Nancy Morgan quilt from Visions Challenge 08-15-10

This is the third (of three) 12x12 quilts I purchased at the Visions Art Quilt Gallery this summer. When I checked online for "Nancy Morgan", I discovered there a quite a few people by that name and several of them are quiltmakers. This Nancy Morgan has lived her entire life in Maine and much of her work expresses the sights she sees.

"Night Bloom" Nancy Morgan (Maine) 12" x 12"

This is the picture Nancy sent to me and I include it so you can see the true color of this wonderful flower.

The pictures I took came out with a strong blue tone. If you click on the pictures you can see the very fine stipple quilting in the background. I didn't include an image of the back - it is plain black and smooth (the stitching doesn't show on the back).

Nancy explains her technique: "Fabric is layered, stitched on a sewing machine using the free motion technique, and the excess fabric is cut away for each element of the piece. Thread and tulle are then used as shading or accent."

You can see more of Nancy's work on her website: www.nancymorganart.com

Thom Atkins quilt in TCQC 08-01-10

This is another of the 12"x12" quilts I recently purchased from the Visions member's challenge exhibit at Visions Art Quilt Gallery in San Diego. The challenge was titled "Fantasy Flowers". The image of the whole quilt is about right in color, while the closeups, even though I corrected the color in my computer, are way too pink. Sorry!

"Gold Scarab" Thom Atkins - Santa Cruz, CA 12" x 12" Machine raw edge applique, machine quilting, hand beaded.

This golden guy is almost too much like a spider for this arachnophobe - but two fewer legs make a difference.

I have seen Thom's work at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara and it always attracts a crowd. He is very adept at presenting visual impact from a distance and intricate, fascinating detail up close. I'm very pleased to have this piece in the TCQC.

The edges are faced rather than bound, using the same fabric as the background - a heavy silk faille.

Thom has a life time of art experience and an interesting, informative website: www.thomatkins.com

Visions Art Quilt Gallery and Julia 05-17-10

I drove down to San Diego today to attend a program by Julia Zgliniec, Certified Appraiser, at the Visions Art Quilt Gallery. I haven't been down there for at least a year and had forgotten what a buzz that place gives me. It is such a great space and Beth Smith, the new Director, and all the volunteers were very helpful and friendly.

Julie Zgliniec, Appraiser, at the door into the Gallery. Julia is the appraiser I use for the TCQC, so we are well acquainted after all the years she has been looking at the Collection. After ten years it is past time to have some of the quilts reappraised - the market changes and the values change either up (hopefully) or down. She had a lot of information to share about the process of appraising and the audience asked intelligent questions that seem to be of interest to everyone. She does do programs for quilt guilds - for more information check: http://www.quilthistory.com/teachers/zgliniec.htm

The current exhibit includes quilts by three quiltmakers with very different styles and techniques: Valerie Goodwin, Katherine K. Allen, and Kent Williams. I am most familiar with Valerie's work since one of her very early pieces is in the TCQC - nothing like what she is creating today. But I still enjoy it and can see a continuity in the work she is showing at the Gallery.

Displayed in the entrance 'hall' are the entries in the "Exotic Flowers" the 12" x 12" challenge done by Quilt Visions members . The quality of the work is quite good and there is a great range of styles and motifs. This is a fund raiser for the Gallery, so if you should visit be sure to take your check book or your credit card - there are some real treasures available.

The picture of Julia I took today, but the picture of the exterior and the view of the gorgeous front desk were taken on previous visits.

Lunch 05-07-09

I drove to San Diego today to pick up a quilt that I purchased at the Visions 2008 exhibit. Although the exhibit came down March 1st, I have been in and out of town, so I asked them to hold it for me to pick up. I didn't realize it would be two months! Now that I have it I will show it at the first meeting of the Surfside Quilters Guild on May 12th at 10am (San Clemente Presbyterian Church). I am presenting "Old and New: Quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection" for their inaugural program. I have also recently received the two quilts I bought at the Quilt National opening in May 2007 - they have been traveling with other quilts from the same venue.

The Gallery has a very nice exhibit of Elizabeth Busch's quilts. I've always admired her work, but others have purchased the quilts that I liked the most before I had a chance. There are several in this exhibit that I covet, but now I don't have the funds - bummer! I'll keep trying.

On my way home on I-5 I exited on Del Mar Heights Road and had lunch at Sammy's Pizza in the shopping center. As I sat reading the menu I discovered that there is a Sammy's at Liberty Center - where the Visions Art Quilt Gallery is located! Next time. Anyway, I have always been amused by this little shelf of grass as part of Sammy's decor, but feel it is lacking a focus. So, today I added a focus - if you go there look to see if they have removed it. I really wanted a bird, but couldn't find anything of the right size. However, real frogs do hop around in the grass.

I should have taken a picture immediately because lunch hour hadn't started and there weren't that many customers. By the time I was ready to take the picture all the tables were full. I told the guys at the table below this that I wanted a picture of the beaded lamps. Well, I couldn't tell them I wanted to take a picture of the frog, could I?

Quilt by Jill Rumoshosky Werner 03-01-09

"Discombobulated" Jill Rumoshosky Werner 2001 2"W x 9.5 YARDS L 2001

Hand dyed fabrics by the artist. Machine pieced and quilted http://www.wernerstudio.com/

Part of Jill's Emotions series, the name of this quilt means "upset, confused, frustrated". Appropriately, it can never be exhibited in exactly the same way twice. Although it has all the 'requirements' of a quilt, it steps into the realm of sculpture and challenges the viewer's concept of both quilts and sculpture. This quilt has traveled the country, appearing in museums, quilt shows and exhibits, including the prestigious Art Quilts at the Whistler in Lowell, MA.

When I first saw a listing for this quilt I thought there was a typo and it should have shown as 2"W X 9.5"L, but, when I inquired, Jill sent back an image of the quilt that explained the unusual measurements - 2" wide by 9.5 YARDS long is correct. I was amazed and enchanted, so I purchased the piece from her. It was traveling at the time and for several years spent more time in exhibits than it did in my house, which was fine by me. I think this is a ground breaking quilt that helps expand the way people think of quilts. It is always a topic of conversation and when I do presentations I challenge the audience to find something about it that is not a quilt. It has batting, is pieced, quilted, bound (hand finished on the back). It can lay on a bed, hang on a wall or be draped on a piece of furniture. When Jill showed it to a group of children as part of a presentation about quilts she had a group of them stand together and she wrapped the quilt around all of them to show that people could even wrap up in it! Some people will never accept this as a quilt, or as a work of art, but a few viewers are always 'won over' to the quilt view.

This quilt was displayed like this when it was part of the exhibit "Quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection" at the Visions Gallery of Art Quilts in San Diego in summer 2007.

A Gallery & a Museum 02-04-08

My drive on Sunday was to see the exhibit at the Visions Art Quilt Gallery and to drop by the Grand Opening of the new Oceanside Museum of Art.

The exhibit at VAQG is from California Fibers, a local group that was formed in 1970 and has a limited membership of 25. The work includes quilts, tapestries, baskets, wearables. It is their first time at this new gallery.

I do enjoy visiting the redevelopment area where the Gallery is located. It was the Navy Training Center for many years, but is now being developed as "Liberty Station", a 'destination' - galleries, restaurants, stores, etc. There is a Trader Joe's grocery, Starbucks, Panera restaurant, Von's groceries.. and a number of other places open, a large church meets in one of the buildings on Sundays and there is a dance studio in operation. Many of the buildings, perhaps most, have yet to be refurbished and rented, but things have progressed since the VAQG moved in almost a year ago. And the Watercolor Society of SDiego has a lovely gallery in the same building. You can find info about the development at http://www.sandiego.gov/ntc/ or http://www.libertystation.com/

For info about the VAQG see http://www.quiltvisions.org/

The only drawback I can see (hear?) is that the airplanes from the San Diego airport take off directly overhead. It can be deafening! But the grounds are very nice with large trees, a rose garden and many buildings from the early 20th Century.

The Oceanside Museum of Art is where the Visions exhibits are held every other year. The quilts have been selected for 2008 and I was surprised that there are about the same number as previous years. It turns out that the old portion of OMA is now offices and the gift shop and all the galleries are in the new building. There appears to be only slightly more wall space than there was before. Disappointing.

I purposely did not arrive until about an hour after the opening started because I am not fond of crowds. But there were still a LOT of people visiting the galleries. The exhibit is of early 20th Century plein air paintings of the San Diego area, all are very nice and some are quite wonderful. In one small area, all by itself and with a solitary lady on guard, was a lovely Sam Maloof chair that apparently has been donated to the museum. A treasure, indeed. Altogether I had a lovely Spring day looking at art and enjoying great weather. ....and limited traffic!

Visions Art Quilt Gallery

The new Visions Art Quilt Gallery in San Diego provides Southern California with great venue to see art quilts from all over. This project is a non-profit, volunteer effort and they need support from everyone, everywhere! Check the website at http://www.quiltvisions.org/ to find directions. It was a thrill for me to have quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection showing this summer. Tomorrow the third exhibit will open: "Quilts by Elizabeth Barton, Fran Skiles and Katie Pasquini Masopust" and I will be there for the opening reception. Along with a couple hundred others, I hope. This gallery in San Diego will not house the biennial Visions juried exhibit, which will continue to be shown at Oceanside Museum of Art in Oceanside, CA - the next exhibit will be in the fall of 2008.