Saturday, February 25, 2017

Meet SAQA Oregon Member Paulette Landers

Paulette Landers of Rainier, Oregon



1. How would you describe the work that you make? Do you have an elevator speech? Have you found your "artistic voice"?

My work can be described as Mixed Media Textile Collage.  I work experimentally, always asking “What if …?” -- each work building on the previous ones.  It is a process of evolution and discovery.  I work in an abstract style because it allows me to give form to the intangibility of ideas or dreams.  I experiment with that form as far as it will allow me.  I do not make a sketch.  Instead, I write what I call “Mind Sketch”, a series of ideas to guide me along the way.  I find the “Mind Sketch” more useful to me.  It avoids setting a pre-established image and instead, it allows me to work with the image in progress.  In this intuitive process, it is the adventure and the unknown which appeal to me.

2. What brought you to making fiber art? What is your art, sewing, or fiber background? When did you make your first quilt that you considered "art"?

I cannot remember a time when I did not work with fabric.  I have a B.A. in Fiberarts from California State University, Fullerton.  I like working on large textile pieces.  But I have found that miniature works are also challenging.  They are like trying to write a story with as few words as possible and still convey an impression.  It is an excellent approach to test out ideas.

3. Describe the steps involved in your art-making process.

The evolution of my work involves a number of key stages:  underpainting; working with dyes and fabric paints to add texture and basic shapes; collage of hand-dyed fabric to simplify and balance areas of interest; using surface design for lines and details; and finally, stitching the work.

4. What is your one favorite or most common source of inspiration?

Dreams or deep contemplation often inspire the beginning of a work.  But, since I work intuitively, often the work itself conjures up ideas and images which lead me to unexpected ending.

5. Do you enter your work in shows? What would you say have been your top three exhibits?

I love to show my work in major exhibits.  My favorite venues have been Visions Art Museum, Art Quilt Elements, and Quilts=Art=Quilts.

6. Describe your studio space.

Over the years, I have had a number of studio spaces.  Currently I have a studio in North Bend and one in Rainier.  I love the space and serenity of my North Bend studio.  It provides me with complete escape.




7. How much time do you spend on your art? How do you balance your life between art, family, friends, day job, etc.?

On most days, I spend 4-6 hours in my studio.  I feel something is missing if I am away for too long.

8. Do you work in other mediums or use unusual materials in your work?

As Mixed Media Textile Collage, my work offers so many ways to create an imagery.  I use whatever a work calls for to achieve my visions.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

SAQA Oregon Newsletter - February 2017

The four SAQA Oregon groups are meeting this month.

Our SAQA Oregon Regional Exhibition Committee is preparing for our juried “Bridge” Oregon Regional Exhibit, open for submissions from May 1-31. The “Blending Poetry & Cloth” Oregon Regional Exhibit will open at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg on April 4th.

We have secured the venue for our third SAQA Oregon Regional Conference, October 18, 2018 at Lane Community College, Center for Meeting and Learning in Eugene. A SAQA Oregon Regional Conference Committee will be formed this year.

Sherri Culver and I will be finishing up our terms as Regional Co-Representatives this year. If you are interested in serving as a Regional Co-Representative, please contact marion.shimoda@gmail.com or sherriculverquilts@gmail.com or Desiree Vaughn, SAQA’s Regional Rep Coordinator, repscoordinator@saqa.com for more information and an application form.

Thanks to Marjorie Post for submitting her Member Profile.

The 2017 SAQA Conference, “Creation to Curation”, will be held April 27-30 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Layered Voices SAQA Exhibition will open at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum during the conference. The 2017 SAQA Trunk Show will premier at the conference. There is still time to submit a piece of art to the SAQA Spotlight Auction by February 24th. The pieces will be sold in a silent auction at the conference banquet and proceeds of sales will benefit SAQA’s exhibition programs.

In this Newsletter:
1. Requests for Input and Participation
2. SAQA Oregon Regional Exhibits
3. SAQA Oregon Pods
4. SAQA Oregon Blog and SAQA Oregon Facebook Group

Marion Shimoda
SAQA Oregon Regional Co-Representative

marion.shimoda@gmail.com

1. Requests for Input and Participation

SAQA OREGON MEMBER PROFILES are requested for the SAQA Oregon blog. Please visit our blog at http://saqaoregon.blogspot.com/p/saqa-oregon-member-profiles.html to see our Member Profiles and for information on submitting your own Member Profile.

2. SAQA Oregon Regional Exhibits


The exhibit will open on April 4th at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg, Oregon. The address for the center is 415 E Sheridan St, Newberg, OR 97132. The center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm.

On Saturday, April 8th the Newberg Camellia Festival Run/Walk talks place and about 4000 people will be in attendance. This will be wonderful exposure for the exhibit. As a result of this large event the exhibit opening reception will be delayed. As soon as volunteers can agree on a new date it will be publicized.
The installation date for the exhibit will be Monday March 27th starting at 10am. We could use one more volunteer for the installation. Please let Leotie Richards (lotidesignworks@gmail.com) know if you are available.
The exhibit will open at its final venue, Crossroads in Baker City, Oregon on May 31st.

Online submissions will be accepted May 1-May 31, 2017. The complete Bridge prospectus is available on the SAQA site: Bridge Exhibit

The Exhibits committee is beginning to think about the roll out of BRIDGE this summer. We plan on having a catalog and perhaps one or two other collateral pieces to support the exhibit. We are looking for a volunteer with the skills to lead in the development and execution of those pieces. Please contact any committee member for more information if you are interested and available to help.
Please direct any questions or concerns about the Bridge Exhibit to any committee member
SAQA Oregon Regional Exhibit Committee Members
Lynne Goulette (
lynnegoul@gmail.com)
Donna Rice (rice4@bendcable.com)
Deb Sorem (debsorem@gmail.com)
Sherrie Moomey (sherrie.moomey@gmail.com)
Marion Shimoda (marion.shimoda@gmail.com)


3. SAQA Oregon Pods – Rogue Valley, Central Oregon, Portland and Valley-South

SAQA Oregon Pod meeting information is available at: http://saqaoregon.blogspot.com/p/meetings-and-events.htm

ROGUE VALLEY SAQA Pod by Lynne Goulette
 
The Rogue Valley group usually meets on the third Monday of the month at Sew Creative in Ashland. Times and days of meetings may be different, so check in advance with Lynne Goulette: lynnegoul@gmail.com.

The dates for 2017 meetings, all held on the third Monday of each month, except for November (2nd Monday):
January 16, February 20, March 20, April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, August 21, September 18, October 16, November 13, December 18.

For more information you can contact Lynne Goulette at lynnegoul@gmail.com

CENTRAL OREGON SAQA Pod by Jan Tetzlaff

Central Oregon SAQA meets Thursday, Feb. 16th at 3:30 pm at The Stitchin' Post. Sisters artist Dan Rickards will speak about his experience as artist in residence at Crater Lake. Bring Show and Tell.

For more information contact Jan Tetzlaff at jmtathome@hotmail.com

PORTLAND SAQA Pod by Annette McFarlane

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, February 15, 10AM-12PM, at the Beaverton Community Center, 12350 SW 5th St, Beaverton. Our speaker will be Marie Murphy Wolfe with her presentation, "Adventures with a Textile Artist: An India Travelogue". Also please bring show and tell, brags or any new product you're using to share with the group.

Any questions can be sent to Annette McFarlane, annettemcfar@gmail.com

VALLEY-SOUTH SAQA Pod

Valley-South will meet on Friday, Februuary 17th at 2:00 pm at Eugene Textile Center. For those who are available, we will be meeting for lunch at LaPerla on 13th and Pearl for lunch at 12:30 pm. We will discuss the Inspiration artist movement “Les Nabis”. Our meeting will conclude with a demo by Diane English on Textile Preservation.

For more information, contact Katie Walwyn, ktwalwyn@comcast.net or Carolyn Walwyn, carolynwalwyn@gmail.com

4. SAQA Oregon Blog and SAQA Oregon Facebook Group

The SAQA Oregon Blog, www.saqaoregon.blogspot.com, is where public SAQA Oregon Regional information is posted. It is the place to go for up to date information on SAQA Oregon Pod meetings, SAQA Oregon Regional Exhibits and SAQA Oregon Regional Conferences. Resources, calls for entry and other regional news is also available on the blog. The blog also provides links to SAQA Oregon Member websites and blogs. To submit news for the blog, please follow the instructions in the bottom right corner of any blog page.

If you’d like to receive SAQA Oregon Blog posts by email, sign up to “Follow By Email” from any page on the blog.

The SAQA Oregon Facebook Group is a closed group. Information that may be of interest to SAQA Oregon members is posted to the group. Any SAQA member can join the group by going to the Facebook group and requesting to join. Membership is approved within a day.

Marion Shimoda
SAQA Oregon Regional Co-Representative
marion.shimoda@gmail.com

Friday, February 3, 2017

Meet Oregon SAQA Member Marjorie Post

 Meet Majorie Post
www.thedragonflystudio.com



1.  How would you describe the work that you make? Do you have an elevator speech? Have you found your "artistic voice"?

My work has multiple facets and I have utilized many media.  Over time, it has taken many different paths.

2.  What brought you to making fiber art? What is your art, sewing, or fiber background? When did you make your first quilt that you considered "art"?

My love of fiber and fiber art had its roots in my childhood.  I learned to thread a needle and use a thimble long before I started school.  I begged to learn, and if not taught, then taught myself to sew, crochet and knit.  My first “quilt” was hand pieced in little cut squares using pieces of fabric from what was then known as the “rag bag” that hung on a hook in the hallway.  To give me something to so when my Mother was “expecting” my younger brother, she showed me how to sew the squares together with needle and thread to piece a tiny quilt for his crib.  It never got batting or backing, but I was allowed to lay it on his little bed.  My first “art quilt” was created in a class at the Quilt Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee in the 90’s.  It took a second place ribbon in a competition there.


Sundancer by Marjorie Post.

3.  Describe the steps involved in your art-making process.

Though I work in more than one media, my process is generally the same.   Inspiration comes first and this may take hours, days, or even years to develop within my mind.  If art requires fabrics or yarns, I will imagine what colors I suppose using and then proceed to dye the needed materials.  I rarely use sketches since I mentally design and create as I work.


Hailey's Gulch by Marjorie Post.


4.  What is your one favorite or most common source of inspiration?

Nature, i.e. beautiful leaves, flowers, trees; strikingly unusual landscapes; my own photographs.

5.  Do you enter your work in shows? What would you say have been your top three exhibits?

I have entered my work in gallery and quilt shows.  My most memorable exhibits were my first solo show held at the Multnomah Art Center in 1991 and my recent retrospective show at the Portland Expo Center as featured artist for Northwest Quilters 2015.  Among others, I have shown work in several SAQA special shows in Houston and in shows at Coos Bay Art Center. 

Bandolier by Marjorie Post.

6.  Describe your studio space.

My studio is a large, 3-room former apartment on the lower level of my home.  It has a kitchen which is useful for dyeing, laundry and contains refrigeration and cooking facilities.  My former darkroom is my main sewing room with storage for everything and one sewing machine setup.  The large room hold work tables, a second sewing machine, storage for my collection of 7 Featherweight machines, one of each color and style Singer produced.  Also, one of my work tables is, in reality, a hot tub for relaxing a tired back and shoulders after quilting.  Lamps turn on and off with Echo.

 
The Greeting by Marjorie Post.

7.  How much time do you spend on your art? How do you balance your life between art, family, friends, day job, etc.?

I am retired from the corporate world, therefore, I have all the time when I am not cooking, cleaning, shopping and performing all the other necessary tasks of keeping a household and husband running smoothly.

Zineas by Marjorie Post

8.  Do you work in other mediums or use unusual materials in your work?

I have and still do work in many media. My first serious artwork was done in photography while I worked as a customer Service manager for one of the country’s largest insurance companies.  I chose photography because of lack of excess time to devote to leisure and I considered it “instant art”.   I then moved into colored pencil art and became a charter member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.  Quilting was the next step and retirement allowed me time to become a full time quilter.  I developed a series of floral applique patterns that sell around the world.  My series of Landscape quilts provides me with teaching subjects.  Designing beaded jewelry, fashion garments, and knit wear are all work I enjoy.  My newest medium is another fiber passion:  spinning wool for knitting.

Portland Pod Meets February 15

The next Portland Pod Meeting will be on Wednesday, February 15, 10AM-12PM, at the Beaverton Community Center, 12350 SW 5th St, Beaverton.  Our speaker will be Marie Murphy Wolfe with her presentation, “Adventures with a Textile Junkie: An India Travelogue”.  Also please bring show and tell, brags or any new product that you’re using to share with the group.
Questions, annettemcfar@gmail.com