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ArtWalk 2017 - Columbia Bank Venue - not the order I had in mind but it works

It has taken me all week to decompress from and process my interactions with everyone who came out for the ArtWalk opening reception - really quite well attended and fun (but also draining) for me. It's always scary when you go in a new direction with your art, at least it is for me. No matter how excited one may be about it, the unfamiliar makes one question, "Is it any good? Am I on the right track? And will people like what I'm doing, want me to continue in this vein or return to my tried and true that they are used to and love?"

Some of the viewing public - as you can see, a casual affair.

These were my thoughts going into ArtWalk with the new series. It turned out my worries were unwarranted. These Leaf Cluster variations were enthusiastically embraced, and nearly everyone who passed by wanted to ask me questions and/or tell me which was their favorite and why (which is often not the case at these receptions). Much of what was noted confirmed what I already knew or felt, some were good ideas I had not considered, and in one case I received a fairly thorough critique that finally gave me some concrete reasons why I was so unhappy with one of them. I got excited again about the series, ready to continue as many said they hoped I would, armed with feedback that should help the next pieces be stronger. Here's how the feedback broke down.

Framing

I was a little surprised by how many noted the framing, though I've known for a long time how framing up smaller textile pieces can give them more presence in an exhibition. It leaves no doubt that they are art, and as the critiquing fellow artist pointed out, "It makes them look more like art than (very long pause) craft." I think she hesitated so long wondering if using that term "craft" would offend me. But I totally agree. I think having them all the same size framed identically also contributed to their impact.

That it was a series

Again, I was surprised at how many people remarked that they liked that I did more than one using the leaf cluster motif. Several also shared that they could easily see two or three of them hanging together. One twenty-something woman voiced that because they had such a modern look, they would look good hung vertically, one over the other - something I hadn't considered, but found exciting to consider. And best of all, one of our "elder statesman" icons of the Sandpoint arts community came up to me with a big smile, grabbed my hands and said, "I am SO GLAD you are working in a series!" Well, yes then, I guess I must continue on with it!

Leaf Cluster III - a crowd favorite due to all that quilting

Fabric and quilting choices matter

I was not surprised that Leaf Cluster III drew so much attention and was often stated as a favorite. I had an excellent location on the third floor tier with lots of natural light from the ceiling which is like one giant skylight. It accentuated the quilting on all of the pieces, but especially on this one. Everyone wanted to know how I did it, what kind of machine I used, and then after my explanations, was I crazy. Why yes, just a bit! I think I could use that garnet stitch exclusively and no one would tire of seeing it. Leaf Cluster II (below) was a close second, that wonderful batik drawing people in just as it had on Leaf Cluster I. Many couldn't decide between the two and I feel the same way. It was obvious from the many comments that people were being drawn almost as much if not more by my fabric and quilting choices than by the leaf motif, and that in the case of the two favorites, those choices went with and enhanced the image of leaves.

Leaf Cluster II - that batik made it a favorite

Imperfections are assets

As you probably remember, it took me some time to get comfortable with the way my leaf clusters had printed up. Initially all I could see was failed prints because the paint had not transferred evenly. My blog readers, my art group and some distance from those first looks at them finally brought me around as people pointed out how much they liked the unevenness in the printing, especially where it allowed the fabric to show through as in Leaf Cluster II above. And more than one non-artist looking at Leaf Cluster II remarked how much they liked the varying lines and texture in the paint across some of the leaves, and even those little carving marks outside of the leaves that I tried so hard to keep from happening because, and I quote "they add interest." Ok, ok, I've got it!

Leaf Cluster V - the camera caught more of the sparkly beads. Click to see.

Not everyone likes the same thing

Poor Leaf Cluster V. Even in this excellent light, it remained a very dark piece, but at least the beads were picking up the light. Very few people commented on it, except maybe to ask about the beading. And then one man steps in front of it and loudly announces that it is his favorite, that he likes the colors, the beads, he just likes everything about it, and seemed ready to argue its merits with anyone who disagrees (and a few standing nearby weakly said they liked different ones but he stood firm - hysterical!). So the lesson here is that variety is good, because not everyone's taste is the same. I did ask two women who had described what they thought was going on with the other leaves (those are floating in front of tree bark, that one is coming down a wall) what was going on with this one. The first women furrowed her brow and said she didn't know. The second one described my vision perfectly - a leaf that has landed on the water. We all see differently too.

Look! You can see the stitches! Wait - don't look at those stitches!

The value of a good critique

Leaf Cluster IV looked so much better hanging in this spot of natural light plus some additional light from the nearby sconce - the quilting actually showed up, and yikes! I also noticed that you could now see the thread too, which means my uneven stitches could easily be seen (I really did have some places where the stitch length got long in comparison to the rest of the line). It got more comments than Leaf Cluster V but I think only because it was easier to see. I still felt uncomfortable about it, felt it was the weakest of the four but thinking it was mostly because of the quilting. I had nearly 3 hours of reception to stare analytically at the group and consider the comments I was getting, and I still wasn't 100% sure why some were working better than the others. As the crowds thinned, another artist wandered over, another local icon who, with her partner, received POAC's 2017 Artist of the Year Award. She looked at my pieces for a bit and then began a critique that told me why some worked better than others and declared Leaf Cluster IV the weakest of the lot. She kept glancing over to see how I was taking what she was saying, but I assured her that her comments were very helpful and that I totally agreed that IV was the weakest but didn't understand why. Well, in her opinion it was the one leaf, the way it was turned, how the paint on the stem faded to nothing at the end and did not "attach" in any way to the outside edge. To her it looked lost and like it didn't know where it belonged. None of the other pieces had that problem to her eye.

Leaf Cluster IV in a different and better orientation

I decided to ask her if it would improve it if it were turned a different direction. Maybe, she said as she cocked her head to one side. Well, let's turn it then, which put it back in the original orientation I'd had in mind when I printed it, but changed when considering how the four pieces would look together. She sounded quite surprised at the change that turn made, said "yes it's better and here's why. Look at how that circle of quilting now seems to hold the leaf up. It knows where it is now." It's still the weakest of the lot, but better in the turning, which led us to talking about often you do have to turn your work this way and that, depending on where it hangs and what it hangs with. As for Leaf Cluster V, she sounded sorry for it because it needed better lighting, was not getting its due down there, didn't really go with the other pieces, all things I agree with. I so appreciated her taking the time and being so candid with me, pointing to specific things that I will know to avoid in the future, giving me tips about design that if I pay heed, will help me create stronger pieces as the series continues. Because, after all, that's kind of the point of working in a series.   

Good News, Everyone!

"Energy" has a new home

Well, you have to be a Futurama fan to get that reference, but if you are, you understand that the news is more good for me than it is for everyone. Still - I hope you will be as excited as I am. ArtWalk wrapped up back on September 12th with the sale of two more quilts! I'd started seeing my nurse practitioner on a weekly basis for allergy shots, and she quickly made the connection between me, her patient, and me, the artist she'd seen over at Monarch Mountain Coffee. Her practice is expanding, she's redecorating her offices and buying a few new pieces of art to support the local art community. And she wanted to include me in her purchases. I had this sneaking suspicion that she'd want "Tears of Mayo" which I had not offered for sale, and she admitted that she did. Frankly, I couldn't think of a better person for it to go to or a better place for it to be, so we agreed on a price. She surprised me by buying "Energy" as well.

But wait - there's more good news! The manager of the coffee shop had mentioned she might like my work to stay up after ArtWalk, depending on whether any other appropriate artists were lobbying for the space. She confirmed last week that I could continue showing there and was delighted to hear that I could switch out some of the ArtWalk pieces with fall-themed art. I was so glad my work table was still cleaned off so I had a space to set out various pieces for consideration and fill out gallery cards and other paperwork.

And I indeed have many pieces with fall colors or themes, many pieces with leaves, pieces I've shown in various exhibits around town but which probably haven't been seen by most who frequent Monarch Mountain Coffee. It's good to get the older work out of the closet, assessed with a less critical eye than when it was first finished. Down came the newest work from the long wall in the back, up went quilts with trees and leaves. Impossible to get a decent picture so here are links to the individual quilts: Fracture, Falling Leaves, Wisconsin Memories, Far From the Midwest Prairie.

Different work also went up along the wall up front: Azalea Mosaic V: Slippery Slope and Jockeying in the Queue.

"Idaho Maple" took the place of the two Upward Ticks. This guy was sitting in the same spot the day I hung the original exhibit - I think this is his daily spot - and was very gracious about nudging over a bit to give me room to work.

I decided to leave the Upward Ticks there, just move them to a different spot. This idea of moving existing artwork around was the manager's suggestion and a good one. Because of the layout, and the way regular customers often sit at the same table each visit, just moving something to a new location could bring it a new audience. Plus I think these two look quite different over the quasi-fireplace thing with a wall of a different color and different lighting. Note the coffee shop has been decorated for Halloween.

Northwoods Autumn Splendor - Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2001

While I was digging through my stock of quilts, I ran across this one made in 2001 while living in Wisconsin, briefly considered it for the coffee shop, then decided against it. But I do have this good-size wall in my office where nothing was hanging at the moment. I haven't had "Northwoods Autumn Splendor" out in ages so up it went at home.

My friend Judi brought that leaf fabric back from a quilt show she had vended at and presented it to me - you all must know why. Not at all her style but definitely mine! At the time, I was working with these pyramid blocks of diamonds in another project while always considering how I could work our hand-dyed fabrics into traditional quilt designs. Beyond the piecing, a technical challenge I worked on was how to get parts of the border leaves to extend past the seamline into the body of the quilt. The abstract image of trees in full color is reinforced by the individual leaves fussycut from the border fabric and scattered across the center of the top (they are fused in place). I wasn't terribly comfortable with free-motion quilting yet at this stage - otherwise I might have quilted in a few leaves as well. It's just such a rich quilt colorwise, just like the northwoods of Wisconsin come fall. Leftovers of the leaf fabric went into "Wisconsin Memories" and the last bit of it into Autumn Confetti. Good to the last drop!

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Just a reminder to hop on over to Hilary's blog to read her Around the World Blog Hop post here. Also, you might enjoy reading my friend Sherrie's post on the subject and checking out her links. I wanted her to be one of my tagee's but someone beat me to it. And yes, she was getting ready to tag me as well!

ArtWalk 2014

It's here! Pend Oreille Arts Council's 2014 Artwalk opens tonight with receptions all over downtown. Here's where I'll be, at Monarch Mountain Coffee - one of a handful of local coffee bean roasteries which also happens to have its own coffee shop. If you look closely, you can see murals on the side of the building.

Yes, I was a little worried that this venue might be a little too funky for my style of quilts. But last year it hosted a batik artist, nothing funky about her work, so what the heck. Come on in and take a look.

To the left is a wall broken up by a large window, making it easy to showcase some of my framed pieces. And yes, the walls really are that color of green. Here are the two Upward Ticks.

On the other side of the window, I've hung Tears of Mayo and an older piece, Jungle.

Which leads to where you can order something to drink and maybe a bite to eat. Why not have a cup of java?

Did you notice the coffee bean bags covering the ceiling?

And as I fiddle with my camera settings, the viewfinder brought my attention to the classic black and white tiled floor.

Turning to your right, perhaps you'd like to sit and sip that java. This is that space I talked about for the companion pieces, Energy and Rolling Along. And yes, the walls on that side of the room are that blue.

Or maybe you'd prefer one of these tables where you can really take in that mural on the back wall. This is more than a coffee cafe - it is a meeting place for all kinds of artistic endeavors: live music and open mic nights, movie night, "Conversations" (a gathering of local artists for discussion and networking) to name a few. Above that fake fireplace, I've hung two older pieces, Spring Runoff- Little Rogue and Culvert at Chuck's Slough.

Here's a closer look. This turned out to be such a good spot of Spring Runoff - it is quite encrusted with beads and the lighting makes them sparkle more than usual.

To the left of this main seating area is a cozy "L" with the only long unobstructed wall in the place. This is the space that motivated me to get to work on those wine-dark sea pieces. And then I filled in with other pinkish reddish purplish quilts, all but one not framed. Perfect!

Here's a shot from the other direction. Left to right are Twisted Tree, Dance, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea II & I, and Reverberations. I have to say, Dance has never looked better - something about this lighting shows it off well.

Thanks for coming on this little tour. As you leave, take note of this last bit of art - a miniature Strawberry Moon.

For all my misgivings about this space and my ability to fill it, in the end it motivated me to finish up 4 more new pieces than I had planned (8 total) so that the new pieces would outnumber the old - a very good thing. It's also nice to have the opportunity to get some of those older pieces out of the closet and on display again - 6 in all. As a whole, the exhibit is a little all over the place, if you are considering cohesive body of work. But because of the eclectic nature of the venue and the way the artwork is spread out in different areas, I'm not too worried that I'm showing the many sides of my artistic endeavors.

So if you find yourself in Sandpoint, ID, please stop by, have that cup of coffee and enjoy my work. The exhibit runs through September 12.

 Monarch Mountain Coffee

 208 N 4th Ave

 208 265-9382

 

 Hours:

	Mon - Tue: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm Wed - Sat: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm Sun: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm

Mountain West Bank Exhibit

As part of its visual arts program, POAC maintains several ancillary galleries in businesses around the immediate area. This is a chance for an artist to have a solo or duo show, like my solo show at STCU last year. There are no opening receptions and the exhibits don't see as much traffic as those at the main gallery or Panhandle State Bank, but it is an opportunity to get work out of the closet and into the offices and hallways of a public building. This time, I was invited to exhibit at Mountain West Bank in Ponderay, ID with none other than fellow fiber artist and co-founder of my Third Mondays art group, Meg Marchiando of Blue Turtles Art.

No real planning for how our work might mesh in this space. We just trusted that there were enough common threads for our pieces to work together and enough differences to keep it interesting. I pulled a lot of older work that hasn't been on exhibit for awhile and added the one new piece - Supplications - to the mix. That's it at the end of the hall and Meg's dragonfly on the right.

Here's a better shot of her dragonfly.

Meg's recent emphasis has been on stand alone pieces that others might use as applique on a regular quilt. Her fish couldn't wait to leap out of my quilt "Flow".

We had some help - Meg's daughter Adele and Adele's friend Lea. They were given free rein to organize which fish went where as well as some houses I'll show in a bit.

Here's the final arrangement along with a close-up of one of the fish. Meg has put a lot of time and thought into each fish and its thread painting.

This back hallway was pretty dark so difficult to get a good shot of Meg's houses surrounding my Twisted Tree piece. On the left is my "Wisconsin Memories."

Again, such attention to fabric and thread choice to make each house unique.

These are the last of Meg's stand alone pieces that we have been referring to as "the kids." Each has a name, and there are more to come. Again, each has carefully chosen fabrics and tons of thread painting to bring them alive. You can also see some of them on her website.

This was one of the few places where we hung our "regular" art quilts together. My "Poppies and Peonies" and "Pathways", Meg's "Cornflower" and "Turtles". (Meg- I think that is not the full title of that one, let me know so I can edit.)

Here's another grouping - my "Voices" on the left with two of Meg's running man pieces.

I decided to bring along my two Bishop's Close pieces. Nice to have a place to hang them together.

We let a couple of the employees choose what quilt they'd like in their office. This heron of Meg's was the first to go.

And then my "Willows II" which you can see through the window, and "Fracture" (which is not shown). In the hallway next to the office window is my "Brilliance of the Night Sky."

I also got out "Culvert at Chuck's Slough." You can see Meg's Heron through the window.

We were running out of quilts for the conference room - we'd decided not to put important pieces there when told it is little used - but we each had one quilt left so the room would not go bare: Meg's "Madame Zalina" and my "Off the Grid".

 

I didn't get a picture of Meg's fantastic Cypress Swamp quilt since it got hung in a small back office, but otherwise, this is pretty much what we put up - some old, some new, some quilts that surprised and some that delighted. Take a gander if you are in the area - the exhibit will be up through September. Oh, and I always forget to mention...most of the quilts are for sale - contact me if interested. A portion of each sale goes to support POAC and the rest supports us artists!

 

Checking on the Installation

It's been a long time since I have not been responsible for installing my work for an exhibit, so when I dropped off my quilts at the ArtWalk venue earlier this week, it felt very odd to hand them over and walk away. I know the people doing the work, know they have installed countless such multimedia exhibits, but still...after all the angst over the making of these quilts, the care in getting them square and hanging flat and just so, it was difficult to let go. But let go I did, knowing I could go back the next day and check up on them. There were bits of lint to pick off the center one and the two Bubble Prayers quilts' signage was reversed, but other than that, see how perfect they look! It's always questionable hanging near the wall sconces, but in this case, that light is doing my quilts a favor (click on the picture for a larger view...you can see the quilting!). Oh, and I obviously was using the wrong camera to take my shots at home. This was taken with my less fancy one which read the teal green and the purple/blue perfectly. The center one is pretty close too.

I am so pleased with the spot these are hung. Visible as one reaches the second floor by stairs...

And visible from several spots along the third floor. Pleased, pleased, pleased!