Long Beach International Quilt Festival - Part 2

Here we are on Day 2 of our visit to the Long Beach International Quilt Festival. These quilts were part of an exhibit, "West Coast Wonders", celebrating the landscapes, architecture, and lifestyles of the West Coast of North America.

Rialto Trees - Daytime, app.20 x 20, by Denise Oyama Miller at DeniseOyamaMiller.com

Denise writes, "The inspiration (for this quilt) was from a visit to Rialto Beach on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. The wind blows so strong that the needles and bark have been blown off the trees." One of those quilts in the minimalist style,  this work impressed us by the stark beauty of the branches and the skillful use of contrasting light and dark values. Even though the trees have been battered by the wind, they are still standing tall, straight,  and affirming their presence, which is a very endearing value.

A smaller quilt called Rialto Trees is posted at the SAQA auction page.   A companion piece, "Rialto Trees - Nighttime", was awarded first place in 2010 at the Marin Society of Artists show.

Roses - Sun and Shadow, app. 22 x36, by B. Lynn Tubbe

Lynn states, "Escape into the beauty of California's natural world. I especially enjoy other gardeners' flowers that I find difficult to grow among grazing deer. This quilt uses only fabric and thread for color definition and depth." This original design of Lynn's uses raw-edge fused applique to create a very lovely and life-like depiction of rose blossoms and their shadows against a weathered garden fence.

Wave Rider, app. 32 x 40, by Monika Scola

Monika explains that computer manipulation of the shape of a heart created this vortex ( the swirls or spiral design which leads into the center).  Can you see how she turned the heart shape on its side to resemble an ocean wave to symbolize her love of surfing? We loved the restful monochromatic aqua blue tones in this quilt, which was constructed using pieced fabric, broderie perse, fused applique, hand beading and painting, plus free-motion quilting.

Point Buchon, app. 40 x 40, by Sara Kelly, at Sara Kelly Art Quilts

Sara Kelly's description of her quilt is as lyrical as her design. She notes, "The Point Buchon (California) trail in spring is a symphony of saturated color. Golden poppies carpet the ( green) hillsides, and....spouting whales cruise the sparkling Pacific Ocean, which mirrors clear blue skies. We think that "Point Buchon" is a fabulous use of complementary light and deep values of blue and orange. Sara's impressionistic design style here plays up the fragments of sunlight as they reflect on the flowers and ocean.

Under the Ocean Beach Pier, app. 24 x 24, by Linda Laird

Linda says, "Ocean Beach pier (in San Diego, California) is a wonderful place to go tide pooling and beach combing. All sorts of natural and unnatural treasures can be found." She has created a very unique and original collage quilt of the objects she found in the water underneath the pier. Click on quilt to enlarge it, and you will see shells, a matchbook cover, part of a paintbrush......and what else can you find? It's like a quilted "I Spy" game.

Long Beach International Quilt Festival - Part One

Let's all go to a virtual quilt show this week ! Please join us, along with thousands of other quilt enthusiasts at the Long Beach International Quilt Show, sponsored by the International Quilters Association last weekend: July 29-31 2011.  Welcome to the show.

Elf Owl, 33 x 54", by Terry Waldron, at TerryWaldron.com

Some quilt shows have only one theme, but this quilt festival is so big, that it was divided into several different themes. Today and tomorrow, we will show quilts from the juried exhibit , "West Coast Wonders", celebrating the landscapes, architecture, and lifestyles of the western part of the U.S.A.  including California*.

In "Elf Owl",  Terry Waldron has designed a tribute to one of the birds of the Mojave Desert, east of Los Angeles. The elf owl is the smallest of all owls, just over 5 inches long. Elf owls make their homes in the tall saguaro cacti of the desert, where they can live high off the ground, protected from predators. Terry's work is both hand and machine appliqued, then machine quilted.

Elf Owl, close-up

Isn't he adorable, peeking out of the saguaro cactus like this? Owls and birds seem to be a very popular theme in quilting this year. We saw a number of quilts featuring owls and birds, along with some very cute owl fabric at the many vendors' booths.

Roadside Poppies, by Denise Oyama Miller, app. 48 x 24",  at DeniseOyamaMiller.com

Two separate panels hung together showcase these brilliantly colored wildflowers, done with fused applique. Denise writes, "Strolling through Ashland, Oregon, I came across a display of poppies growing....along the sidewalk. The metal fence behind them was a perfect backdrop for this celebration of the incredible flora of the west coast." The fence serves to greatly enhance the three-dimensional quality of Denise's work, as it helps provide perspective to the eye and bring the poppies into the foreground.

Roadside Poppies close-up

Look at how many different batik and tonal fabrics Denise used here ! The variety of fabrics and values really brings out the subtle nuances of the light and shadows as they fall upon the petals and stems of the poppies.  (Also note:  you can click on any of these images to see the amazing detail).

Malibu Beach, 29 x 32", by Sherry Kleinman, at Sherry Kleinman Art Quilts

 

 A resident of the seaside town of Pacific Palisades, just north of Los Angeles, Sherry has created her self portrait here.  She says, " I am lucky to live near the Pacific Ocean and can indulge in my life-long love affair with the beach. I have just added sun block and an umbrella to my must-have beach attire."  If you look closely, you can see that the beach umbrella actually stands out about 8 inches off the surface of the quilt.  The shadow underneath the umbrella adds a very realistic touch to this pieced, appliqued and hand-painted work.

Santa Barbara Riviera, app. 30 x 20",  by Ranell Hansen, at Ranell Hansen.com

We love quilts featuring houses and villages, and this one is no exception.  Ranell Hansen has re-created the charm of the Spanish colonial architecture of Santa Barbara, a coastal city about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Nestled against the mountains, the white-washed buildings with their tile roofs evoke a tropical sun-splashed, Mediterranean setting. This quilt is actually much higher-contrast and less pale in person, as the flash from our camera tended to wash out the bright spots of color that Ranell added to the architectural details here.

Tsunami Rattles California, app. 36 x 24  by Ann Sanderson

Ann writes, "Japan has a special place in my heart. After the earthquake of last March, we lost contact with our Japanese friends, and our coastal California family home was threatened (by the tsunami that hit California). The design of this piece reflects the wave motion and the swirling waters of the tsunami."

We think this is a fascinating piece, with complementary muted peach and blue tones, embellished with delicate gold beads, iridescent square sequins, and stamped with splashes of shiny gold paint.

*Note:  For those who have been following our Cute Quilts for Kids series, we'll be wrapping that up next week, after our special reports on the quilt festival.