my quilts, but I don’t mind breathing space around an artwork.  Personally, I prefer to see too much space around an artwork than too little.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t balance the pieces so much–small, large, small–but since each wall is only three panels, I felt it gave the exhibition visual continuity.  Here, all three of these pieces relate in their “Asian” theme, and orange is the unifying color.

People were exploring the quilts even before they were properly hung.  That is a good sign, in terms of the kind of traffic the exhibit will get.

Jordan was terrific, couldn’t have done it without him.

Once the pieces are up, the identifying signs are added.  The gallery coordinator said that usually the artist hangs the work, then reevaluates and moves things around.  Frankly, I don’t think that is necessary if you think about how things relate to each other before you hang them.  A little organization up front meant that we only changed that one piece and everything else went up once and stayed there.

The final step is the walk-through to make sure everything is straight and at the right height.

So, now Stories in Stitches is ready to receive the viewing public!  The New Rochelle Library is featuring creative writing workshops to coordinate with my art quilts, and some of the stories will be read at the exhibition opening in front of the piece that inspired it.  Neat.

The library newsletter contains the information about the workshops and the exhibit.  If you live near New Rochelle, and would like to join one of the creative writing workshops, please call 632-7878 x 33.

Please join me for the opening on Sunday January 10 at 4 PM in the library.

The Gallery is in the lobby of the New Rochelle Library, located at 1 Library Plaza in downtown New Rochelle.  Meter parking across the street.  The show will hang until January 28, 2010.

My husband Fred and I made it to Boston an hour before the opening of the Clay Cloth Connection show featuring the gorgeous ceramics of my childhood friend, Eileen Braun and some of my art quilts.  The show looked beautiful:

Doesn’t our work look great together?

This one is my interpretation of a photo of Eileen working at the wheel.

Bobbie Tunnard, owner and director of Vessels Gallery; me (I look a little stunned–but the necklace looks good! and Eileen)

Talented art quilter, author of The Uncommon Quilter and fellow SAQA member, Jeanne Williamson (that is her on the right) came with her friend, Merill Comeau.  It was wonderful to finally meet Jeanne for the first time.

There were a fair number of people at the opening, I suspect a lot of them were my very supportive family (I am originally from the Boston area) who all came out for the occassion, after which my cousin Amy had us all at her house for dinner.

We had a great time, and lots of laughs.  Thanks guys.

I grew up in suburban Boston and my best friend in junior high school was another artsy kid named Eileen.  We remained friends through the cycle of college, marriage, moving around, children.  Her artistic interests brought her to ceramics; mine as you have probably guessed to fabric.

Eileen asked me to join forces with her in a show she was planning at Vessels Gallery in Boston.  Although, as the name suggests, Vessels specializes in ceramics, Bobbie (the gallery owner) and Eileen thought it would be interesting to hang something on the walls that related to the ceramics being displayed.  The result is a show that opens on November 6 called Clay Cloth Connection.

What makes our artwork compatible is that Eileen heavily decorates the surfaces of her vessels with the same sorts of designs that I am drawn to when choosing and using fabrics.  So that is the clay and cloth connection.

Eileen’s sister Marjorie designed the postcard (shown above)–talented family.

If you are near the Boston area on Friday November 6, please join us for the opening reception at Vessels Gallery 8 Union Park Street, Boston from 6-8.  If you come, please introduce yourself to me.

visit the website at http://www.taqs.org.tw/tiqe2009/

watch this blog for photos of the exhibition and workshops when I return home.

Here is my quilt included in the exhibit: