1From the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection - Dianne Firth 01-31-21

 For many years I always posted a quilt from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection on Sunday's blog.  But I have gotten away from that the last year or so.  So, I will start going through old posts and showing them here on Sundays.   If I keep this up I can do it for years since there are currently about 370 quilts in the Collection! 

"Red Wave" Dianne Firth 2005 44"W x 57"L (111.8cm X 144.8cm)

Cotton, polyester batting, torn-strip appliqued, machine quilting.

In the QN catalog she states: "The inspiration for this quilt came from the bulbous form and sinuous orange-red markings of a fresh supply of galangal (Alpinia galanga), a spicy vegetable root, closely related to ginger and turmeric. The quilt is also a memory of warm weather and summer holidays."

I purchased this quilt at the Quilt National 2007 opening in Athens, Ohio, and then it toured the country with the rest of the Quilt National works. Although it is difficult waiting for two years, I know that if a quilt appeals to me the only way I can add it to the Collection is to "strike while the iron is hot", as the saying goes! I'm thinking of posting a series of 'the quilts that got away' to show those that I did not decide soon enough or speak up quickly enough!

Dianne's work has always appealed to me when I have seen it in exhibits, books or magazines. There is something about the way she refines and pares down the extraneous parts of an image and leaves the clear 'bones' of it in her quilts. Other than that, I suppose one of the attractions of this quilt is the color - I do enjoy bright clear colors.

The dark stripes are actually brown, but my camera cannot take the accurate color, nor could I adjust it enough with my editing program.

It is easier to see the quilting lines on the back of the quilt.

The instructions for washing the quilt are on the labels - one on each of the four pieces.

Dianne lives in Turner, Canberra, Australia, where her work includes teaching landscape design, history and theory as head of the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Canberra Australia. You can see more of her work at these websites: http://tactilequilts.com/ and http://www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au/dianne-firth.html

If you look at the work of the other quilters who belong to the tACTile group you will see quilts by Beth Miller whose "Kimberley Sunset" was the featured quilt on 09-28-09. [The ACT in capital letters stands for Australia Capital Territory - similar to our District of Columbia]

A Visit to Visions Art Museum 01-06-20

I drove down to San Diego on Saturday to deliver 29
 Ruth B. McDowell quilts from TCQC.  They will be on exhibit there from January 18th through April 5th.  I am always eager to show the quilts, it is one of the joys of having a collection to share, but it is hard to leave them with someone else for such a long time.  There are a couple that I cannot hang in my house because of their large size, so I will be happy see them hanging on the museum walls.  More information on the exhibit in later blog posts. 

While I was there I had a solitary viewing of the exhibit that ended yesterday.  I had done a quick viewing a month or so ago, but this time I had more time.  There were several that I especially enjoyed. 

I do love Dianne Firth's work and there are several pieces in TCQC.  This one is so lovely and soft.  I even like the fact that it is pink!

33"L x 34.5"W

Don't know why there is so much blank space on the signs. 

This one is fascinating, from across the room it is so very 3D, but it is actually flat.  Marvelous piecing.

36"L x 60.5"W

 When I saw this I thought it was Betty Busby's work, but it isn't.  However, the technique is hers, using non-woven materials and machine cutting.

43"L x 43"W 

I photographed a few more pieces and will try to post them this week. 

#   #   #

Exhibit at Visions Art Museum 11-02-13

After spending the night at an HIE near Sea World (ate TWO cinnamon rolls for breakfast), I drove back to the museum for a few photos while things were quiet - as they usually are in the morning. 
I enjoyed giving a little tour to a few ladies who came in, but I was very disappointed that the Gallery Guides have not arrived from the printer.  What a let down when we worked so hard to make them exceptional.  Hope they arrive by the opening next Saturday. 
Here are three views of the gallery showing only nine of the 28 quilts on exhibit.

On the left is Terry Grant's "Judith's Garden:, in the background is "Lizard Lock" by Charlotte Patera, "Gravida" by Karen Rips and just the side of "Flowers Grow in Stony Places" by Karin Franzen.

 

Far left is Ruth B. McDowell's wonderfully expressive "Street Corner". then "Strip Tease #1" by Mary Leakey, and on the right "Structured Chaos #14" by Beth Carney.
 

Jenny Bowker made the quilt on the left "Hot Water, Dead Sea", "Red Wave" is by Dianne Firth, and Carol Ann Waugh made "Allegro" on the right.

These happen to all be somewhat subdued quilts, one of the comments I heard several times last night was how bright and cheerful the exhibit is.   But for some unknown reason I photographed mostly calm quilts today.  I rarely see so many TCQC quilts hanging together, I can only hang one large quilt in three of my rooms - too many windows and doors.  Arranged in the gallery I appreciate the interspersed "quiet" quilts, although I doubt many people would count "Red Wave" as calm.  But with the rhythmic repeat of the lines and the limited color palette, I find it is almost hypnotic..

Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-08-11

Did you miss me last night?  My broadband connection wouldn't work, so I just went to bed.  Today it seems to be working well. 

www.bodilgardner.dk

44"W x 41"L   I always enjoy Bodil's wonderful textile "stories".  There are two in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection - someday I will add a larger one.  I love the little sheep in this one.

http://www.craftact.org.au/portfolios/artist.php?id=278

This is just one of many Google hits for Dianne Firth - just Google her name for more web sites.

Dianne has been working in this style for a number of years and she always comes up with a new insight into landscape of Australia.  I'm glad this one was already sold - I would have been sorely tempted to buy it!

It is approximately 42" square.

Another amazing quilt from a simple structure.  I don't understand how she makes the torn strips bend as if they were bias cuts.  But there are overlapping ends, which may be the secret.  I have left some of the black backdrop in this image because it makes the values so much more intense.  I don't think it would be very effective on a white/beige wall, it needs the drama of a dark surround.

In this picture you can more clearly see the "joins" at the bottom right and top left.

I didn't find a website for Jean.

This large quilt made an impact from across the room. I'm always a fan of pieced backgrounds and this one has a great value change.

In order to show how large the quilt is I asked three different people if they would stand near it with their back to me so I could take a picture - nobody would recognize their back, right?  Finally the third lady agreed - she is probably about 5' 2" tall. 

pamelart.homestead.com/titlepage.html

Pamela had a lot of quilts at this show, some I have seen before, but all were fascinating to examine "in-the-fabric" and I appreciated seeing the incredible detail she adds to each one.

http://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/

35" square  Note that this quilt is machine pieced NOT appliqued.  I see a Ruth McDowell influence here!

www.bbusbyarts.com

33.5"W x 50.5"L   Again the lighting doesn't do this quilt justice - the shadows cast by the light standards make it appear there is a vertical color change on the right side.  See Betty's website for a more accurate image.   This is a gorgeous quilt and I wish I had been first in line when the "for sale" sign went up.  I hope it has a happy home.  I've watched Betty's work for years and she just gets better and better. 

Dianne Firth quilt from TCQC 10-11-09

"Red Wave" Dianne Firth 2005 44"W x 57"L (111.8cm X 144.8cm)

Cotton, polyester batting, torn-strip appliqued, machine quilting.

In the QN catalog she states: "The inspiration for this quilt came from the bulbous form and sinuous orange-red markings of a fresh supply of galangal (Alpinia galanga), a spicy vegetable root, closely related to ginger and turmeric. The quilt is also a memory of warm weather and summer holidays."

I purchased this quilt at the Quilt National 2007 opening in Athens, Ohio, and then it toured the country with the rest of the Quilt National works. Although it is difficult waiting for two years, I know that if a quilt appeals to me the only way I can add it to the Collection is to "strike while the iron is hot", as the saying goes! I'm thinking of posting a series of 'the quilts that got away' to show those that I did not decide soon enough or speak up quickly enough!

Dianne's work has always appealed to me when I have seen it in exhibits, books or magazines. There is something about the way she refines and pares down the extraneous parts of an image and leaves the clear 'bones' of it in her quilts. Other than that, I suppose one of the attractions of this quilt is the color - I do enjoy bright clear colors.

The dark stripes are actually brown, but my camera cannot take the accurate color, nor could I adjust it enough with my editing program.

It is easier to see the quilting lines on the back of the quilt.

The instructions for washing the quilt are on the labels - one on each of the four pieces.

Dianne lives in Turner, Canberra, Australia, where her work includes teaching landscape design, history and theory as head of the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Canberra Australia. You can see more of her work at these websites: http://tactilequilts.com/ and http://www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au/dianne-firth.html

If you look at the work of the other quilters who belong to the tACTile group you will see quilts by Beth Miller whose "Kimberley Sunset" was the featured quilt on 09-28-09. [The ACT in capital letters stands for Australia Capital Territory - similar to our District of Columbia]

2007 Quilt Nat'l Opening 05-22-09

Since I had to cancel my road trip to Kansas and Ohio and won't be at the opening of Quilt National, I thought I would look back at 2007 and remember that great trip. That year I discovered that the night before the opening there is a special evening for supporters of The Dairy Barn, Quilt National and also collectors of note. So, by the time of the opening a number were already sold. It is a bit off-putting that if one buys a quilt they won't have it in their hands for several years as the exhibit goes touring across the country - in three sections. The two quilts that I purchased in May 2007 arrived on April 30, 2009 (the week I came home from my Empty Spools 2009 session with Pamela Allen). Talk about a high! All that creative input from the class, topped by two fabulous quilts I own, but hadn't seen for two years. I couldn't wait to get them up on the walls.

"Red Wave" Dianne Firth - 2005 - Turner, Canberra, Australia

Cotton fabric, polyester batting, torn-strip appliqued, machine quilted.

No apparent website or blog.

This quilt is four separate pieces (which are conveniently marked 1 through 4 on the backs. It was inspired by a spicy vegetable root named galangal, closely related to ginger and turmeric.

==================================
I didn't buy this next quilt, I didn't have the funds, even if I hadn't bought the other two! But I think it is spectacular and it is two sided, so I suppose it could be considered two quilts.

"Peach, Pear, Plum" w/artist Elizabeth Brimelow - 2006 - Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK

55"W x 60"L

Silk whole-cloth double-sided quilt; hand and machine stitched, direct and reverse applique, fused, slashed, knotted.

I wasn't able in engage Elizabeth in a lengthy conversation about her techniques, but as I recall the little diagonal lines on the colorful side are slits, while those on the B&W side are hand stitches. There are two tree shapes that are aligned diagonally on each side. This is just the kind of quilt that fascinates me - the more one looks the more one sees.

I appreciate Elizabeth's statement, it seems so apt for her work. "Landscape is where I live, what I look at, what I draw, and what I stitch. My subject is marks made on the land by planting, plowing, and harvesting. Through my hands I have a story to tell, and this connects me to other times, places and cultures." http://www.quiltart.org.uk/elizabethbrimelo.html

=================================

"Structured Chaos #14" with the artist Beth Carney - Yonkers, NY - 2006

64"W x 53"L Cotton fabric; gradation and low-immersion dyed, machine pieced and quilted.

http://www.bethcarneystudio.com/gallery.htm

If you have seen this quilt in the Quilt National 2007 book, you have almost seen a completely different quilt - the color in the book is waaay off. The problem has to do with the pigments used, they are different for dyeing, printing and photographing. We used to use Ecktachome film for blue-violet objects because the color was more true. I imagine that if the picture above was printed in a book the blue-violet would come out red-violet, as in the book. Guess the moral would be that if you make a quilt in these colors, don't expect it to print in true color!
Beth was charming and so excited that her quilt sold so quickly, but perhaps not as excited as her friends who seemed almost delirious. If I were ever to be in her position I would hope my friends would be as supportive. It was an exciting weekend.

The quilt is very closely machine quilted with vertical lines which have just enough variation to create a texture and movement on the back of the quilt. The hand dyed fabric on both sides adds much to my enjoyment of this piece.