Colorado Colours

As you will have noticed, I like to take photos especially when I travel. Even if the resulting photos are not great compositions, a camera is a great tool for capturing shapes, mood and colour. Over on Art and Quilts, cogitations thereon, Elizabeth has an interesting post showing how you can use your computer to reduce the resolution on your photos as to distil the basic colours and the proportions that they are used.

I went through a similar exercise (but without the aid of a computer) when creating one of my few hexagon quilts as part of my online City & Guilds course:

This weekend I will be back in Denver, Colorado. Let’s see if the winter colours yield new inspiration.

Aquatic Inspiration

After weeks of “thinking pink”, I was naturally drawn to this unusual anenome at the aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences yesterday:

but I found some blue and white (with a dash of black) jellies too. This is the new challenge palette for Twelve by Twelve:

You can’t got past some colour combinations found in nature. For example, yellow and blue:

Visiting with Joe the Quilter

Yesterday the Laundry King and I separated - a strategy I heartily recommend when you are travelling and otherwise in each other’s company 24/7. He went shopping and met up with some former work colleagues for lunch and I caught the 1 California bus to vist Joe the Quilter at his lower Pacific Heights studio.

I’ll write more about the visit when I next have access to broadband. Today I’m off to the de Young to take in the Amish Abstractions quilt exhibition (for which Joe wrote a catalogue essay). A feast for the eyes I’m sure!

A Change in the Weather

A Change in the Weather is an exhibition of contemporary quilts made by an online group of textile artists from Australia and New Zealand. The members of this group generally only ever meet in person if there is a quilt symposium where a number of them are teaching but nevertheless have maintained a connection and dialogue for nearly ten years.

The geographical spread of the members of the Twelve by Twelve Collaborative Art Quilt Project present challenges for getting together in person. Nevertheless, last week there was a gathering of four Twelves in Healdsburg, California when Helen visited Diane with surprise appearances by Gerrie and Karen. What fun! More lines added to our meeting matrix:

Quilting Art Inspiration

Quilting Art: Inspiration, Ideas & Innovative Works from 20 Contemporary Quilters celebrates the works and insights of twenty contemporary quilters from across the United States with over 150 colour photos and profiles penned by Spike Gillespie. And there are studio peeks too.

Featured artists include Lisa Call, Jeanne Williamson, Robbi Joy Eklow, Joanie San Chirico, Deidre Adams and Pam Rubert.

Inspiration from Ingrid Press

Ingrid Press is a traditional quilter, only she isn’t. To see what I mean, pop over to the Guest Corner on SEWN. Ingrid doesn’t have a website so thank you to Sarah for bringing us this profile and so many inspiring quilt images and thank you Erica for bringing this to my attention.

Amish Abstractions

This is the catalogue for the forthcoming exhibition at the De Young fine arts museum in San Francisco: Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown.

The exhibition runs from 14 November 2009 — 6 June 2010 and features approximately 48 quilts dating from the 1880s to the 1940s that have been made in Amish communities in Pennsylvania and the Midwest. I am so excited that it will be on when I am in SFO this December!

AMQAS Gallery & Bid-4A-Cause

Images of the prize winning quilts from last week’s Australian Machine Quilting Association Show can now be viewed on the AMQA Blog.

And more A4 textile works are displayed on the Bid-4A-Cause blog.

Made in New Zealand II

Made in New Zealand II is the largest collection of New Zealand quilts ever assembled to travel overseas. The exhibition was curated by Anne Scott, editor of New Zealand QUILTER magazine, and showcases the talents and diversity of New Zealand quiltmakers and will be on display at the 15th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork in Ste Marie-aux-Mines from 17-20 September 2009.

A full colour, bi-lingual (French and English) catalogue is available from New Zealand QUILTER and it has been my pleasure to put together this online gallery which contains detailed artist statements in French and English.

SAQA Benefit Auction 2009

It’s remarkable what diverse effects can be achieved in a 12×12in textile work. The Studio Art Quilts Associates 2009 Benefit Auction started today and there is a wonderful array of quilts to admire and to consider adding to your collection. There is also some interesting video commentary on many, maybe all, of the pieces.

Meanwhile, it’s only 3 weeks until the Twelve by Twelve Collaborative Art Quilt Project reveal their “Twelve” themed works. I’ve finished mine but I might have another one brewing.