Quilt Festival - Long Beach 08-09-11

I'm only posting photos of two of the quilts in this exhibit, although the others are worthy.  I've got to stop somewhere! 

http://lighthouseartquilt.com/

Hanging side by side I was struck all over again with thoughts of how everyone's vision is different.  On the left an abstract with realistic sections and on the right strict realism.  I like and appreciate both.  Mary Leakey (whose name is misspelled on the label) is my very good friend and I was delighted to see her quilt shown in this exhibit.  It is a special pleasure to know someone well enough that they are willing to share their thoughts and process as they develop an idea for a quilt.  When Mary asks for comments I give them honestly and when she doesn't, I try to keep my mouth shut.   She continues to grow in her creativity and her technique. 

 

  

 Mary's diamond patchwork sky is especially nice, I think, and the detail on the light and its surrounding railing is perfect.  The lupine was cause for lots of experimenting with technique and types of fabric which resulted in an effective, but not overpowering foreground.

www.backporchfabrics.com

Here is another combination of abstract and realism.  What led Gail to think of the buffalo in connection with the lighthouse?   The buffalo fabric?  A memory from her past?  An article in a magazine about the Pacific Improvement Company's "Catalo" experiment?  One question that quilters are frequently asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?".  It is a question that has no defining answer.  Usually  the original idea has a combination of sources - sort of a patchwork in itself. 

Gail has a fabulous "fabric eye", which is a big reason why I so enjoy shopping at her store, Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove, CA.  Nice use of the McKenna Ryan trees that melt into the sky and into the descending layers of hillside and sea. 

I am always intriqued by these "strip" quilts where a group of quilters divide up a photograph and each interprets her section with her own design sense and fabric library.  I think this is a particularly nice example of this genra. 

Using a watery background fabric that has certainly come from her "stash" this member of the group has used very simple shapes to indicate the life-vested people in this sailboat - two children and their father, undoubtedly.

This build is sliced by a division between the strips and there is a nice transition in the scene from one section to the next.  I believe this is a bank building, but I haven't been to Boston for about forty years, so I could be mistaken.  

www.heidilund.com

This very colorful quilt seemed to be popular with viewers - when I was trying to take a picture I had to wait for several pair of ladies who stopped to admire it.  It was part of the Celebrate Spring! exhibit.

 

 

It is very heavily machine quilted. 

This is the last post about Quilt Festival - Long Beach '11.  If you would like to see more quilts go to the virtual exhibit:  http://www.quilts.com/lbqf11/enVivo/index.html