I've just uploaded some pics taken at the quilt show earlier this week at my Yahoo photo site. Click here, then on the album titled 2006 Sun Prairie Show. In the meantime, here is one quilt to entice you into viewing the others. I managed to capture titles and artists on all quilts but this one. I DO remember that it was made by a man in the Madison area, and the title is something, something & rhapsody. My current proclivity toward curves along with the bold graphic design naturally drew me to this piece. I could do without the keyboard and fabric relating to music, but overall I was impressed with this piece.
There were several men represented at this show. Several years ago, I'd begun noticing a rare male or two among pieces that drew me for their simple geometrics and complex palettes. Things with a leaning towards modern art, not art quilting. This time round it was striking that these men are still working this way while the women's work generally has more fussiness, frills and embellishments, or is representational when it is not strickly traditional. This is just a passing observation - certainly my album includes one woman's work that is very graphic and abstract - so I'm not trying to come to any hard and fast conclusions about women's vs men's work in eastern WI. or anywhere else for that matter.
In the continuing affirmation of my own shifting from traditional to more modern work, I found myself less interested in the traditional pieces, even the spectacular traditional pieces, and instead, studying and photographing the art or near-art quilts. I also concentrated on these because of my art quilting friend who couldn't attend - I promised her a bit of a virtual show. The irony here is that the Celtic Stars lonestar quilt is hers - one begun ten years ago and only just finished. Planned for her parents, it was set aside for many years while her own leanings moved far away from such traditional designs. She told me how absolutely freeing it was to finally finish it so she could move on or rather back to her own art quilts again. My lonestar is into its 6th year and I can definitely feel its drag on my forward movement as well. Kudos to her for hanging in there - it is a beautiful quilt with borders of her own design and Celtic quilting designs also of her own hand.
There were several men represented at this show. Several years ago, I'd begun noticing a rare male or two among pieces that drew me for their simple geometrics and complex palettes. Things with a leaning towards modern art, not art quilting. This time round it was striking that these men are still working this way while the women's work generally has more fussiness, frills and embellishments, or is representational when it is not strickly traditional. This is just a passing observation - certainly my album includes one woman's work that is very graphic and abstract - so I'm not trying to come to any hard and fast conclusions about women's vs men's work in eastern WI. or anywhere else for that matter.
In the continuing affirmation of my own shifting from traditional to more modern work, I found myself less interested in the traditional pieces, even the spectacular traditional pieces, and instead, studying and photographing the art or near-art quilts. I also concentrated on these because of my art quilting friend who couldn't attend - I promised her a bit of a virtual show. The irony here is that the Celtic Stars lonestar quilt is hers - one begun ten years ago and only just finished. Planned for her parents, it was set aside for many years while her own leanings moved far away from such traditional designs. She told me how absolutely freeing it was to finally finish it so she could move on or rather back to her own art quilts again. My lonestar is into its 6th year and I can definitely feel its drag on my forward movement as well. Kudos to her for hanging in there - it is a beautiful quilt with borders of her own design and Celtic quilting designs also of her own hand.
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