Naomi Adams–Quilt National ‘11

Congratulations to SAQA Texas quilter, Naomi Adams, who was juried into Quilt National ‘11 with her quilt “Greek”.  She was also given the award for Most Innovative Use of the Medium.

Quilt National 2011:  The Best of Contemporary Quilts has been released by Lark Books.  You will be pleased to see that the photo reproduction of the artwork in this catalog is considerably better than the last one.  In a number of cases, a detail photo has been included.

Houston Circle Meeting–July 9

Our next meeting will again be at the home of Mary Ann Littlejohn in West University, starting at 10:30.  We look forward to seeing what you are working on this summer.  Please bring it and any other interesting things you  have for show and tell. 

We will be discussing what you would like to see us do in our group.  Are you interested in studying design principles, demos of techniques, or visits to galleries or exhibits?  

We will be viewing “Stitched” the film.  Some members have not seen it yet and several, who have seen it, requested to see it again.

Bring something to share for lunch.

Please RSVP to Mary Ann at houstonsaqa@gmail.com for more information or directions.

San Antonio/Austin Circle Meeting

The next meeting of the Austin/San Antonio Circle will be on July 9, 2011, at 10:00 am, at the home of Dee Merrell, in Dripping Springs.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A CHANGE OF VENUE FROM PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS.

At our July meeting, we still plan to get some inspiration from the world around us, as we gather materials from around Dee's home to use for making sun prints.

Sara Sharp will lead us in playing with sunprints. To participate, you need to bring some white fabric that has been washed and ironed. (It does NOT need to be soda-soaked.) Sara has worked most often with 100% cotton fabric, but we can experiment with other fibers. The size of the pieces we can use will depend on how many people attend and how much table space is available, as each piece needs to dry flat.

If you have it, please also bring Transparent setacolor fabric paints. There will be some available to share, so if you don't already have some, just be prepared to reimburse those who bring paint.

You may also want to bring some things from home to use as a resist/print item. Sara suggests things like paperclips, hangers, stencils - anything that will produce a definite shape.

If you have some board or strong cardboard you can cover with plastic, you might want to bring that along to move your piece(s) from the tables to the ground in order to make room for more pieces at the tables.

Please contact Dee (dee+saqa@merrell.org) to let her know you are coming and get directions.

Bring something to share for lunch, and, if you wish, bring a towel and swim clothes to cool off in the pool.

Enjoy the holiday weekend, and see you on the 9th!

Texas Reps Meet in Austin

The four Texas co-reps met this  past weekend at Lynne Allen's lovely home in Austin.  We enjoyed getting to know each other and catching up on what SAQA is doing in different areas of the state. 

Lynne Allen, Mary Ann Littlejohn, Kathy Mayhew, Heather Pregger

Among the items discussed was the SAQA trunk show which will be travelling to as many different venues as we can schedule. We are finalizing the Call for Entries for the SAQA-TX @ Houston 2011.  The details will be announced soon so you can start working on ideas for your entries.  We think you will be happy to know that your work will be for sale this year.

The SAQA-TX 2010 trunk show may be going to one more venue, after which the quilts will be returned to the artists.

We welcome announcements to post on this blog about interesting art events in your community and honors or exhibits including our members     Please send details to Kathy or Mary Ann.

Juror Appreciation

SAQA member Sue Reno has shared on her blog about the recent Images 2011 show in Pennsylvania. The most striking and delicious thing to me (aside from the beautiful fiber pieces, of course!) was the juror statement she shared.

Ron Rumford, gallery director wrote:

"Upon reviewing all submissions for Images 2011, a particularly strong group of textile works set the bar high. Their structures--piece quilts built from shapes of cloth and constructed by stitching are from a grand tradition of functional and utilitarian work that now straddles high art with highly sophisticated design, pattern and color and the folk art tradition of quilt making. The approach of these 6 artists varies significantly and this strengthened the impact within the overall pool of submissions. It soon became clear that these works would become the fulcrum on which the exhibition wanted to be balanced.

From the show's website:

Images, a juried mid-Atlantic regional exhibition for fine art and fine craft is now in its twenty-third year. It has evolved into a well-respected show for both emerging and established artists.

Congratulations to Sue and all the other artists, and how wonderful to see a juror who really 'gets' the fiber and textile arts!