Sometimes life comes together in unexpected ways, and today was one of them. Some months ago I reserved a trip to the Houston Quilt Festival. I went three years ago for the first time and had so much fun, I thought I would go again. I’ve never entered a quilt into the show, but when […]
More on Hollis Chatelain’s Master Art Series
Yes, we are up to our eighth workshop. On the last day, I said I could not believe we had been meeting for seven years. (We did two workshops in the same year back in year three). It’s hard to believe we have just two years to go to fulfill our ten-year commitment. Although we […]
Master Art Series # 8–Hollis Chatelain and New International Quilt Challenge: World Heritage Sites
This latest workshop with Hollis Chatelain focused on working with hand-dyed fabrics and how stitching can change them through thread color and value. As usual we spent the first few days completing samples. But the last three days were something quite different. Each of us chose two fabrics united through color or gesture. To quilt […]
One of My Favorite Contemporary Artists: El Anatsui
Along with the nationwide traveling exhibit Native Fashion Now, the Portland Art Museum also has on exhibit a piece by El Anatsui, the Ghanian artist who works with recycled/found objects. His work is two-dimensional, organic in nature, and cascades like molten metal in mesmerizing folds and textures.
Native Fashion Now Trendsetters
The Portland Art Museum defines the designers who follow as Activators who “embrace an everyday, personal style that engages with today’s trends and politics.”
Native Fashion Now Jewelry
There were not a lot of pieces, but these were my favorites. This first piece is a commentary on pop culture and history. Arrgh! I managed to miss the artists names on the cuffs/bracelets below!
Portland Parkways–cycling the neighborhoods of my city
I love bicycling–especially when there’s no traffic. Once a month during the summer, the city of Portland closes down streets to motorized vehicles for five hours to promote getting to know one of our neighborhoods through bicycling. Today it was north Portland. You can join the ride wherever you like along the 10 mile route, […]
Seven Sisters Quilt Show Judging
This past week I judged in the San Luis Obispo area, a part of California I’ve never seen before. Gay McNeal, a member of the San Luis Obispo Quilters (SLO Quilters) and the judging coordinator for the Seven Sisters Quilt Show hired me and was my host for two days. The Seven Sisters Quilt Show […]
Native Fashion Now–Part Four–Accessories
Here are the great accessories ranging from an umbrella to men’s shoes. The Portland Art Museum is showing the beaded, knee-high boots in the first photos shown below in their exhibit advertising and for good reason. They are special. Artist Jamie Okuma has beaded a pair of Christian Louboutin boots, leaving the trademark red soles […]
Native Fashion Now Continues…
While much of the exhibit features what would be considered contemporary, upscale fashion or wearable art, there are also designs focusing on traditional Native American garments with an emphasis on traditional bead work and other materials.
More Native Fashion Now
I returned from my Master Art Series Friday night. We spent the week exploring how the value of thread affects the fabric it’s stitched onto. One concept everyone quickly understood: to make a fabric recede into the background, stitch over it in a lighter value of its same color. Another technique: to dull a fabric […]
Native Fashion Now–Fabulous Native American designer wear and accessories
The Portland Art Museum just opened its latest show, which has been traveling the country. The show titled Native American Now was recently profiled in Fiber Art Now magazine. The work ranges from traditional American Indian clothing to high fashion meant for the runway, as well as jewelry, accessories, and even t-shirts and skateboards. I […]
Patty Hawkins, Textile Artist
Patty Hawkins was the featured speaker at the Columbia FiberArts Guild‘s quarterly meeting on June 8th. I was not familiar with her name, but the moment she began showing images of her work, I “knew” who she was. I have seen photos of her quilts, many juried into Quilt National and Visions in San Diego, […]
Olympic Torch Designer, Gilbert Farnham, 1933–2016
The father of my partner Mike passed away two weeks ago on May 24th, the day after his 83rd birthday. While I tend to devote my posts on fiber art or sometimes art in general, I also have a passion for craft. In that regard, I’m honoring Mike’s dad Gil for his design of the […]
Zigzag Pizzazz and Beautiful Corded Shoes
It’s been a few weeks since I posted. Not because I haven’t been busy. I have. Then to make matters more challenging when I tried to post two nights ago I found my site was “temporarily out of order.” Seems I needed to renew my domain name but for some reason never received notice. So […]
Liquor is Quicker at the Quilt Show!
Northwest Quilters added a surprising vendor to their show this year: Eastside Distilling, which creates and sells small batch spirits–rum, bourbon, and vodka–using local ingredients. When I asked one of the salesmen how they happened to be at the quilt show, he said he wasn’t sure but added what a great idea it had been. […]
In the spotlight with the Best of Show–Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild
Best of show at the Umpqua Valley Quilters Guild show was an original pictorial quilt framed with traditional piecing created by Doris Koozer and entitled “Wilderness Reflections.” Here is Doris’s story behind the making of the quilt. “In 2013 I was asked to create a quilt by one of our square dancers for her daughter’s […]
Umpqua Valley Quilt Show–Award of Merit
Last Thursday, April 21st, I judged at the Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild 32nd annual show “Stars Over Oregon” and was pleased to bestow an Award of Merit ribbon to Yvonne Cook. Certified judges in the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ) have the option of awarding this ribbon to a quilt which presents exemplary […]
Fresh Fibers–fitting name for a spring show
I attended the artists’ reception at the Sherwood Center for the Arts last Thursday and was surprised to see my three pieces greeting me right inside the front doors. The art center is a newer building in Old Town Sherwood and part of the monthly Artwalk. I had planned to do the Artwalk, but the […]
Clark County Quilters Show and Computer Woes
I’m finally able to post again after having one problem after another with software issues between Photoshop Elements 14 and El Capitan on my Mac. I took Pixeladies PSE Organizer on-line class. I finished well by week three out of four and felt good about how much I had learned and accomplished, especially after dealing […]
Jo Hamilton–Crochet Artist
Artist Jo Hamilton’s show opened today at the Cannon Beach Gallery on the Oregon coast. She explains in her artist statement, “I use a traditional basic crochet technique taught to me at an early age by my Gran. I work one knot at a time, from the inside out, row by row. I always begin […]
