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.