Thursday, February 28, 2008

More About Art Maui

The Maui News printed a quick recap about Art Maui in today's paper. Turns out that 566 pieces were submitted and 125 were selected for "the island’s most prestigious competition and installation of its artists’ work." Read the article HERE.

Be sure to read the Fact Box for more information on the juror, Wayne Levin, and his thoughts about jurying. One of his comments that makes me feel especially good to be part of the show this year is at the end: "Some art may work on two or three of these levels, but for me it need only communicate articulately on one level to be successful.”

The opening reception is on Saturday afternoon, so I will take pictures and report back later.

Friday, February 22, 2008

I'M IN!

What do fabric, plastic bags, chicken wire and galvanized pipe have to do with a quilt? They are all part of "Unconscious Convenience," a piece I entered into Art Maui this year, and I GOT IN! The back of the quilt features newspaper printed on fabric that I showed in the blog post HERE.

I don't have any pictures to show, yet. I didn't have a suitable place to hang it to get one before I dropped it off on receiving day. The show opens on March 2, so I'll post pictures then.

This piece is far off the usual path for my work, but it's something I've had in my mind to make for over a year now. It's not pretty but makes a serious statement about our environment suffocating under a layer of plastic bags. It has a lot of personal meaning for me, so I am thrilled it was selected.

After I finish more "pretty" stuff, perhaps I'll pursue a few more environmental pieces.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I Want to Change My Header!!


I made this new header for my blog and I can't get it to work! I thought all I'd have to do is upload a new picture to the header. It's not working! Can anyone help?

Monday, February 04, 2008

Roots

I had a very productive weekend in the studio. My Art Maui entry is coming together and I had time to make (and finish!) two more gift quilts.

I started quilting 20 years ago and my first project was a Dresden Plate wall hanging. I'm proud of my roots in traditional quilting, since it's through these quilts that I honed my skills as a quilt maker. I'm happy to have that "toolbox" of skills to fall back on when I need them.

Baby quilt #2 using the disappearing nine patch pattern. I love that pattern for quick and easy quilts.

As I was cutting up various pieces for this quilt I was left with some very small scraps, including some strips that were only 1" wide. Since I couldn't bear to throw them out (another traditional quilter value!), I decided to whip up a little doll quilt for the baby's sister, who just turned 4.

This mini log cabin is made with that assortment of 1" strips and just 12 simple blocks.

Although my art quilts have taken me down a completely different path, I still get a thrill when I see a beautifully made traditional quilt, especially an old antique. Doing these quick gift projects satisfies my "traditional" genes.

And speaking of scraps, here are some leftovers from a recent project:

And what does chicken wire have to do with quilts? Stay tuned and find out!

Viewpoints Gallery Opening

The Celebration of Hawaii show opened on Sunday, January 17. I managed to get this shot of Honu III before things got too crowded. There were a lot of people there!

This is third year for the show and it keeps getting better and better. One interesting thing I noticed this year is that there were many more large scale pieces than in previous years. I don't know if that's necessarily true or just the way the show was hung, but that's how it appeared to me.

Honu III is swimming away at the close of the show - he sold on January 31! Turns out that January 2008 was the most profitable month for the gallery on record. With all of the beautiful art, it's hardly surprising. There were several pieces I wished I could have taken home, including this lovely pastel from Kit Gentry. The photo does not do it justice...it is framed by a mat of lovely green raw silk that changes from gold or green depending on the angle.


The opening featured Hawaiian prayer, chant, and dance. Here is a shot of the crowd from outside the gallery. The day started out raining like crazy, but it cleared at the last minute and everyone had a wonderful time.


We ended the evening with a sunset dinner at Kula Lodge. Nice!