Connecting Our Natural Worlds - SAQA Global Quilt Exhibit (Day 5)

The Connecting Our Natural Worlds exhibit by SAQA showcases art quilts that illustrate the natural wonder of habitats around the globe. Through their own unique artistic interpretation, each artist has identified danger to flora and fauna in their own backyards. The selected pieces inspire viewers to get closer to nature and become better stewards for our environment.  We recently visited this outstanding exhibit at the Brigham City Museum in Utah.

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Lilies of the Valley by Sarah Ann Smith (Maine)

Sarah Ann Smith used dyed fabrics, fusible applique, and machine quilting to create this masterpiece honoring Lilies of the Valley.  She notes that climate change has impacted many natural events. For example, the majority of the maple syrup is now produced in Canada, having shifted north of the border. "Late every spring, I look for Lilies of the Valley, which are called May Blooms in German.  I wonder, with global warming and climate change, will they become April Blooms?"

Summer Light Brigade by Diane Melms (Alaska)

Here is a stunning tribute to fireflies, created with cotton, hand dyed fabric, tulle, paint, and beads.  Diane Melms has managed to capture the glow of fireflies against the dark forested background.  She says, "On warm summer nights, the flickering glow of fireflies would light up the back yard of my family home. The magical light left me mesmerized as these tiny flying lights blinked their way into my heart."  The hand stitching captures the meandering paths of the fireflies.

Sadly, firefly populations are disappearing due to habitat loss, pollution, and many other factors. "We can conserve firefly populations by protecting biodiversity hotspots that support firefly species, and by prohibiting the harvesting of wild fireflies... we can also turn off our outside lights, reduce our use of toxic chemicals, and create natural firefly habitats."

Texas Wild Rice by Nancy Costea

Texas Wild Rice focuses on this graceful but fragile plant that only survives in a two-mile stretch of the San Marcos River in Hays County, Texas. Its long leaves float under water while its stems rise above when the rice blooms. In this elegant art quilt, Nancy Costea used couched yarn to represent the delicate stems, while hand cut and polished copper pieces depict the grains of rice, shown below. 

Iridescent ribbons were used to accentuate the undulating leaves of the plant. The black background represents the sky and creates a dramatic contrast with the green leaves.  Nancy Costea says that educating the public about this plant, and cordoning off the area where it grows, are steps that could help to preserve this unique species.

In Awe by Ruthann Adams (Utah)

This photo printed quilt depicts a spot on the Anasazi Trail beside Quail Creek in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve in Washington County, Utah. This area is not well known, and probably the best way to preserve it is to keep it that way. Ruthann Adams says, "I call this quilt In Awe, because that is the feeling it evokes." 

Ruthann has captured the ethereal beauty of this desert scene with digital photography, enhanced with quilting and painting.  The colors of the landscape can be seen in these closeup photos.  A small waterfall, cascading into a pool, is shown below.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum in Utah. As of August 2021, many of the pieces can be purchased at the Connecting Our Natural Worlds web page.

The Best of Digital Quilts (2)

Digital printing technology has changed every industry it has touched, including quilting. Anything you can view or design on a computer can be printed onto fabric, then quilted ! We're featuring award-winning fabric artists who have inspired us with their creative works.

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A Shared Destiny by Patricia Kennedy-Zafred, Pennslvania,  photo by Quilt Inspiration

Patricia notes, "The dramatic faces of these Native American chiefs inspired the bold colors and patterns of the hand-dyed fabric and mandated the bold, impressive size; yet, the softness in their eyes seems perfectly suited to the quilt medium. (The original images are by Edward S. Curtis, courtesy of the Library of Congress).

Close-up, A Shared Destiny

Patricia did an outstanding job of creating a multi-colored quilt which displays the dignity, intensity, and purposeness of these chiefs. Her techniques include machine piecing, fused applique, hand-dyeing, and silk screening. For materials, she used cotton fabric, Procion dyes, textile inks, fusible web, and rayon and cotton threads.

Blossoming by Diane Rusin Doran,  Maryland,  photo by Quilt Inspiration

Second place winner in the Surface Design Category at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, Diane explains, "This is an interpretation of what I see when standing underneath one of our cherry blossom trees in full bloom, backlit by the afternoon sun. I created the image using digital surface design techniques and digital collage, enhancing it with free-motion machine quilting."

Close-up,  Blossoming

We love this gorgeous array of sunset colors - peaches, pinks, apricots, and mauves which make it easy to visualize the light shining through the trees. Diane's technique was digital and professional fabric printing on hand-dyed cotton sateen fabric, with cotton threads for machine quilting.

Happy 80th Birthday, Mama, by Sarah Ann Smith
Maine

Sarah Ann notes, "My mother's 80th birthday quilt depicts three generations. My mother worked in Japan in 1946-47 and fell in love with the country, so I selected a Japanese theme. On the top is Mom's family. In the center is my immediate family and Mom's siblings as adults. Finally, the youngest generation, including my sons, is at the bottom."

Close-up, Happy 80th Birthday, Mama

Sarah Ann's wonderful work is machine appliqued and quilted. It will surely be a treasured family heirloom.

New York Windows 1449, by Marilyn Henrion 
New York

The description card reads, "As a lifelong New Yorker, Henrion's work is always deeply rooted in the urban geometry of her surroundings..... This is one of a series of works that focuses on the metaphorical implications of windows....Windows are the visual bridge between inside and out. Though transparent, the window may serve as the barrier or the link between the viewer and the world beyond. To those outside, it may reflect the world or provide one with a glimpse of the inside. To those inside, it may shield them from the reality outside of offer a connection to it.

Close-up,  New York Windows

This quilt depicts Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan surrounded by the megalithic structures of Wall St. commerce. The three concentric circles of the quilting design symbolize the Christian Godhead. Marilyn's techniques included hand quilting with the contemporary technology of digitally manipulated photography, along with pigment printing on silk. We really admire how Marilyn has fused the present and past by using both traditional and contemporary techniques in working with this intriguing subject matter.

Slate Mine Vanadium by Susan Szajer
New Mexico

Susan writes, "In the copper-rich hills of southwest New Mexico, basic shack-like structures house mining shafts and equipment used many years ago. These abandoned structures have outlived their use and are examples of irresponsible industrial practices and abuse of our natural resources."

According to the Live Science website, Vanadium is a medium-hard, steel-blue metal. Although a lesser-known metal, it is quite valuable in the manufacturing industry due to its malleable, ductile and corrosion-resistant qualities. 

Close-up Slate Mine Vanadium

Susan's techniques include hand-embroidery, machine-piecing and quilting, along with photo transferring, hand-dyeing, and dye painting. Her work makes an important statement on a very timely and relevant topic.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2018 Brigham City Art Quilt Invitational (New York Windows) and the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Our Canine Friends

Dogs are often our best friends, which explains why more than a third of all homes own at least one dog. As the book Marley and Me: says: "A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his.” Here's a tribute to our canine friends, as shown by some of our favorite dog quilts from the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

King Charles by Virginia Greaves (Georgia, USA)

We loved this handsome dog portrait by Virginia Greaves.  Virginia says, "This is my little contribution to the 2017 IQA Silent Auction. It’s from a picture I took some time ago, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that I saw in passing."

On her website, Virginia Greaves says: "Through the progression of years, my work has become more focused on portraits. I find them challenging when portrayed in fabric, both commercial prints and hand dyes, and I delight in finding that little spark in each individual and showing it in my work."

Cruisin' by Lea McComas (Colorado, USA)

This is the third in Lea McComas' series "A Dog's Life." She says, "This is a great way to spend an afternoon - the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and your human at the wheel." The composition was inspired by a photo taken by Alicia Urie of Boulder, Colorado.  The image was not printed to fabric, but was the inspiration for the pattern that was made and used for this piece.

Cruisin' was created with fused applique and thread painting.  Lea McComas used commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabrics; polyester organza; and a variety of threads to create this piece.

Daddy's Boy by Kay Donges (Georgia, USA)

Kay Donges says, "A trip to our local quilt store inspired me to create this quilt. The owner of the store had her dog, Chester, there because the dog gets upset when her husband has to travel. My husband had placed his jacket and hat on a bench by the door. We walked away, then turned around, and Chester was lying on the coat and hugging the hat."

Kay used fusible applique with cotton and suedecloth fabric to create Daddy's Boy.  She really captured the dog's emotions in those eyes!

Cookie? PLEEEZE Cookie! by Sarah Ann Smith (Maine, USA)

This little quilt was created by Sarah Ann Smith to honor her beloved pug.  Sarah says, "I wanted to try a portrait in completely non-representational colors.  For the Dallas Quilt Guild 2010 challenge, I used the opportunity to make our pug's portrait.  I selected lights, mediums and darks... the turquoise became the background, quilted with doggie cookies in his dreams."

Sarah Ann Smith was one of two debut artists in the Rising Stars exhibit at International Quilt Festival Houston 2017. You can see a photo of Sarah with her dog on her website.

Green Dog with Orange Ball by Cindy Cooksey (California, USA)

Cindy Cooksey says, "Inspiration can appear like graffiti, often unbidden, and it is the job of an artist to recognize and interpret it however she can. In this case, I was inspired by the soulful gaze and graceful pose of my sister-in-law's dog, Gaia.  I attempted to elevate her into an iconic figure, and I added the orange bll, just because she seemed to need one."

Cindy achieved a wonderful modern art effect with her choice of colors, fabrics and motifs. Green Dog was hand embroidered, machine appliqued and quilted, and painted.

Puppy Love by Lea McComas (Colorado, USA)

Lea McComas says, "There is nothing so pure and joyous as the unconditional affection of a new puppy.  We should all wag more and bark less."

Puppy Love was created with fused applique using commercial and hand-dyed cotton fabrics.  The thread painting was done with cotton and polyester thread.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.