Leni Wiener

In a recent post about some of the quilts I loved in Houston this year, I misidentified one quilt, “Canopy” by Maggie Weiss and misspelled the name of the artist who made “Hearts Desire”, her name is Debby Kemball.  These two mistakes have been corrected in the blog posts, and I apologise to both of these talented artists.

Working hard in the studio today, rainy days are great for hiding away upstairs with the radio on and sewing.  Another post tomorrow.

Here are the final quilt images from my trip to Houston last weekend.  Some are related, some are not.  Again, it is my duty to let you know all these photos were taken at the International Quilt Market/Festival 2009 in Houston.

Jan Hutchisun created this wonderful tree of life quilt.  I love the colors, and the movement, and the details are really beautiful.

Deborah Kemball of Quebec created “hearts desire”, another traditional quilt with contemporary style.  The red background is so dramatic, and the flowers and vines are all beautiful.  Another rather large quilt, this obviously was a labor of love.

In the Handmade category, this gorgeous medallion quilt caught my eye. “Floating lilies along the water” by Akemi Sugiyama of Japan (I am not sure if there were many more quilts from Japan this year, or if those that were just appealed to me).  Click on the image to see the details in this quilt.

From the UK, Liz Jones made this quilt “The Fernery”.  At first glance the flowers appear to be the star of this quilt, but look closely at the ferns around the edges of the quilt.  They are so delicate and so intricate that they blew me away.  I also like the way the natural looking elements form a kind of kaleidescope design in the final composition.

Kristen Johnston from Ontario Canada made this quilt called “rose window.”  Her artist statement says that she was inspired by Paula Nadelstern’s kaleidoscope quilts, but clearly she made the technique her own.

Kathy York’s “Winter to Spring” looks very simple from a distance, but look at the closeup below to see the intriguing way she has created the nuance of color in these blocks:

I am a huge fan of Esterita Austin’s work.  Her representational style is so masterfully done, and her observances are so engaging.  I love the humor of this quilt, “Incommunicato” but it is so well done.  Every detail is so wonderful, and the framing of it is very unusual–but I can’t imagine it any other way.  One of my favorites in the show.

Check out this quilt for the feeling of depth and dimension.  “Bella Louisville” by Mary Bauer of Kentucky is a large and effective quilt.  Even up close, the feeling that this is not a flat surface, but a lattice showing light and shadow is very powerful.  The center almost appears to be spinning.

“Tuscan Sun” by Gina Perkes of Arizona is a quilt that I could look at for a long time.  The detail in this quilt and the stitch work is amazing.  I love the color (I am a sucker for red, you may have noticed) and the movement of the leaves and flowers.  Again, too bad about the placement of the signs and the (supposedly clear) tape that keeps drooling visitors off the artwork!

Debbie Norman of Alabama made this “urn of plenty” which is another quilt that seems so simple and lovely, but on close inspection the work on this piece is impeccable.  The clarity of the colors against the light beige background really stands out.  The strip of blue in the border draws the attention to the two birds on the branches.

I am so upset about the next few quilts, for some reason the photos of the identifying signs either were not clear enough to read or somehow were mixed up or missing.  So if you know the artists of these last few gorgeous quilt, please let me know, as they deserve the credit for their very dramatic quilts.

UPDATE November 9, 2009  The quilt above is called Canopy by Maggie Weiss.  I got an email from someone who recognized it the same day I found it while looking through the SAQA Portfolio 16.   The color, the shapes, the way some leaves are outlined and others blend into the background–wonderful.  Sorry it took me so long to give credit where it was due.

I think the artist here is Jane Haworth, but I am not sure.  I love this quilt.  I obviously have a special connection to other artists’ whose work is representational, but the way the color is used in this old truck is incredible.  So effective (that is VALUE at work!) without being at all realistic.

And PLEASE help me out if you know the artist and title of this amazing work from the celebrate spring exhibition.  I adore this quilt.  I can feel the wind in her hair, I can feel her spinning.  The color, the simplicity–this quilt is a knockout.

So that is it from Houston.  It is an amazing experience to see all these quilts in one room.  I would love to drink in these exhibitions over the course of several weeks.  Instead, I had to drink in whatever I could in one big gulp!  And I can’t even show you the pieces from the shows where photos were not allowed.  At least as many if not more wonderful and inspiring work.

Houston Quilt Market is where I first saw art quilts.  It was 2002, I was teaching traditional quilting, and experimenting on my own with art quilts, thinking I was doing something unique.  HA!  I went to Houston to get class ideas and was so excited about the work I saw that I felt like I was vibrating.  I couldn’t wait to get home and push myself harder and farther.  I began really focusing on making art quilts in early 2003–and it has changed my life.

I understand that as crowded as market is, festival is way more crowded.  Still, if you have a chance to go one year, it will blow you away.

Yesterday I focused in this blog on quilts with highly saturated colors.  Today, I plan to do the reverse.  Here are more of my favorite quilts from this year’s International Quilt Market/Festival in Houston–these with a more subtle take on color:

Those of you, like me, who still mourn the loss of Simply Quilts on HGTV will recognise the name of this artist–Alex Anderson.  Although still firmly routed in traditional quilting (which is how I always think of her) this piece begins to move into the realm of updated tradtional.  I love the very subtle colors in this quilt, made for her son when he got married.  click on the image to see it close-up, the stitching is very nice, too.

This quilt is well titled “Nuance” by Pat LaPierre from Maine.  The colors used here are very different from the highly saturated colors we explored in this blog yesterday, but the artist has used them in a very effective way.  First of all, despite the fact that this quilt is almost all beige and taupe, she has utilized value so that the surface design is interesting and dynamic.  There is a defined change in light/medium/dark even of these subtle colors.  I always tell my students that value is at least as important–and often more important–than color alone.  Hints of the peach color bring the surface to life, and the band of peach colored circles is just enough to define the composition.

Here is what a skilled fabric artist can do with essentially no color at all–this stunning black and white “Morning Star” by Masa Yanagimoto of Japan (I did not specifically go looking for the work of Japanese artists this year, but so many of the pieces I loved were from Japan) makes a strong statement without any other color at all. You must click on this image to see the details of this quilt–extraordinary.

Robert Mosier and Mary Jane Plisga of Texas also used black and white to make a strong statement in their quilt “John Lennon”.  Although hints of warm color create a frame in this piece, the body of the quilt–and the drama–comes from the graphic black and white image of John Lennon’s face.

Finally for today, this very dramatic piece called “winter solstice” by Ricki Selva of Virginia–which doesn’t exactly fit into the subtle color catagory, but in a way it does.  There are clearly blues and purples mixed in with black, white and shades of gray in this piece, but it is the use of value that makes this work.  The feeling of the roundness of this sphere is so pronounced because of the skillful way the artist has used the values–not the colors–in this composition.  Again, I apologise that this is another case of the quilt being so large and the sign being in front that I could not get the whole quilt in the frame–but the powerful image is loud and clear.

More tomorrow!

In today’s blog post I wanted to explore some of the beautiful quilts that make use of bold, highly saturated color.  These are all from the exhibitions at the Houston International Quilt Market and Festival, although they are from different exhibitions within the show.

This quilt, “Building Up” by Kathy York is a wonderful explosion of color, and it moves successfully from cool tones to warm tones.  I love the placement of the blocks–not quite lined up perfectly, the repetitive design in the blocks and the wonderful use of color .

Pat Budge from Idaho made this quilt called “the pink boot” which I find quite interesting.  The use of geometric shapes is not unusual in abstract art, but the choice of pink is very unusual.  Pink is not an easy color to work with, but here it is used very well and works beautifully with the greens and blues that surround it.  Who says pink is just for little girls?

Anyone who knows Yvonne Porcella’s work knows that she uses highly saturated color combined with black and white squares, and in this quilt “Dick and Jane” she has continued to use her signature palette.  I love the way the piece is broken into sections, and the black and white squares direct the eye of the viewer around the piece, while also serving as a resting place from all that wonderful color.

Caryl Bryer Fallert of Kentucky is one of my favorite art quilters, and if you have ever seen her work you can easily recognise it.  Her extraordinary use of color, combined with the swirling patterns and diagonal lines of the composition, fill her work with movement and excitement.  Her sophisticated understanding of color and value make all of her works knock-outs, like this one “Feather Study #23″.

“All Good Things” by Leslie Hall of Florida looks like Florida to me.  Combining the highly saturated colors with those that are almost washed out whites reminds me of the colors I see whenever I go there.  I love the use of repetitive patterns, like these circles.  I like the way the color at the top is cooler blue/turq and greens and at the bottom they become more warm oranges and reds.

This is one of my favorite pieces in all the exhibits in Houston this year, “Pup Art” by Nancy Brown of California.  I just adore the whimsical faces of these dogs (I am a dog-person anyway), each so beautifully done using spectacular color and each with such wonderful personality and expression.  Art does not have to be serious to be good.  This piece is not only good art, but brings a smile to my face everytime I look at the photo.

More again tomorrow (I took lots of photos!)

Today I wanted to share with you just some of the really fantastic traditional quilts at the exhibitions at the International Quilt Market in Houston.  These are not all of them, others will follow in the next few days.  Again, all these images were taken last weekend at the International Quilt Market in Houston:

You really must click on this image to see it enlarged.  This quilt in the Mixed Technique exhibit sponsored by the Robert Kaufman Fabric company is called Harmony by Hatsune Hirano from Japan.  This just blew me away.  I love what I do (art quilts) but am awed by the skill and patience it takes to create a large scale applique quilt of this quality.

In the same exhibit is this one is called Mild Spring by Kayoko Hata, also from Japan, another amazing quilt.  The color is so subtle but still so dramatic.  The detail in this large quilt is gorgeous.

Also from the Robert Kaufman Mixed Technique exihibit is this quilt, Green Piece by Leona Harden from Tennessee.  I loved this unusual color combination and the way the (seemingly) simple design combines to create the kaleidoscope composition.  There is a lot of amazing detail in this quilt.

From the same exhibit is this quilt Rondo of Roses by Akiko Muraki, also of Japan.  All I can say is WOW.  It says on the card (hard to read in this reduced size photo) that it took her several years to complete.  No doubt!  The colors and the composition of this large quilt were a wow even across the room.

This one, same exhibit, was hung in such a way that I could not get all of it in the frame, but at least you can see some of it.  Entitled Gradation Log cabin #7 (which means the artist has made at least six others like this!) by Fumiko Ohkawa from Japan (I love the work of these Japanese quilters, can you tell?), this very large quilt is made up of 8 cm strips in a log cabin design.

I had to include this close-up shot to show you the detail.  This quilt looks like it is needlepoint, and I can’t see how the artist did this with a log cabin block, the gradation of color and the outline in black are so intricate.  I just loved this technique.

More tomorrow

Today’s blog post is devoted to some of the beautiful representational art quilts I saw at the exhibits in Houston.  As stated yesterday, all photos were taken at the IQA International Quilt Market/Festival in Houston, 2009:

This lovely art quilt entitled “A Tree’s Nature” by Lucia Chan of NY appealed to me for several reasons.  First, the soft color and the horizontal format set the mood of the quilt as restful and calming.  I love the way the artist has broken up the composition into a series of subtle stripes of fabric and the one dark stripe which seperates the composition into one third/two thirds.

In the art naturescapes exhibit, this gorgeous landscape “crossing over” by Cookie Warner of Co was hard to miss.  The detail and the composition, that tree sweeping over the top, and the wonderful use of color all serve to make this a knock-out.

Speaking of color,  “Tel Aviv, a view to the past, a window to the future” by Tamar Drucker of NY combines color in a very effective manner.  I love the way the blue tones at the top move down into the complimentary orange tones and the figures silhouetted against the architecture look almost dimensional.  Most artwork depicting this part of the world makes use of the beige tones of the stone one sees there, but the strength of color makes this piece come alive.

Rachelle Denneny of Australia created this art quilt entitled “the persistant peacock” shown in the art pictoral catagory.  Isn’t he beautiful?  That striking blue against the golden tones, the way the feathers fan out behind his head–it is hard to see in this photo but the stitch work was really wonderful.

Finally for today, this amazing art quilt entitled “Tribute to Tolkien” by Sue McCarty of Utah depicting scenes from Lord of the Rings.  Again, I wish the organizers hadn’t put the sign stand smack dab in front of this extraordinary piece.  The detail in this quilt is amazing.  The quilt is fairly large; the combination of the gold and black, the wonderful stitch work, and the composition all remind me of religious iconographic painting.  Stunning.

more tomorrow.

What I most love about going to Quilt Market in Houston are the exhibits.  Several sponsors and quite a few different shows all include the most remarkable work assembled in one place.  It was here, as a matter of fact, in 2002 that I saw my first art quilt.  I had gone to Houston for new class ideas (I was teaching traditional quilting) and was blown away by the art quilts I saw there.  Although I had been playing with the idea of representational fabric collage, I had no idea other people were already well ahead of me–and I was hooked.

Each of the exhibits has a different theme, different sponsors and different rules.  For some, photograhy is allowed, for many others it is not.  IQA asks that photos be taken for personal use only, and that if they are posted to a blog that it is made clear that the photo is from the exhibit at the Quilt Market in Houston.  All the following photos were taken at various IQA exhibits at Quilt Market:

I took so many pictures, I will post a few each day.  These photos by no means represent everything that made me say “WOW”–some I was not allowed to photograph.  I took the photos for a variety of reasons–sometimes a technique, use of color, composition, or because it made me smile.  Although I make art quilts, I am still drawn to (and awed by) beautifully done traditional quilts, so I will post a mix.

In the computer aided machine embroidery exhibit, this piece by Renae Haddadin of Utah caught my eye.  What a striking use of color.  (if you click on the images you can see them enlarged.)

In the same exhibit was this two color quilt by Joanne Poole from Wisconsin.  There are lots of two color quilts around, but I thought the complimentary orange and blue was very nice.  And lets not forget the gorgeous stitch work.

In an exhibit called “detours” was this quilt by Suanne Summers called “Detour Boogie Woogie”.  I love the high contrast black and white with just a hint of red for drama.  The repetative pattern which is darker at the bottom and lighter at the top is so subtle, but very effective.

You know I can’t resist a beautifully done face in fabric.  “Violinist” by Maria Elkins of Ohio in the art miniature exhibit is just my cup of tea.  I love the choice of color which makes this look like an old sepia photo; and the hair, the tilt of the head, the dynamic angle of the bow all give this very small piece so much movement.  If I remember correctly, this piece was only about 12 or 14 inches square, an awful lot of impact in such a small artwork.

I love artwork with a sense of whimsy or a sense of humor.  It takes nothing away from the quality of the art, but brings a smile to the viewer.  “Into the Woods” by Charlotte Hickman of Oklahoma is so clever.  Unfortunately, due to the placement of the signage I had to photograph this one from an angle, but you the idea.  It would have been a lovely landscape, but making it look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle made it unforgettable.

more gorgeous quilts tomorrow!

I have just returned from a whirl-wind weekend in Houston and the International Quilt Market.  Every October, IQA hosts the International Quilt Market at the convention center in Houston for three days followed by the International Quilt Festival the following week.  The Market is opened to the industry–mostly quilt shop owners and teachers; and the festival is opened to anyone who wants to attend (and many thousands do!).

The reason for my attendance at market was to promote my photo-inspired art quilts book along with my publisher, F&W Media.  The first day of market, Friday, is called schoolhouse.  The entire day is devoted to half hour long presentations (a dozen or more each half hour) by authors, fabric companies, notions companies, to offer new ideas for shops or previewing new product lines.  My presentation was early in the day so I was able to attend other sessions myself.

Just a few of those I attended were:

Ruth Rae, another F&W author of the book Layered, Tattered and Stitched:

whose work includes lots of interesting found objects, jewelry pieces (she was a jewelry designer) and lovely details.  Here she is giving her presentation:

My co-rep for SAQA NY, Jane Davila, author of two fantastic books on art quilt surface techniques:

Jane gave a great presentation encouraging shop owners to add an art quilt area in their stores

I also attended a schoolhouse by Jane Sassaman, whose gorgeous large scale fabrics are hard not to love:

and lots of other great sessions, including one for Japanese fabrics, Australian fabrics, Priscilla Bianchi’s Guatemalan inspired fabric line, and lots of others.  Boy, there are no end to the goodies out there I would love to buy!

For vendors, Friday is the day they spend setting up the floor so that they are ready first thing Saturday morning when the doors open at 9 AM:

As you may have noticed, I don’t take normal photos like most people!

Friday ended with a very pleasant dinner with Jane and her husband, Carlos, and fellow art quilter and SAQA NYer Ruth White.

tomorrow, the exhibits–and wow, there is a lot of gorgeous work at these exhibits!