Sitka Art Invitational at World Forestry Center November 4 - 6

Jean Wells Keenan has been working on a collabrative project with Patty Bently, an oil painter from Portland, Oregon.

The art above, called "Santiam Pass," is a a set of five separate panels. Pieces 1,3,and 5 are paintings by Patty, while pieces 2 and 4 are quilts made by Jean. The art will be on display at the 2011 Sitka Art Invitational Show to be held November 4, 5 & 6 at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon.

The two artists came up with the idea of commemorating the 2003 B&B Complex Fire along the Santiam Pass. A simple sketch of the landscape and selecting a color palette were the starting points. Jean first pieced the land in panels 2 and 4, then sent the work to Patty, who did the preliminary paintings on panels 1, 3 and 5.

After the base work was complete, Jean and Patty met again to plan the placement of the tree snags and the details to be added to all five panels, that would unite the panels into one flowing work.

Jean added the tree snags, quilted her pieces, finished them with art facings and returned the panels to Patty. Patty finished the paintings and took the peices to a framer. The quilts hang free from the top and the paintings are stretched over frames that are about 3/4" in width. A dimensional feeling is created when you look at the piece.

If you are in the Portland area, stop by the 2011 Sitka Art Invitational Show and enjoy all the marvelous artwork on display November 4-6th.

Greetings from Your New SAQA Co-Reps

Hello Oregon SAQA Members

This is our first communication as the new representatives. Let us introduce ourselves: Betty Daggett, from Portland, is a long time quilter who began making art quilts four years ago. Photography inspires much of her work as the camera's lens gives her a new perspective for viewing the world. Betty has been involved with several quilt groups in her community over the past fifteen years. She is an active member in Columbia Fiber Arts Guild in Portland and was the Membership Chairperson for that organization for two years. Taking classes has expanded her techniques to create quilts with many layers. Jean Wells Keenan of Sisters is well known in the quilting community for being the founder of the Outdoor Quilt Show and as co-owner of The Stitchin' Post for 36 years. She has written 38 books on quilting, traveled the country and internationally teaching quilting as well as lecturing on business in the industry. Quilting has always been her passion and her interest in art quilting began about eight years ago. Nature is her inspiration for color as well as imagery.

We both are looking forward to our term as your representatives. Our goals are to help personalize SAQA to the members and extend the learning environment and participation in show entries. Parlor meetings seem to be a good way of gathering together like-minded people to further develop the members as art quilters. The Eugene area and Central Oregon have established meetings. Some help is needed in the Portland area and rest of the state to form similar parlor groups to increase individual participation and growth as art quilters in the state.

We are both in the process of digesting the web site and want to have a one-day state conference in the fall of 2012 in the Portland area.

Please feel free to communicate with either Betty or myself.
Jean Wells

Ann Johnston Teaches Dye & Quilt Design Classes in Lake Oswego

Ann Johnston will hold a series of fabric dyeing and quilt design workshops in her Lake Oswego studio in 2012. To ensure maximum individualized attention, class size will be limited to four participants. Registration opens January 10, 2012. Registration closes for all workshops February 10, 2012.

For more information: www.annjohnston.net or annjohnstonquilts@gmail.com

1. Begin with Color by Accident: Low-Water Immersion Dyeing
3 days, May 12-14, 2012

A fast-paced run-through of the possibilities with new variations offered by the low-water immersion dyeing approaches introduced by Ann in her book Color by Accident

2. Add Dye Painting and Printing to Your Options
4 days, May 17-20, 2012

An introduction to all the basic surface design techniques with thick and thin dye, using brushes & rollers, stamps & blocks, stencils & screens.

3. Silk Only—Understanding the Alternatives
5 days, May 23-27, 2012

An exploration of dyeing a wide variety of silks using methods such as painting, printing and immersion with soda ash, citric aid and vinegar, including the selective removal of sericin. Some experience with Procion MX dyes required.

4. Focused Dyeing
5 days, July 20-24, 2012

Is there a particular texture or pattern or theme or color that you want to use for a quilt or series of quilts? Consider it a puzzle to solve in this workshop. Some experience with Procion MX dyes required.

5. Untangle Your Design Decisions
5 days, November 1-5, 2012

A personalized exploration of the elements of design—line, shape, color, value, pattern, texture—to answer that constant question: “Now what do I do?”

6. Using Your Own Hand-dyed Fabric
5 days, November 8-12, 2012

Bring a pile of your own hand-dyed fabrics to build on the ideas that prompted dyeing it or on ideas that are suggested to you by the fabric.