Kathie Kerler Selected for Exhibition and Grant

Kathie Kerler is one of forty artists selected to create work for the upcoming Studio Art Quilt Associates' Radical Elements Exhibition. Each artist will create a new work influenced by an element from the periodic table (Kathie's is #15, phosphorus). Inspirations may come from anything relating to the element, whether it is a play on the name, its color, properties, or the products made from it. As the second part of the Radical Elements theme, the artists are asked to move quilting beyond the usual materials of fabric and thread, exploring the function and decorative properties of different surfaces and stitching materials. Work is due September 2013 and venues are being confirmed.


Kathie has been awarded a Personal Development Grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, which encompasses Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties for Spring 2013.

Two Exhibits at the Architectural Heritage Center, Portland

In addition, you are welcome to attend two artists' educational evening sessions:

Feb.12, 2013, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, there will be a SAQA trunk show not previously seen in Oregon, along with artist demonstrations

March 21, 2013 during the same evening hours, the film "Stitched" will be shown, followed by artist demonstrations.

Bonnie Bucknam To Speak At December Clark County Quilters

Bonnie Bucknam Speaks at December Clark County Quilters

Clark County Quilters General Meeting
December 13, 2012, 7 pm
Members - Free; Visitors $5
Vancouver Church of Christ
9019 NE 86th Street
Vancouver WA

Bonnie Bucknam will be the featured speaker at the December meeting of the Clark County Quilters. Bonnie's quilts have won national and international recognition, including Quilt National 2011 Best of Show. Her quilts are abstract interpretations of the natural world. Her lecture, Sticks and Stones, takes you through the design and construction processes used in her latest two series of works. You'll see her evolution as an artist and follow her creative process through the step-by-step construction of some of her recent quilts.

More information about Bonnie and her work may be found on her website or her blog.

Notes from Elizabeth on the Nov 7 Portland Parlor Meeting

We had a good meeting at Gerrie's house on Wednesday, with about 24 members attending, including two new members.Many thanks, as always, to Gerrie for hosting, and to those who brought delicious home-baked goodies.

A warm welcome to both our new members: Anita Kaplan and Annette Mcfarlane. Please add them to your email lists. We are trying to switch to the more efficient method of using the Yahoo site created by Gerrie for communications. If you haven't yet signed up for this group, please do so as soon as you can.

Some fifteen members brought finished pieces for the "References" challenge - 12" x 12" (sometimes 3D) pieces exploring new ways to create inspired by SAQA's revised definition of the art quilt. We saw some beautiful pieces that included an amazing variety of themes, techniques and materials. The stories that accompanied each piece were equally interesting, giving new life to the idea of "story quilts". If you haven't yet completed a piece, there is still time!

Several members brought new work for Show and Tell, or reported exciting news of acceptance and awards in various shows.

We decided we would not hold a formal meeting in December, but there will be an Open House at my house on Wednesday December 19th from 10 a.m. to 12 midday, to celebrate both the Holiday season, and our first year as a group - yay!!! No formal program (a great chance to catch up on news and gossip without being shushed) but this would be a good opportunity to contribute ideas for what you would like to see happen in the group in 2013.  Betty has offered to bring refreshments; would anyone else like to volunteer?

If you can't make the get-together, please post your ideas to the Yahoo site or email Betty, Gerrie or myself - we need everyone's input to ensure that the group is responsive to your vision for the group's future.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone. See you in December.

Central Oregon Parlor Meeting November 16

Central Oregon's next Parlor Meeting, Nov. 16th.
This Friday the 16th is our meeting from 3 until 5. I had planned for us to meet in Bend at A6000 but she has a COCC class so hopefully we will meet there in January. My classroom is full with 20 students taking a three day workshop. So Kathy Deggerdorfer has offered her Art Works building for us to meet in.

Directions coming from the east.....turn right on Elm St. (Leavitt's and Sister's Market). Go two blocks and turn left.....you will see it on the right. We are meeting in the downstairs room.

I thought we could get together informally with our Whisper groups to begin with then I asked Bev Runner to talk about the different threads she uses for her machine quilting. (She had Ruth appraising one of her stunning art quilts and I was impressed with the thread work and quilting). Any of the rest of you feel free to discuss your thread choices.
Then at 4:00 Judy Hoiness, the painter from Bend that I collaborated with this summer, will talk with us about composition. She will focus on informal balance of shape, color, texture, line, and value.....she has such a trained eye that I think you will enjoy this.

If there are any questions just send them along and let me know if you are NOT coming, otherwise I will see you Friday.
Jean

PS ---I just got a small gift from SAQA for recruiting the most new members in the past two months so thank you all for joining.

Oregon: State of Diversity II Opens at Umpqua Valley Arts Association

Oregon: State of Diversity II opened at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association on Friday, November 2.  The UVAA is located at 1624 W. Harvard, Roseburg, Oregon. The show is up through January 4, 2013.  Stop by!



Ann Johnston Exhibits at Bellevue Arts Museum

Ann Johnston, of Lake Oswego, Oregon will exhibit 3 new works in her series called The Contact.

Bellevue Arts Museum Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet
October 25, 2012 -February 24, 2013
BAM Member Reception  Friday, November 16, 6:30-8:00 pm
510 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
info@bellevuearts.org
425.519.0770
HOURS
Tuesday -Sunday: 11am - 5pm
Free First Friday: 11am - 8pm

About the Exhibit
2012 marks the unveiling of the second edition of BAM’s much-anticipated biennial. With a focus on fiber, one of the most thriving yet underexposed media in contemporary art, BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet continues BAM’s commitment to celebrating both tradition and innovation in art, craft and design in the Northwest. Selected from close to 300 applications, the 44 artists chosen to participate in BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet represent both established and emerging artists, either living or working in the Northwest. Submissions to the 2012 edition were reviewed by a panel of four jurors comprised of: Elissa Auther, Associate Professor of Contemporary Art, University of Colorado; Stefano Catalani, Artistic Director, Bellevue Arts Museum; Elizabeth A. Brown, former Chief Curator, Director of Exhibition and Collections, HenryArt Gallery, University of Washington; and Marci McDade, author, artist and editor of Surface Design Journal.

The majority of the works are specifically created for the exhibition. They range from traditional to new expressions of fiber art, where concepts, media and ideas merge. Jointly, they offer a glimpse into how artists continue to transform and reinvent fiber’s already rich tradition in the Northwest.

IMAGE information:
Title: The Contact: Nevadan Orogeny
Size: 84” x 53”
Media: Dye, cloth, thread
Date: © 2011 Ann Johnston
Photo credit: Bill Bachhuber

Change of October/November Portland Parlor Meeting Dates

We have considered our schedule for the remaining months of 2012. Since the third Wednesday of November is the day before Thanksgiving, we think one meeting for October/November would be best for everyone. The new meeting date will November 7th. We can decide at that meeting whether we would like to meet in December following the Columbia Fiberarts Guild meeting.


The meeting will be at Gerrie's home. For more information, go to the Meetings and Events page. Remember to bring your challenge piece to the November 7 meeting.
See you there.

Regina Benson Lectures in Newberg, Oregon on September 29

“Personal Landscapes: Created in Nature’s Studio”
Solo show by Regina V. Benson
Chehalem Cultural Center
415 E Sheridan
Newberg, OR 97132(303) 487-6883 / www.chehalemculturalcenter.org

Free lecture: September 29, 1-2 pm:
Metaphorical Marks

Creating textile art in concert with Nature, Regina V. Benson has re-designed ancient mark-making techniques to work gently with the earth, textile and artist. Regina will illustrate the many ways she removes dye from her own surface-designed cloth and how she creates permanent rust-markings on silk, cotton and rayon cloth. She will discuss how she pre-dyes cloth to create complex tonal designs in her discharge process, the resists she uses, and how various fabrics can be permanently rust layered and still retain fabric softness and pliability. Each attendee will be given a small sample of Regina’s signature discharge fabric, along with a sample of her rusted cloth, to add to their notes at the end of this lecture. Please bring a notebook.

Regina V. Benson
14154 W. 1st Drive
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 278-0413
www.reginabenson.com

At her lecture, Regina will be passing out rusted and discharged samples of her fabric to attendees so we can reference what she has lectured to us about making her marks on fabric. Those who are planning to attend the lecture should contact the Chehalem Cultural Center to reserve a place for the lecture and also, so Regina will know how many people to expect.

Special Invitation to Attend "Printing on Fabric" Presentation

Kathy Goetz will present two programs for the Surface Design Group of Columbia FiberArts Guild.   The Surface Design Group has extended a special invitation to SAQA members to attend the presentations. Kathy will present, You have an image – Here is how you print it on fabric at the Surface Design Group's September meeting.  She will then  follow up with another presentation in January, discussing
manipulating images before printing. The Surface Design Group's September meeting is Wednesday, September 5th, 10am until noon, at Mill End in Beaverton.  If you have questions you would like covered in the discussion, let Kathy know now (kathy@begonias.com), so she can include the subject in her presentation.

Trisha Hassler Solo Show at Waterstone Gallery in Portland, September 2012

What an unforgettable year!  I began work on the pieces for this show, Signals in the Static, in Sept of 2011 and the evolution... my evolution... is something I am very proud of.  The imagery in this show is physical, cellular and universal.  There are suggestions of messages and meaning, but they are not crisp or easily read, more as if seen through a mist ... "Signals in the Static". By working subtly and with respect for the patience it encourages, I discovered a more intimate, introspective voice to my work. I feel it reflects who I am now. 

"Leave No Stone Unturned" Detail

All textiles have been hand dyed using a favorite shibori technique of mine but in a different pallette than I have worked with before. By incorporating a structure of steel within each piece there is skeletal support for each message. It makes perfect sense considering my personal journey this year as well.

"And It Seemed So Well Hidden"

I will also be exhibiting "The Calendar Project". (See the sidebar at the left) This installation piece is made up of 52 individual 10-inch hand-stitched and quilted original works completed over the last year. After my diagnosis with Parkinson's early this year, my personal focus shifted and I found a new way forward. I wanted to work with my body and discover what my new parameters are. How does it affect decisions? Does it affect output? How could I take the upper hand and not allow the limitations to dictate the end result? What do I have to say about strength and determination? This exhibit is the result of that exploration. This one time installation will be the complete selection of 52 works, one for each week of the year. For each piece sold, a donation will be made to Parkinson's Resources of Oregon.

Four pieces from the Calendar Project:

To view all the pieces in this solo show, please visit waterstonegallery.com

I am excited to share this new work with you! I'll be at the gallery a lot in September, so let me know if you are coming!
Trisha Hassler

Signals In The Static
New work in Textiles and Steel by Trisha Hassler
September 5 - 30, 2012
Preview Opening Sept 5, 5-8 pm

First Thursday Sept 6, 6-9 pm
Artist Talk Sept 16, 11 am
Waterstone Gallery
424 NW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
503.226.6196

Wed - Sat 12 - 6pm, Sun 12 - 4 pm

Notes from August SAQA Oregon Portland Parlor Meeting

Here's a report from Elizabeth Bamberger summarizing the August 15 Portland SAQA Parlor Group meeting:

 We had a good meeting of our local SAQA group on August 15th. We were a rather smaller group than usual - about 15 people attending - probably due to summer travel etc., but as usual we enjoyed some lively discussion. Many thanks to Jan Story for bringing delicious home-baked goodies, and to Mary Ann McCammon for sharing super-fresh produce from her garden.

Mary Ann McCammon also gave us an excellent presentation of the Rhythm as a Design Principle, with many varied examples and a useful list of references. Thanks, Mary Ann!

Various people had attended the current one-person show by Regina Benson at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg, and came back full of enthusiasm for an outstanding show and lecture by the artist. If you missed it, it's still there until Sept. 29, and on Sept. 29 Regina Benson will give a talk on her work from 1 to 2 p.m (reservations required). Details at: www.chehalemculturalcenter.org.

We critiqued various pieces made by members. I for one found the critique of one of my pieces very useful; sometimes by the time I have finished a piece, I can no longer view it objectively, and a review by fresh eyes and minds trained in critique methodology can be enlightening.

Betty reminded us that our pieces for the "Referencing" challenge are due at the October meeting. This led to a discussion of possible themes for future challenges. For example, challenges considered by the Central Oregon SAQA group include Whisper quilts, and pieces inspired by photos taken on field trips to a junkyard. Various members expressed interest in exploring similar challenges. Bonnie raised the point that although challenges are popular, they can be a distraction from the more important work we do as serious fiber artists, particularly since most of us do not have unlimited time for our work. It was suggested that those interested in working on challenges might create a small group specifically to pursue this idea.

Betty announced that Trisha Hassler currently has a large one-person show of her work at the Waterstone Gallery in the Pearl. She has invited our group to visit the show and hear her speak about her work at 2 p.m. on Wednesday September 12. Since the CFG quarterly meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 midday (at the Colossae Church), this would give our group members who are interested time to have lunch and get to the gallery by 2 p.m. It's a great opportunity for us to learn more about the current work and plans of this artist. Details will soon be posted at http://saqaoregon.blogspot.com. Information about the exhibit and its location is also available at Waterstone Gallery and Trisha Hassler.

Other current or upcoming events flagged by members included:
- Oregon Women's Caucus for the Arts show at the Singer Hill Cafe, 623 7th St, in Oregon City (Chris Brown and Shirley MacGregor are involved with this). The opening reception is on Sept. 15 from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.

- Kathy Goetz is giving a presentation on How to Print Images on Fabric using a regular computer and printer, at the Surface Design meeting on Wednesday Sept. 5th from 10 a.m. to 12 midday at the Mill End store in Beaverton.

- Helene Knott's one-person show at the Latimer Textile Center was also mentioned, but according to their website this show closed on August 2nd.

A joint exhibition in Bend in August by Jean Wells and Judy Hoiness: "When Paint and Fabric Merge". Details at www.atelier6000.org/?p=3259.

Betty and I scrambled to note down all the information you gave us about these events. Please, in future, either bring all info about events in writing to meetings, if you would like them to be included in meeting notes, or send details to Bonnie Bucknam for inclusion in the SAQA Oregon website.

Very few people sent in suggestions for future local meeting activities, so for the time being, it will be plan-as-we-go. All suggestions welcome!

Our next regular meeting will be on October 17th at 10 a.m. Details will follow later.

Lots to do and see!

Eugene Parlor Group to Meet September 21

The Eugene – Corvallis – Albany contingent (which includes other parts of the state as well) is going and growing strong.  We meet the third Friday of every other month, in Eugene.  On September 21^st we will meet at 1:30.  Contact Georgia French for location:  gfrench@rosenet.net.  The group has started to critique finished work, and is planning an exhibit for 2013 at Quilt County.  We’re also taking on the challenge of the 12” x 12” pieces based on SAQA’s new definition of an art quilt!  Our meetings are open to all SAQA members and prospective members --- if Eugene is anywhere in your “neighborhood” or you will be passing through, do get in touch and join us. 

High Fiber Diet Exhibits in Woodburn

Several SAQA members have work in High fiber Diet's newest exhibit, "Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water," which opens at the Woodburn Art Center, 2551 N. Boones Ferry Road, Woodburn, Oregon 97071, on September 7, 2012. The artists' reception will be September 8 from noon to 3 pm. Plan to come and see the beautiful quilts and other items that the artists have created.


The Art Center is run by volunteers and their hours are Friday and Saturday noon to 3, but they are often open at other times. Please call them at 503-982-6450 if you would like to come at a different time.

Karen Miller - Two Exhibitions at the Corvallis Arts Center

Karen Miller has two shows at the Corvallis Arts Center to report.

The first is open now through the end of August. It is called "The Art of Plankton" The work is all inspired by the photographs taken by an OSU oceanography professor and includes paintings, prints, glass, quilts, ceramics, sculpture and installations. My piece is an installation of silk organza panels depicting diatoms which hang and float in the center of the room.

The second show, which will hang October 2 to Nov 3 in the CAC Corinne Woodman Gallery will include a series of small quilts using the stencil dyed indigo fabrics I have made from the summer snow patterns of the peaks of the entire Cascade Range, from Mt Baker south to Mt Shasta. It is my response to global warming and the potential loss of these familiar mountain views of glaciers and snowfields.

Karen is also teaching a katazome class at the Sitka Center in late September. There is a link on Karen's website.

Portland Parlor Meeting

The Portland Parlor SAQA group meet Wednesday at Gerrie Congdon's home.Thanks for hosting, Gerrie! Time was spent talking further about our photo class at New Space. The consensus was that we all fell more confident to photograph our own quilts. Our next meeting will be August 15th at Elizabeth's house. Same schedule, 10am-12pm. Mary Ann McCammon will be giving us a presentation on rhythm, one of the secondary design elements. Two people volunteered to bring snacks for the meeting.

Wednesday's meeting was focused on critiquing following the Jane Dunnewold's guidelines, "Learning to Critique Effectively." We were able to critique several quilts following her guidelines. The purpose of the meeting was to concentrate on the process, which allowed us to take more time with each piece. Overall, we were pleased with group critique. It was very thoughtful and productive. We decided we may want to dedicate several meetings a year for this alone. It was nice to be sharing our work with one another.

I am interested in doing some planning for the next year's meetings. September seems to be the start of a new year. If you would email with some feedback of what you would like to see happen in our monthly meetings and in our quarterly meetings(following CFG meetings). Topics of interest, sharing one's expertise, guest speakers such as artist from other mediums,and another gallery meeting are a few examples of subjects/topics we could focus on in our meetings. I look forward to hearing from you and I would encourage help on planning our upcoming year. Any volunteers!

Thanks to all and enjoy the rest of your summer. Betty Daggett

Portland Parlor Group Meeting July 18

The Portland Parlor Group will meet this Wednesday, July 18 at Gerrie Congdon's home from 10am-12pm. Contact Gerrie for directions. This will be a meeting concentrating on critiquing and working with various methods of critique. Members are asked to bring a piece of finished work to be critiqued by the group. We are calling this a practice/learning session. Gerrie will provide tea and coffee and asks that people bring food to share. Any questions on directions email or call Gerrie.

An Update from Shirley MacGregor

I was lucky to be able to take part in Her Presence in Color X as part of the American faction. This took place over a period of one week. In 2014 it will be held in Mongolia. Here is a little about the exhibition and the events.

Her Presence in Color X was held in Vietnam June this year and featured the art of about 212 women artists representing 20 different countries. The biennial event was formed in 1993 in Asia and has grown to include many countries. We were fortunate to host the congregation here in Portland, Oregon, two years ago. To learn more about this organization visit the website.

The theme of the exhibition, "Women's Art - a New Direction in Global Culture," was conceived to reflect the common vision and mission of the women artists and their aspiration for the development of a new global culture. The intent is to focus on the human aspects of life and their concern of women artists for a sustainable environment.

The Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts, the venue for the exhibition, is an old French colonial building and a wonderful place for the show. Museum officials generously provided two floors of one building and plenty of space for the exhibition. An adjacent (and virtually identical) building holds a wonderful collection of contemporary art.

The conference Her Presence in Color X featured more than just the exhibition. There was a seminar at HCMC Fine Art University in which each country's representative presented their take on the theme, "Women's Art - a New Direction in Global Culture."

Another feature of the conference was a painting day where each artist was given two ceramic plates to paint, which were subsequently fired and finished. It was amazing what the artists came up with.

We were also taken across town to a gallery of HCMC Fine Art Association to see a collection of wonderful lacquer painting art. Also at the end we were treated to a farewell party at an artist colony on the river. What a fantastic ending this was!

I have posted pictures and more on my website.
Shirley MacGregor

Currents Gallery Third Annual Fiber Show Call for Entries

Summer is here.... time to think about Fall..... and the Third Annual Fiber Show at Currents Gallery, 532 NE Third Street, McMinnville, Oregon, opening 20th October, 2012.

This is the preview notice. A formal call and application will be sent out next week. But we wanted you to know some of the details now:

DATES:
Art to Currents Gallery...... October 5th-October 9th.
Jurying ..............................October 10th
Show hangs.......................October 16th
Opening.............................October 20th.

*Art-to-wear
*3-d pieces
*Wall hangings
*Quilts
...and more

*Sewn
*Knitted
*Felted
*Riveted
*Welded, whittled, carved and........

All items must be for sale.

There will be a $25.00 jury fee for up to 3 pieces. A group of similar items will count as one item, eg. scarves in the same style, bags in the same style, etc.

$15.00 will be credited to the Gallery commission for the first item sold.

Details will be available on our website, http://www.currentsgallery.com/, by July 20th.

Please forward this info to every fiber artist you know !

Many thanks for your past support. We look froward to another successful Fiber Arts show.
Ilsa Perse for Currents Gallery

SAQA Oregon June Newsletter from Jean Wells

Betty and I have been busy organizing parlor groups and making plans for the coming year. Betty did travel to the conference and it was wonderful. Next April it will be in Santa Fe and we are both planning to go. Not only are the conferences good but what a great place to visit and get inspired.

I did receive the grant I applied for from SAQA and it will pay for the venue for the state conference that Betty and I are planning for September of 2013. It will be at the same time as the Portland Expo so that you can come and attend both events. We would love ideas from all of you about what you would like at the conference in terms of speakers and subjects to be covered. Think about what you would really like to know.

We have some great Central Oregon news. Seventeen art quilters teamed u with the National Forest Foundation and the United States Forest service to bring attention to the rivers (Wychus and Metolius) that frame the Sisters Country by creating wall quilts with a river flowing through it plus four vertical wall hangings. They turned out spectacular and will be at Black Butte Ranch in June, quilt show in July, Pacific West, Quilt Expo. You can go online at Sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org and see the instillation.

12" x 12" x 12" Challenge
As most of you know SAQA has a new definition of a quilt. The new definition of the art quilt is "a creative visual work that is layered or that references this form of stitched layered structure". The Portland group is having a challenge based on it and we would like to extend it to the state and western Washington. Then we would like to display them at the conference and I will come up with a viewer's choice prize of some. Go to our blogspot for details (SAQAOregon.blogspot.com)

Anyone in Oregon and southwest Washington is welcome to visit a parlor group.

Portland Parlor Group - from Betty
Portland Parlor group meetings continue to be energetic with good attendance. Our last meeting was held at 23 Sandy. Laura Russell is the gallery owner. Through Nancy Dasenbrock contact with Laura, we were invited to the gallery for our meeting as well as speaking to us about curating, critiquing, and her feelings about art merging to include many mediums, including cloth.

Our general meeting included more conversation on critiquing, examining closer an article by Jane Dunnewold, "Learning to Critique Effectively." Our July meeting will be spent critiquing a quilt we have finished (not necessarily new work). We also had further discussion on the new SAQA definition of what is a quilt and our challenge is due in October. The piece should be 12" x 12" x 12." We will include dimensional work to the challenge as the new definition

The group enjoyed meeting at 23 Sandy and we look forward to meetings at other galleries in the future. Our group is becoming more cohesive as we meet and become better acquainted with one another.

Eugene Parlor Group - from Georgia
Fourteen of us showed up at Market of Choice yesterday for a lively meeting! Six of us spoke to our current focus for the year; this was helpful and I think it always reinforces me when I put my goal "out there" --- it adds a measure of accountability!

We seem to want to explore effective critiquing, so with that in mind, let's all review the information from Sandra Sider and Jane Dunnewold --- see the SAQA Oregon blog. I think I will ask for a few volunteers to put up a piece for critique next time, and we'll make a start. I'll send out a reminder a bit before our meeting, but do be thinking about what makes a good critique, and about what kind of information you want from a critique.

Our next meeting will be Friday, July 20th, at 1:30pm, at the Market of Choice at 29th & Willamette, Eugene.

Central Oregon Parlor Group from Jean
At our last meeting in March Ruth Ingham gave a comprehensive presentation on composition. As she is a painter as well as a quilter her extensive training made her presentation very interesting. Carol Webb facilitated a productive critique session and there was show and tell. Our next meeting is June 15 in Sisters at my home and we will be discussing where we want to go from here and how often to meet since it has been over a year since we began meeting. I just found out about a "whisper project" that I would like to suggest to the group.

The artist reception for the Two Rivers exhibit will be at 5:00 at Black Butte Ranch so I think we will meet at 2:00 PM at The Stitchin' Post so people can go from there.

SAQA Oregon Quarterly Meeting in Portland
SAQA Oregon will be having a quarterly meeting on June 13th, prior to the June Columbia FiberArts Guild meeting at the Colossae Church in Tigard. The address of the Colossae Church is 12176 SW Garden in Tigard, Or. The church will be available to us at 5:00 pm. CFG meeting will begin at 7:00pm and were planning for it's members to arrive at 6:30, The quarterly meeting will include members from various areas of the state so time will be spent sharing what is happening in other groups. Now that we have gained a schedule of Parlor meetings and quarterly meetings, we should do some planning for our future quarterlies as to topics of exploration or consider speakers or presenters periodically. As always members are free to bring works to share but there will not be time for critiques. Small donations will be accepted for use of the space since they do not charge us a fee.

Sisters September Meeting
Several of you are signed up for either Gloria Laughlin or Sue Benner the week of September 24 - 28 at the Art Quilt Symposium in Sisters through the Stitchin' Post. On Thursday I have asked Sue and Gloria to give short talks on their work and we will also have a SAQA trunk show. I will send out more information when I have it but anyone is invited to come.

Jean Wells, Oregon rep

Congratulations, Gerrie Congdon!

Gerrie Congdon is the featured artist this week on the Janome website.  Check it out here.  Congratulations, Gerrie!

SAQA Oregon Quarterly Meeting on June 13, 5pm

SAQA Oregon will be having a quarterly meeting on June 13th, prior to the June Columbia FiberArts Guild meeting at the Colossae Church in Tigard. The address of the Colossae Church is 12176 SW Garden in Tigard, Oregon. The church will be available to us at 5:00 pm until 6:30pm when the doors open for the  CFG meeting, which will begin at 7:00pm.

The SAQA Oregon quarterly meeting will include members from various areas of the state so time will be spent sharing what is happening in other groups. Now that we have gained a schedule of Parlor meetings and quarterly meetings, we should do some planning for our future quarterlies as to topics of exploration or consider speakers or presenters periodically. As always members are free to bring works to share but there will not be time for critiques. Look forward to our meeting on June at 5:00pm. Betty Daggett

Eugene/Corvallis Parlor Group - Notes of May Meeting

The Eugene/Corvallis group met on May 18th. Fourteen SAQA members, some new, attended. Several members stepped up to the agenda and talked about the focus they are putting into their work this year, and how they are doing it. This created supportive give and take among everyone. The group has decided to explore giving and receiving effective critiques, and will begin that at the next meeting. We will meet on the third Friday of "odd" numbered months: the next meeting will be July 20th, in Eugene, at 1:30pm. For more information, contact Georgia French at gfrench@rosenet.net.

Portland Parlor Group Enjoys the Ambiance at 23 Sandy Gallery

Our SAQA Portland group enjoyed a meeting on May 16th at the 23 Sandy Art Gallery. The owner, Laura Russell, very kindly welcomed us to the gallery for a preview of a fascinating solo show by book- and mixed-media artist Mar Goman that included, as well as artist books, ten years of her art journals, small wall figures and works that "referenced" books in various innovative forms. Laura also talked about the creation and history of the art gallery, and spoke about the ways in which she approaches the critique or review of other art media such as photography. She feels that artists working in different media, such as those who create artist books, and fiber artists, are often simply using different tools or "toys" to achieve similar creative goals. Many thanks, Laura, for our warm welcome and the stimulating presentation!


Many thanks also to Nancy D, who contacted Laura and arranged for us to meet in the gallery, and to all those who brought delicious home-baked goods to share.

We reviewed Jane Dunnewold's article on learning to critique effectively, and discussed our approach to conducting critiques within our group. The consensus was that we would concentrate on frank critiques that focus on the formal principles and elements of design. Our July meeting will be a "critique practice" meeting, so please bring any works, old or new, whether you are happy with them or not, that you would like critiqued. Meeting place to be announced later.

Nancy updated us on the upcoming class on taking professional-level quilt photographs on June 3. This class is now full, but there is a waiting list for a possible future class.

We revisited the subject of our group challenge, due in October: "Referencing", for which we will make small pieces (maximum size 12" x 12" for 2D pieces, or maximum 12" x 12" x 12" for 3D pieces), inspired by the revised SAQA definition of the art quilt.

Mary Ann brought a beautiful small art quilt for show and tell inspired by her recent medical experiences.

In June, we will not hold our regular meeting. Instead, a meeting of the various SAQA Oregon groups will directly precede the quarterly meeting of the Columbia Fiber Arts Guild on Wednesday June 13th and will start at 5 p.m. The CFG meeting will start at 7 p.m. with doors open at 6.30 for socializing. The meeting will be at the Colossae Church at 12176 SW Garden Place, Tigard, OR 97223, near the intersection of Rte 99W and Rte 217.

Have a creative month; see you all in June.

Stretch the ArtQuilt Boundaries

The Portland parlor group plans to have fun stretching the boundaries and working with the new SAQA definition of Art Quilt:

"The art quilt is a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched and layered structure."

SAQA goes on to explain.  "The Board sees the revised definition as a visionary statement.  The word "references" allows for a broader understanding of the art quilt, thus creating a potential for growth in SAQA membership in terms of numbers and diversity of artists.  The revised definition allows for more 3D work and work in media other than fiber/textile/fabric/cloth; it allows for techniques and materials not found in traditional quilting.  The revised definition allows for framed, unframed, bound, and unbound work, thereby welcoming growth and development of individual style."

Stretch the boundaries.  There's only one rule:  work may not exceed 12 inches in any dimension, height, width or depth.

Bring your vision of the new art quilt to the October Portland parlor meeting.  We'll be inspired and amazed.  We may explore the possibility of having an exhibit of the works at a later date.

Northwest Vibes Exhibit in Portland at the First Congregational Church

High Fiber Diet’s most recent themed exhibit, NW Vibes, opens June 7, 2012 at ArtReach Gallery, located in the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1126 SW Park Ave., Portland, Oregon. The artists’ reception is on First Thursday, June 7, from 5-8pm, with Celtic music from 5:30-6:30pm, by Kim Swennes. The gallery hours are M-F 10am-2pm, or by appointment. The show runs until July 1.  The works of several SAQA Oregon members are included in the show.

Portland Group Meeting May 16

NOTE.  THIS IS A CHANGE OF VENUE!

The Portland SAQA group will meet May 16, 10am until noon at the
23 Sandy Gallery
623 NE 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97232

All SAQA members or those interested in joining are welcome.

Keep Up With 23 Sandy Gallery News
Website: www.23Sandy.com
Blog: www.23sandy.com/works/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/23sandygallery

Anne Daughtry Takes Blue Ribbon at Umpqua Valley

Anne Daughtry won a blue ribbon in the Art Quilt category at the Umpqua Valley Guilter's Guild Annual Quilt Show.  The title of the quilt, The Trees We Hug, is a play on Oregon’s reputation.  The show judge commented on Anne's excellent use of non-traditional quilting fabric to enhance the design.  Fabrics include cotton, fleece lined poly suede, poly suede, velvet, gauze, wool yarn, upholstery fabric, net, and a lot of stabilizer lace.   Techniques included  machine and hand quilting, embroidery both machine and hand,  and painted skies.   For more of Anne's work, visit her website.

The Trees We Hug

by Anne Daughtry

48"w x 42"h

Photo by Jon Myers

  

How to Achieve a Professional Photograph

Class for SAQA Oregon Members
June 3, 2012 in Portland, Oregon

There are three ways that are guaranteed to give you the professional results you want every time...regardless of the weather:

1 Hire a professional,
2 Use professional camera with strobe lights in a studio setting, or
3 Take this class!

Class description: Learn how to shoot your work and how to size your digital image to the correct dpi for entry in competitions. You will have instruction in the computer lab in the morning and be in the studio the rest of the day. You will be using strobe lights. These lights will give accurate color. You will leave with several long view and close up shots of one of your art works.

Requirements: Digital camera with a hot shoe, appropriate lenses (+adapter, if needed). Your manual. (If you don’t have the appropriate camera, there is a possibility of renting a camera with advanced notice.)

Location New Space Gallery, 1632 SE 10th Ave., Portland, Oregon
Date June 3, 2012
Price $63

YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF SAQA OREGON TO TAKE THIS CLASS. The first 10 to send in a check plus filled out registration form will be guaranteed a space. Everyone else will have first choice in the next class.... possible this fall.

FORM AND MORE INFORMATION ARE ON THE MEETINGS AND EVENTS PAGE OF THIS BLOG.

If you have any questions email Nancy at nddas@mac.com

Color Scheme Designer

Check out this website
http://colorschemedesigner.com/

North Bank Artists Call for Entry

North Bank Artists has issued a Call for Entry for their annual juried fiber show.  Entries are due June 23, 2012.  Strands will be on exhibit in Vancouver, Washington, at the North Bank Artists Gallery during the month of August, 2012.

More Comments on Copyrights

Here's an interesting blog post by Leah Day, along with many, many comments. 

Interesting Comments Re Fabric Copyrights

The topic of fabric copyrights came up at the Portland parlor group meeting earlier this month.  Here are links to some interesting blog commentaries, one from Todd Hensley, the owner of C&T Publishing, as well as two of the posts he refers to.

http://www.ctpubblog.com/2012/03/26/a-few-thoughts-about-copyright-and-quilts/

http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.mx/2012/03/moving-forward.html

See also, Kate Spain's blog post On Copyright and Tote Bags, posted March 22, 2012 (direct link to the post is not working) on http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.mx/

Christina Brown Exhibits at Better Living Show, Portland Expo Center

I hope you will join me, Christina Brown, and several other talented performers, visual artists and community groups at Portland’s official SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now Day) celebration this Saturday, March 24th between 11:00 am and 9:00 pm and Sunday, March 25th between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm at the Portland Expo Center. The event is free for all ages and part ofthe Better Living Show. I will be displaying my art quilts and wearables. This 5th year of a new international holiday raises visibility for women artists – specifically spotlighting women’s cultural contributions during the final weekend of Women’s History Month. Portland Mayor Tom Potter granted our group a proclamation for SWAN DAY in 2008, acknowledging our contributions to the city’s artistic community.I hope to see you there! For more information, please visit: http://www.betterlivingshow.org/SWAN.asp.

Portland Parlor Meeting, March 21, 2012

Our parlor meeting at Gerrie’s was very lively. Twenty members attended. We had a thoughtful discussion about SAQA’s new definition of a quilt. (The art quilt is a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.) The group decided that we would challenge ourselves to make a 12”x12” piece working with this new definition and stretching ourselves as artists to meet the new definition (eg. something that would not normally be considered a quilt but that meets the SAQA definition of "referencing" a quilt). We set the deadline for the challenge to be finished for our meeting in October, 2012.

Nancy D. is working with New Space to put together a class for our group. The class will be centered around photographing art quilts. Lessons on photographing your quilt, lighting, resizing photos to meet prospectus requirements, etc. She will get back to us when the class structure is finalized and a date will be set.

A discussion presented itself about hanging quilts and preparing our quilts for exhibiting. Emphasis was on the size of the sleeve, (4’’ plus ¼” slack for shows with rods and poles) and the sleeve set in 1 ½” from each edge, dropped down from the top edge of the quilt. The wooden slat should extend from the sleeve but not beyond the edge of the quilt. There can be holes in the wood in the upper 1/3 of the slat or eyehole screws put into the wood. Using picture framing wire, run it outside the sleeve and attach it to the wood slat. The quilt is hung from this wire and must be taut. It is a good idea to prepare your quilt for both types of hanging, by the wire or with the pole and rod hanging.

We had some show and tell and a few critiques at this meeting. Each person requesting a critiqued set up what they wanted from the critique. It was comfortable and many good ideas were presented.

At this time we will alternate between Gerrie’s home and Elizabeth’s for our parlor meeting. Meetings will be on the third Wednesday of the month at 10 am-12 pm. The next meeting will be at Elizabeth’s on April 18th. Presently, the agenda will include some reports from the members who are attending the SAQA Conference at the end of this month. SAQA Oregon quarterly meetings will be held in conjunction with the CFG meetings. On the month of the quarterly meeting, there will be no Portland Parlor Group monthly meeting. June 13 will be the next SAQA Oregon quarterly meeting one hour prior to the CFG meeting that evening. It will be an informal meeting with reports from parlor meetings from all the regions represented. More details will follow before that meeting.

Many thanks to the participants of our meeting for coming and taking an active role in the group.

My husband and I found a website that gives lots of information about what makes a quilt, history and opinions about traditional quilts and art quilts. It is interesting. Here is the website--http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilt_Art

Enjoy spring. As I look out my window tonight my car is covered in snow. I has to get better.
Betty Daggett

Sheila Steers To Be Featured Quilter in Eugene

Sheila Steers will be the Featured Quilter at the Pioneer Quilters' Unbroken Thread: The Needle Speaks Quilt Show April 14 - 22, 2012 (closed Mondays) at the Lane County Hisrorical Museum in Eugene, Oregon.

Angel of Music (39" w x 46" h)

by

Sheila Steers

Sheila also has three quilts in the Tactile Expressions exhibit, All Together in One Place, currently showing at the Florence Events Center during the month of March. The Gallery is open when the Box Office is open during the week and on weekends when there is an event scheduled.

Morin Receives Honorary Mention from Women in the Arts 2012

Anonymous Script

by Hilde Morin

Hilde Morin's  Anonymous Script received an Honorary Mention from the Museum of the Americas during the Women in the Arts 2012 exhibit .  The Museum, located in the city of Doral, Florida, celebrates Women International Month in March by featuring works of women artists from all over the world.

Eugene/Corvallis SAQA Parlor Group

Nine enthusiastic SAQA members from Eugene/Corvallis met on March 20th and started to chart a course for the future of our area group. We agreed to meet every other month, on the third Friday of the "odd" months (starting May 18th, and then in July, September, November, January, March) at 1:30pm. The site of each meeting will be announced on the blog approximately a month before the meeting. Members decided to think about individual goals for the next year, and to be ready to talk about them at the next meeting. Each of us is on our own journey, but "cheerleading" and support from respected colleagues is always beneficial. For more information, contact Georgia French at gfrench@rosenet.net.

News from Jean and Betty

The Eugene/Corvallis area is ready for some organizing and goal-setting. There will be a meeting at Laura Jaszkowski's home on Tuesday, March 20th at 3pm (in Eugene: rsvp to Laura at for directions). We will review some of the activities of the central Oregon and Portland area groups, and see where we want to go from here. If you cannot make it to the meeting but are interested in helping to forge a SAQA identity in the area, write and give your thoughts to Georgia French at gfrench@rosenet.net. We will post a note on the results of the meeting on our SAQA Oregon blog. If you can make it to the meeting, bring an example of your work and we'll start getting to know each other.

The Central Oregon group met last Friday for an informal presentation on composition from Ruth Ingham and surface design ideas from Betty Daggett. Then Carol Webb led a fabulous critique session. They will meet again in June. Remember anyone is welcome to come, just let us know if you will be in the area.

We are planning a quarterly get together in Portland when the Columbia Fiber Arts Guild meets the next time. More details will be posted on the blog meeting page.

No SAQA Meeting on March 14

On Wednesday, March 14, there will NOT be a SAQA meeting following the Columbia FiberArts Guild meeting and luncheon. There will be a SAQA Portland Parlor group meeting at Gerrie Congdon's on Wednesday, March 21, 10am-12 pm. If you want to be in line for a critique let Gerrie know and bring work finished or in progress for general showing. Please RSVP to Gerrie gericon@comcast.net if you are attending the meeting so she knows how many will be attending. Betty Daggett

News From Jean, Our Regional Co-Rep

Hello,

Betty and I have been working on establishing regional parlor groups to further art quilting. Oregon is a very diverse state geographically and we know that many of you live in outlying areas but do travel. Check the blog on a regular basis for meeting announcements and know that you are welcome to attend any of these meetings. Please communicate with either Betty bdavisdaggett@gmail.com of Jean jean@stitchinpost.com with any questions or sharing of information.

Central Oregon (from Jean)
Central Oregon was fortunate to have a gallery show, Fabrications, in February at a gallery in Bend. Most of the quilts were from Central Oregon, but there were a few from Portland and Salem as well. The response to the show was overwhelming. Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show was the organizer of the event and plans are in the works to make it an annual event.

Central Oregon SAQA members will be having a quarterly meeting on March 16 in the classroom at The Stitchin' Post. Member, Ruth Ingham, a painter and art quilter, will present a program on how to approach composition. This will be followed by a presentation on creating visual texture on your quilts by Betty Daggett, and then the group will open up for members to share work and Carol Webb will facilitate the "design decisions/critique" portion of the meeting.

Portland Parlor Group (from Betty)
The Portland area has had two parlor meetings, in January at Gerrie Congdon's (gericon@comcast.net) home and in February at Elizabeth Bamberger's (elizabethbamberger@gmail.com). Our next meeting will be at Gerrie's. The monthly meeting of the Portland group will be on March 21, 10am-12pm at Gerrie Congdon's (note that this a change). More details of the meeting can be found on the SAQA Oregon Blogspot. It has been established that is where you can learn about the most recent information about the Portland parlor group.

The Portland group is large and the last two meetings have full of discussion about what we want from the meeting. The ideas are becoming clearer as meet and decide to how manage our meeting and communicate the needs of the members. The third Wednesday of every month will be our meeting day. The meetings will be two hours. The first hour will be open to information on new calls of entry, show and tell of members finished works or work in progress, special topic of discussion agreed upon at the previous meeting or a small presentation by a group member, and making our plan for the next meeting. Critique is important to the group and the last hour will be devoted to critique, using the primary principles of art and the secondary principles of design as our guidelines. We will follow Sandra Sider's outline for critiquing. The critiques will be voluntary and limited in number at each meeting, because of the size of the group. If a member wants a critique at the next meeting, the hostess should be notified and the critiques will be added to the critiques in they order they are received. We will continue to adapt to the needs of the members and evaluate if this concept of the parlor meeting would be better met in smaller groups. It is open and we are very excited about the genuine interest we have in the area and our desire to continue our love for exploring and making fiber/quilt art.

Eugene/Corvallis (mid-valley) (from Georgia)
After watching the Central Oregon group get going, and now with the Portland area group on its way to regular parlor meetings, it's time to find out if there is the same kind of interest in the Eugene/Corvallis area. The two other groups are doing demos, critiques, mutual support for exhibit entry --- anything is possible. Let's find out who in Eugene and its environs want to share mutual interests. Laura Jaszkowski (joyincloth@gmail.com) and Georgia French (gfrench@rosenet.com) will get things started on March 20th at 3pm, at Laura's home. RSVP for directions and so that Laura will know how many to expect. From there it will depend upon what the group wants, how often, where ---- all TBD. All SAQA members are welcome. Hope to see lots of you there!

Karen Miller Events

Karen Miller will have a solo exhibit at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center March 6-May 6. The title of the show is "My Favorite Things". Opening reception is March 11 noon to 4.

Karen will be teaching katazome in Yachats April 18-19 and at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, at Cascade Head in September. Details are available on Karen's website.

Karen is one of the featured artists in the new Art Quilt Portfolio: The Natural World, edited by Martha Sielman for Lark Books. The book is scheduled for release April 2, 2012.

Karen has also been selected to teach at the Abruzzo School of Creative Arts in September 2013. She will teach be teaching katazome, but with an Italian twist.