Quilt National 13

Congratulations to all the 84 quilt artists with work selected for Quilt National 13. Three Australians are amongst the exhibitors- Dianne Firth, Judy Hooworth and Sue Cunningham- woohoo! I continue to be a 'wanna beee....' and will keep on stitching. Always good to have a dream and something to aim for, and I'm not unhappy in the least as there are many exhibition opportunities.

This is Bush Song one of the 2 entries I submitted.

Quilt National

I have left it until the last moment to begin working on 2 pieces for Quilt National 2013. Considering the deadline is September 14, I am feeling relaxed and accepting of what is possible and impossible for me. Don't think I have not been working hard artistically this year- the reverse is true and I had almost decided not to enter Quilt National, however on my return from Taiwan, I decided that indeed I could try to have an entry or 2!

This is the facing I'm hand stitching into place on quilt 1.
 

Colour Patch Series- Yellow & White

While my work was not selected for the Quilt National exhibition in Athens, Ohio next year, I'm very happy to say that 'Colour Patch Series- Yellow & White' is the chosen image for the Ozquilt Network invitation to the Australia Wide Two exhibition, opening on October 22- December 5 at the Fairfield City Museum & Gallery.

Quilt National entry

This is as much as I can show of 1 of my Quilt National entries- the rod pocket!

I got lots of the hand stitching finished as we were at Rainbow Shores, near Rainbow Beach. It was very peaceful & this is the view looking toward the coloured sand dunes.

Francie, the cuffs & collar came from a garment that had been given to me, many years ago. Yes, there's lovely gold work in it too.

Rainy days

We are receiving lovely rain & my garden says 'Thank you'. I am stitching on my first Quilt National entry & have almost finished the quilting. As the piece is approximately 50" wide by 65" long it is taking some time. Entry deadline is mid September & I have 2 others to complete. 'Focus' is my word of the moment!

Caught my eye at Quilt National 09 #2

In an exhibition the size of Quilt National it is not easy to pick a favourite, so here are a few more of the details which caught my eye for their colour, composition & skillful execution. L is a detail of 'Suzhou Street Scene' by Mathea Daunheimer who also signs her name in Mandarin characters.

Bonnie M Bucknam used large hand stitches on her piece 'Reflection'.

Sue Ackerman was awarded the Most Innovative Use of the Medium for 'Africa Scarified IV' left which used tea bags, organza, beads & hand & machine embroidery.

Britt Friedman won the Heartland Award for 'Grey Grasses IV' a beautifully subtle piece with enormous presence in the photographic images of grasses on the blue background.

Pam RuBert always delights the imagination & brings a smile, the Eiffel Tower making an appearance in 'Paris- Wish You Were Hair'.

Caught my eye at Quilt National 09

There are many pieces which caught my eye & drew me in for a closer look at Quilt National 09. The few I'm sharing with you in this post & the next are by no means the extent of the wonderful work on display which ranges from quirky to sophisticated with the full range of today's art quilt techniques & execution being explored.

Ginny Smith caught my eye with the bold yellow & black of her naive styled design.

Sue Cavanaugh uses shibori in 'Ori-kume#1' right & was awarded the Lynn Goodwin Borgman Award for Surface Design.
Kathy York's 'Little Fish in a Big City' below, had the novelty factor with it's dimensionality & you can read more about the construction on her blog.

The Dairy Barn

Quilt National is held at the Diary Barn in Athens, Ohio. It is a lovely old barn restored & used as an arts centre. The upper section is divided into various workshop rooms & offices. The downstairs gallery houses the 83 quilts from Quilt National. Lorraine & I are standing in front of Carol Taylor's quilt 'Abundance'.

Quilt National 09 opening

Well, you meet the most interesting artists at a

Quilt National opening & some have worked their fingers to the bone! Susan Else produced 'Nothing to Fear' left.

Other artists below with their work are Australians Ruth deVos & Alison Schwabe, Canadian Anna Hergert & American Regina Benson.

While Beth Carney, another exhibitor & I just had a great time at the dinner catching up after seeing each other in New York earlier in the month.

To Athens....Ohio

A short 2 hour flight will see us land in the State of Ohio at Columbus. However our destination is Athens, home of the Diary Barn, left where the Quilt National 09 exhibition opens on Friday.

Opposites attract

One of the fascinating things about travel is seeing the everyday things in another country & noticing the differences. As I go to hop into a car here I keep going to the wrong side! In the US cars travel on the right hand side of the road the opposite to Australian roads. I've had to winch a few times when the taxi's are driving swiftly through traffic.
The habits of a lifetime can't be unlearned in a short holiday. Take light switches for example- in Australia we switch down to turn the lights on. The opposite here-up is on & down is off.
However quilters speak the same language no matter which country you're in. Beth Carney selected for Quilt National 07 & now for QN 09 showed me around her studio. Beth works with her hand dyed fabrics in an improvisational way- cutting, piecing & re-cutting many times to achieve an incredible richness in her Structured Chaos series. Sometimes colour shifts quickly & dramatically. At other times subtly & richness of colour use achieves a visual texturisation of the surface. Her beautiful work allows individual interpretation & contemplation.