Out and about: meetings & presentations

Last Thursday evening I had the pleasure of speaking to the Jewel Box Quilt Guild in Grinnell, Iowa, so named because of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Jewel Box Bank Building in that community. This year I've given my powerpoint presentation four times: at the IQS Quilt Show in Chicago (April); a morning and evening session at Northeast Iowa Quilt Guild, and the most recent one in Grinnell. Previous presentations included guilds in Iowa City (130 attendees) and Waverly, Iowa.

My presentations usually start with an introduction and a few questions to gauge my audience. How many have tried dyeing? printing? I show some actual art quilts, explaining that I use only my own fabrics and that all my pieces start out as white fabrics. After explaining a few technical things about dyes, silk screens and monoprint vinyl, I launch into my power point, which is a visual tour of the part of my art career devoted to art quilts. I start with a few recent pieces, move to images of techniques, then launch into a chronology of how I came to make these and what has been influential over the years. When the chronology is done, I show some studio shots. Then I have a series of "mark making" photographs gleaned from travels and changes in landscape. I finish with a series of teaching images taken during workshops. Usually I bring books, magazines, Surface Design Association materials (yes, I am on the Board), tools and a big basket of sample fabrics which I circulate among the audience early on. Always there are questions, which I encourage and answer as needed. It's really a lot of fun. And yes, I do charge for these presentations. There is this thing, needing to earn a living.

I also teach workshops and find that most participants enjoy starting with basics. I pack in a lot of information, hopefully not too much, but my aim is to give participants a rich immersion into the wonders of painting and printing with dyes and fabric paints. What do I enjoy the most? Watching participants slide into the pure joy of process, of expression, color and creation. I always tell them, don't focus on the end product- you will need to practice! But enjoy the ride...

Necessities Vests!

My friend Connie Roberts is a professional artist who makes carved wooden whistle sculptures. She and I have collaborated for some time on thematic vests containing appropriate whistles. Our most popular has always been the Necessities Vest, made to order for male or female wearers, a piece that occupies a display stand during times not worn as a conversational art theater piece. Connie usually makes dozens of whistles that are visible and hidden on these vests.

 My contribution is to dye and print the cotton fabrics for vest and lining, plus pockets and trim. I designed the pockets and patterns and construct and sew the vests. When they're sewn, Connie and I get together to trouble-shoot placement, drill a few holes etc. Her whistles are by far the most entertaining part of these Vests, but what follows are photos of how the vests themselves come into being.

 

hand-dyed, monoprinted & screenprinted cotton fabrics using procion fiber reactive dyes

 

 

 

flaps, and lots of notes

 

the old workhorse Janome sewing machine

 

 

It helps that it's still porch weather

 

Connie's buttons are a hoot. They do not whistle.

 

 

OK, so my part is finished...

 

Connie and her drill. Trying to keep the sawdust off of the fabric. Placing whistles.

 

Whistles similar to what we have in our vests.

more doodle pillows!

Artquilt finished and on display, leftover fabrics, need color = doodle pillows!

the colors of summer: who can resist?

Time to toss subtlety out the window in favor of old fashioned exuberance... 
(of course, blogger distorts the colors a bit and is trying its darnedest to make subtlety more apparent. You can see that these are oversize and based on geranium petals. Fiber reactive dyes from our friends at Pro Chemical & Dye, on cotton broadcloth from Testfabrics.

Artquilts at the MacNider Art Museum

Summer is the perfect time for a road trip. If you're in the neighborhood, check out the Charles MacNider Art Museum in Mason City (home to Meredith Wilson, creator of the Music Man). The MacNider is a charming regional museum with a nice collection of American art as well as Bill Baird's puppets. Baird was the creator of the marionettes in The Sound of Music. You'll also see an exhibit of my work, on view until September 4. The exhibit is the result of being awarded Best in Show in the Iowa Craft exhibition last November. Here are some photos from the installation.

Fellow artist Connie Roberts (above), a wooden whistle sculptor, accompanied me

a lovely modern addition to the MacNider houses a special exhibition space plus this area for contemporary ceramics

We also visited Clear Lake, 11 miles west of Mason City. It was also the day for a Bicycle, Blues & Barbecue Festival, looked and smelled great...

a heckuva time!

It's been a very long time indeed since I last wrote. Life intercedes, and here are some of the reasons why...

First and foremost- family! this is the first time we've all been together (along with daughter-in-law, the photographer) since November 2008, and the first time the Chilean contingent has seen Iowa City since the passing of their father in September of that year.

Plus all the other distractions: Ian Bennett returning from 11 months in the Philippines and China, doing video editing and production. Badly needed maintenance on a 1918 home, and incumbent life-sorting. DowntownBeat, a rival for my blogging attention. Curiosities and show-stoppers in the garden, travels to give talks on art quilting, and more...

 Curiosities & show-stoppers in the garden

Finally, time for studio work again.

Wanna learn to knit?

Here's a novel idea. Home Ec Workshop reports the following tidbit on their Facebook page:

"the Iowa City Farmer's Market is hosting a Knit in Public Day event this Saturday, June 12,  from 7:30 - 12pm. There will be volunteers teaching people to knit, spinners and hopefully, a whole bunch of knitters!"

Home Ec Workshop is a fun little shop in the near Northside Neighborhood. Owners Codi and Alissa sell yarns and fabrics, have a "Knitting nurse," offer classes and workshop rental (sewing machines, etc.) and I've taught classes there.