Out
of the
Blue
An exhibit of contemporary fiber art presented by Studio Art Quilt Associates of New Mexico. April 26, 2019 - August 9, 2019 East Rotunda Gallery, New Mexico State Capitol 411 State Capitol, Santa Fe, NM 505-986-4614 Opening Reception: Friday May 10, 2019, 4-6PM Organized by Betty Busby and the SAQA NM Exhibition Committee Juried by Dr. Cynthia Sanchez, Ph.D., Director, Capitol Art Foundation/Curator, Capitol Art Collection. Cover artists (clockwise from top left): Renee Gannon, Jane Bode, Jo Barton, Lorraine Hollingsworth, Lynn Welsch, April Foster, Lynn Rogers, Julee Coffman, Colleen Konetzni, Carolyn Castaneda, Schatzi Brimer, Vicki Conley Catalog and other promotional materials by Shannon Conley
Studio Art Quilt Associates SAQA is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art quilt and the artists who create them. We are an information resource on all things art quilt related for our members as well as the public. Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA members now number more than 3,400 artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors. For more information, visit the organization’s website at SAQA.com. 1
F r om t h e E d i t o r The call for entry for this exhibition said: “Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.” Artists were asked to make abstract or representational works inspired by “blue” and as I compiled the catalog, pieces began to sort into distinctive thematic categories. There were those clearly inspired by daytime and nightime skies and by the striking landscapes and buildings under them. Another large group featured water and all its life forms. There were pieces inspired by “blue” feelings, including peacefulness and restfulness as well as darker feelings like fear and mourning. Finally, there were artists whose inspiration appeared to be purely color — who used the theme as a starting point to explore form and composition. Pieces were created by artists from the New Mexico region of Studio Art Quilt Associates and represent a variety of perspectives and approaches. The artists frequently meld traditional quilt-making techniques like piecing and free-motion quilting with approaches borrowed from the fine arts, including painting, dyeing, and sculpting. We hope you enjoy this collection as much as we enjoyed putting it together. -Shannon Conley
Under the Blue Sky
Contents
Nothing But Blue Skies, 42” x 32” Silent Landscape, 36” x 24” La Luz, 51” x 61” Out of the Blue on NM 104, 57” x 33” 33°20’N, 105°33’W, 64” x 34” x 6” Facade, 27” x 39” Stacks in the Grass, 54” x 32” Thunderbird, 24” x 24” Blue Flax, 32” x 24” Lo’i Kalo, 39” x 32” Rainbow Bridge, 34” x 45” Adriatic Étude II, 30” x 25” Wide Open Sky, A Bunny’s View, 34” x 26” Mark the Way, 26” x 21” Out the Window, 63” x 43” Blue Skies and Biscochitos, 48” x 57” Angel Wing, 35” x 20” Monhegan Island Village, 27” x 42”
Ann Anastasio Jo Barton Betty Busby Julee Coffman Shannon Conley Vicki Conley Vicki Conley Nicole Dunn Cheryl Fitzgerald Renee Gannon Renee Gannon Patricia Gould Colleen Konetzni Ginny McVickar Judith Roderick Amanda Ruden Mary Jo Stipe Lynn Welsch
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Mary Aigner Jo Barton Kelly Butterman Vicki Conley Nicole Dunn Cheryl Fitzgerald April Foster April Foster
26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
Water of Life
The Edge, 19” x 24” Kaleidoscope of Life, 32” x 24” River Goddess, 58” x 15” x 2” State of Matter, 80” x 48” Colorado Cutthroat, 24” x 24” Playing With Water, 34” x 24” Blue Reef, 34” x 24” Steelhead, 24” x 24” 2
Bubble Netting, 34” x 39” Sea Song, 25” x 25” Dancing Waves, 31” x 49” Sea Foam, 51” x 34” Fast Food, 32” x 25” Chambered Nautilus, 24” x 30” Blue Buttons, 32” x 20” x 1” Remembering, 26” x 32” x 1” Whales, 32” x 32” Ocean and Shore, 55” x 28” Restless Waves, 35” x 41” Sea Creatures, 52” x 38” Blue Cascade, 35” x 43” Crashing Waves, 36” x 41”
Cynthia Fowler Robyn Gold Patricia Gould Kathryn Lazier Ginny McVickar Ginny McVickar Char Punke Char Punke Judith Roderick Judith Roderick Nancy J. Steidle Lynn Welsch Marianne R. Williamson Marianne R. Williamson
34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
Schatzi Brimer Betty Busby Kelly Butterman Carolyn Castaneda Susan Clarkson Cynthia Fowler Anita McSorley Jean Neblett Jean Neblett Jean Neblett Mary Jo Stipe Marianne R. Williamson
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61
Blue Night
The Wild Blue Yonder, 19” x 27” Willow Revisited, 66” x 51” From Out of The Night’s Sky, 24” x 20” Solstice, 36” x 36” Lightning Crashes, 24” x 36” First Light, 37” x 38” Cosmic Storm, 40” x 30” Reflections 2: Night Sky, 35” x 39” Reflections 6: Moonrise on the Nile, 59” x 67” Reflections 18: On the Slough, 39” x 40” Monsoon Moon, 25” x 25” Evening Song, 54” x 50”
Feeling Blue
We Remember, 28” x 10” x 10” A Blue Haunting, 37” x 34” Trapped in Blue, 37” x 34” Peace Be With You, 50” x 48” Waitin’ for the Daylight, 23” x 24” Breathe, 27” x 24” x 1”
Betty Busby 64 Carolyn Castaneda 65 Carolyn Castaneda 66 Shannon Conley 67 April Foster 68 Char Punke 69
Just Blue
Just Blue, 30” x 23” Too Blue, 52” x 22” Color Study: Green and Blue, 31” x 31” Three Part Harmony: Shibori, Sashiko & Indigo, 35” x 48” Wonky Tonk Blues, 38” x 31” Infinity, 36” x 36” Wisps, 22” x 22” Indigo II, 38” x 34” Kiowa Blue, 29” x 19”
3
Jane Ann Bode Ann Ferkovich Cheryl Fitzgerald Renee Gannon Lorraine Hollingsworth Mary Olivea Mary Olivea Lynn Rogers Lynn Rogers
72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
Under the Blue Sky
4
5
Photo: Betty Busby
Nothing But Blue Skies, 42” x 32”
Ann Anastasio
Santa Fe, NM, annanastasio1@comcast.net This represents the almost daily blue skies in New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment.” Clear, cloudless, sunny blue skies. Machine pieced and quilted from commercial cotton fabrics.
6
Silent Landscape, 36” x 24”
Jo Barton
Santa Fe, NM, nmexjo@gmail.com The challenge for “Silent Landscape” was to create a piece inspired by snow falling softly (out of the blue). The absence of color deemphasizes the visual and accentuates the tactile qualities. I have manipulated knitted, felted and stitched surfaces to create a multi-layered work with a strong dimensional image. 7
La Luz, 51� x 61�
Betty Busby
Albuquerque, NM, fbusby3@comcast.net, http://bbusbyarts.com Named for the trail that goes from the foothills of the Sandia Mountains to the peak, La Luz means light in Spanish. The yucca and chamisa of the high desert give way to alpine pine forests under the crystal blue New Mexico sky.
8
Out of the Blue on NM 104, 57” x 33”
Julee Coffman
Lamy, NM, julejulee@yahoo.com I was driving east of Las Vegas, New Mexico, on the open plains. Devoid of any high vegetation, there suddenly appeared a long-abandoned home. I have been attempting to marry my love of photography and quilting, so I photographed this “Out of the Blue” memory of home and recreated it as a memory in fabric. 9
Photo: Mike Cox
33°20’N, 105°33’W, 64” x 34” x 6”
Shannon Conley Moore, OK, la.emperatriz@gmail.com, http://shannonconleyartquilts.com This piece is part of an ongoing series of highly abstracted landscapes inspired by places that are dear to me. Even in the arid high desert mountains, late summer monsoons lead to riotous flowering color in the forest undergrowth.
10
Photo: Doug Conley
Facade, 27� x 39�
Vicki Conley
Ruidoso Downs, NM, vickiconley55@gmail.com, http://vicki-conley.com If the tired old general store and hotel in Duran, New Mexico, could talk it would be singing the blues. After having an important role in the lives of ranchers and railroad men during the first half of the 20th century, to be left abandoned to decay would truly make it feel melancholy and blue. 11
Photo: Doug Conley
Stacks in the Grass, 54” x 32”
Vicki Conley
Ruidoso Downs, NM, vickiconley55@gmail.com, http://vicki-conley.com The wide open prairies of the southwestern and midwestern United States are dotted with power plants projecting conspicuously out of the surrounding golden green. Their smokestacks protrude into the air, repetitive vertical shapes starkly disrupting the gently undulating horizon and contrasting with the softer shapes of alfalfa and hay bales. Yet both are marks of people on a seemingly vast and empty landscape — the energy and agriculture without which our society would collapse. 12
Thunderbird, 24� x 24�
Nicole Dunn
Los Alamos, NM, nicole@dunn-nm.com, http://www.dunnquilting.com This is the second in a series of birds as initially drawn by Native Americans, which I have interpreted and added to with lots of embroidery and embellishments. I love all the texture created by the wool fabrics, threads, beads and quilting.
13
Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
Blue Flax, 32� x 24�
Cheryl Fitzgerald
Albuquerque, NM, cherylf@swcp.com, http://cherylfquilts.com Blue Flax is my favorite flower to see around town during the summer. Besides being drought tolerant and thriving in poor soil, the shades of blue in its petals are amazing.
14
Photo: Betty Busby
Lo’i Kalo, 39” x 32”
Renee Gannon
Santa Fe, NM, reneemgannon@gmail.com Throughout the many generations of change in the Hawaiian Islands, Taro (Kalo in the Hawaiian language) has remained a constant. Brought to the islands by early Polynesian settlers, Kalo has served as a sacred plant, dietary staple, medicine, dye for kapa (tapa), fishing bait, and as an important part of the Hawaiian constructs of Creation and Family. Hand and commercially dyed silk, linen, and cotton fabrics. 15
Photo: Betty Busby
Rainbow Bridge, 34” x 45”
Renee Gannon
Santa Fe, NM, reneemgannon@gmail.com Living amid the Southwest’s natural beauty during the 1970s and 80s left invisible yet indelible lifemarks on me, including a memorable hike from Navajo Mountain to Rainbow Bridge. Its sandstone structure a lifemark of the water, sun, and wind which created this natural arch, the streaks of desert varnish further mark the effects of those forces on its surface. Happily, I have once again returned to living in the Land of Enchantment. Hand and commercially dyed silk and cotton fabrics, hand and fusible appliqué, fabric painting, machine thread painting, and quilting.
16
Adriatic Étude II, 30” x 25”
Patricia Gould
Albuquerque, NM, patriciacgould@gmail.com, https://angelfiredesigns.com/ When I visited Croatia in 2009, we stayed at a hotel a few miles out of the city. Instead of hopping on a bus to spend the day walking around the Old Walled City, we decided to walk along the coastal road. The views of the Adriatic were lovely, even on that cloudy day, so I combined a few of my photographs into this scene, the second in a series I created from my photographs of that adventure. 17
Photo: Betty Busby
Wide Open Sky, A Bunny’s View, 34” x 26”
Colleen Konetzni
Rio Rancho, NM, collyquilt@msn.com Last summer there was a rabbit living under my husband’s shop. Each time I saw him crouching low to the ground I wondered what he saw when he looked up at our glorious New Mexico sky that goes on forever. Hand-dyed silk and cotton.
18
Mark the Way, 26” x 21”
Ginny McVickar
Pleasant HIll, OR, mcvickarg@gmail.com, http://www.timelessarts.blogspot.com In the Pecos Wilderness high country of New Mexico there is a trail called Trail Rider’s Wall. I have ridden in this country for many years where I felt I was high enough to touch the sky. Rock piles (cairns) along the trails help the riders find their way in the deep snow and in places where the trail is not clearly visible on the ground. These rock cairns have endured through centuries around the world. 19
Out the Window, 63� x 43�
Judith Roderick
Placitas, NM, rainbowpaintr@comcast.net, http://www.judithroderick.com Out of the blue, a herd of wild horses appeared in my yard! This is a hand-painted silk quilt.
20
Photo: Edward Ruden
Blue Skies and Biscochitos, 48” x 57”
Amanda Ruden
Albuquerque, NM, ajruden@comcast.net I wanted to make a modern landscape using a single regular block. My quilt was inspired by my arrival in New Mexico after meeting and marrying my husband quite “Out of the Blue.” We met online in 1996 (on a bulletin board — remember those?). I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two months later we met in person, ten days later we were married and four weeks later I emigrated with my six-year-old daughter. Within our first week she started first grade and after a day or two informed me that she had signed me up to make biscochitos for her class. I had no idea what these were, and was rather panicked! So my first impressions of Albuquerque that have remained with me over the past 23 years are that, quite out of the blue, I found myself in a world of “Blue Skies and Biscochitos.” 21
Angel Wing, 35” x 20”
Mary Jo Stipe
Lamy, NM, maryjstipe@yahoo.com A line from a poem about a found white feather inspired this quilt: “Could it have fallen from an angel’s wing?” That line has stayed with me for decades, even though I have never been able to find the poem again. To me, feathers, fallen leaves, stones, fossils, and sea shells are gifts from nature to be treasured. Recently I’ve been exploring abstracted feather designs in various media. “Angel Wing” is taken directly from my sketchbook and created using fused applique with commercial fabrics, variegated quilting thread, and glass beads. 22
Monhegan Island Village, 27� x 42�
Lynn Welsch
Mimbres, NM, lbwelsch@hughes.net, http://mountainspiritsstudio.blogspot.com I saw nothing but blue water for most of the eleven-mile ride on the passenger ferry out to Monhegan Island. As we traveled closer, the island appeared out of the expanse of blue water! Monhegan Island Village is based on a photo I took of the first view ferry passengers have on approaching the island. 23
Water of Life
24
25
Photo: Doug Conley
The Edge, 19� x 24�
Mary Aigner
Ruidoso Downs, NM, mjainrd1@gmail.com Reminiscent of a Kanazawa Wave, my quilt is based on my own original fiction, The Edge of Earth. In the story, the earth is really flat, surrounded by an ice wall holding in the sea. Characters escape tyranny and servitude, seeking freedom, knowing they may not survive. Upon reaching the Edge with its 200-foot-high walls of ice, they despair ... until a single tree is sighted in the distance. Now there is hope for something beyond the Edge. 26
Photo: David Nelson
Kaleidoscope of Life, 32� x 24�
Jo Barton
Santa Fe, NM, nmexjo@gmail.com There are worlds unseen by the human eye, where life jostles in a struggle towards light and discovery. The organisms dance in the currents, transforming in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of life. In this piece the controlled randomness of painted wax on silk, and the creative controls of paint, pen and machine embroidery are combined to evoke the mystery of this world. 27
Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
River Goddess, 58” x 15” x 2”
Kelly Butterman
Rio Rancho, NM, buttercrabdesigns@gmail.com “The River Goddess” is a continuation of my fascination with manipulating fabric, rope and recycled objects to create unique textile art. “River Goddess” — flowing throughout time, is the giver of life. She waters the people’s crops and provides them with fish to eat. As the people gather on her banks, she whispers to them the stories they must learn to survive. Her path ebbs, flows, twists and turns, but she is always there, whispering.
28
Photo: Doug Conley
State of Matter, 80� x 48�
Vicki Conley
Ruidoso Downs, NM, vickiconley55@gmail.com, http://vicki-conley.com About 70% of the earth is covered in water, a key building block for life. The state of water changes constantly between solid, liquid and gas. A balance of all these states is critical for the maintenance of diverse habitats on earth, from the animals that rely on polar ice caps for their habitat, to the diversity of wildlife in our oceans and rivers, to the gaseous water that provides moist humid environments to support tropical rainforests. We routinely make choices that affect the water in our environment, it would behoove us to remember interdependence of our ecosystems when making those choices. 29
Colorado Cutthroat, 24” x 24”
Nicole Dunn
Los Alamos, NM, marianicolasa402@gmail.com, http://www.dunnquilting.com After two summers of fishing in Colorado and giving tours at the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery in Almont, Colorado, I have “fish” on the brain. I found this old net abandoned on the shores of one of the fishing ponds at the fish hatchery, so it seemed appropriate to put a fish in it that wouldn’t get away! My fish is based on a beautiful Colorado Cutthroat I caught at one of the high mountain lakes near the hatchery. 30
Playing With Water, 34” x 24”
Cheryl Fitzgerald
Albuquerque, NM, cherylf@swcp.com, http://cherylfquilts.com This quilt is my visualization of the flow and color of water.
31
Photo: Stephen E. Foster
Blue Reef, 34� x 24�
April Foster
Santa Fe, NM, aprilspring43@msn.com Beneath the blue waters of the oceans lies a whole other world, a magical place full of colors and very diverse life forms that are not found anywhere else. Imagine what it would be like to dive into these waters and become part of this unique place, full of life. Just think, all this is hidden from many yet right beneath us. As with all things, sometimes we miss what is right in front of us because life gets in the way, we need to step back and enjoy the beauty of all our world. 32
Photo: Stephen E. Foster
Steelhead, 24” x 24”
April Foster
Santa Fe, NM , aprilspring43@msn.com Of course we connect fish with water and water can be blue, but in the case of this piece it represents an “Out of the Blue” moment. What started out with one idea suddenly changed 360 degrees and became the “Steelhead” piece. To me this says you need to be open to new ideas, even though you have a path already open to you; you must be willing to see other avenues that will ultimately lead you to what you are wanting to accomplish. Art is fluid, and ideas are all around, we just need to open our eyes and SEE. I think this also applies to our everyday lives. 33
Photo: Betty Busby
Bubble Netting, 34� x 39�
Cynthia Fowler
Santa Fe, NM, CLFJAM-Cindy@yahoo.com Bubble-netting is a cooperative feeding method used by humpback whales. A group of whales swim in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of fish. The column of bubbles surrounds the school forcing the fish upward. On command, the whales open their mouths as they surface, capturing their prey. From the surface, one sees a ring of bubbles followed by the appearance of several very large mouths! This behavior is learned, not instinctual. Materials: Hand-painted and commercial cotton, metallic threads, buttons, cording. Techniques: Fabric painting (marbling and screen printing), shibori dyeing. Machine pieced and quilted, hand couched and embellished. 34
Photo: Nathan McCreery
Sea Song, 25” x 25”
Robyn Gold
Portales, NM, r.gold@forbesmill.com The challenge fabrics that inspired this quilt had peacocks on them, but I saw “eyes,” and my design evolved from there. Embellishments include beads, buttons, silk, painted lace, hand-dyed rickrack, other trims, an old coral necklace, shells, pearl cotton, Razzle Dazzle, and yarn.
35
Dancing Waves, 31� x 49�
Patricia Gould
Albuquerque, NM, patriciacgould@gmail.com, https://angelfiredesigns.com/ This scene, with deep blue ocean and blue sky, is a compilation of photographs that I took over the years that I lived on the west coast in Southern California. I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean and then lived in Santa Barbara, California, for 12 years before moving to New Mexico. My heart races when I return to the coasts and experience the primal energy of crashing waves on rocks and cliffs. My fiber art pieces depicting water are named with musical themes to describe what I feel when I see those places at that particular moment in time. 36
Sea Foam, 51” x 34”
Kathryn Lazier
Albuquerque, NM, kalazier@gmail.com To me blues come in three colors: skies, waters, or clothes. I love blue. This piece was meant to be totally abstract so it could represent all blues, but “Out of the Blue” it became a seascape with animals and plants.
37
Fast Food, 32� x 25�
Ginny McVickar
Pleasant Hill, OR, mcvickarg@gmail.com, http://www.timelessarts.blogspot.com Splash and dash! During the salmon migration time as they return to their original birthing streams to spawn, bears will position themselves at the falls and in the rivers to catch the salmon as they leap out of the water to get up the falls. The bears fatten themselves and their cubs in preparation for hibernation. Both the bears and the salmon are key species for the health of the land they inhabit, and are worthy of our respect.
38
Chambered Nautilus, 24” x 30”
Ginny McVickar
Pleasant Hill, OR, mcvickarg@gmail.com, http://www.timelessarts.blogspot.com The spiral-shaped shell of the nautilus is made up of chambers which provide buoyancy. A new chamber is added as it grows. The growth of the shell increases by a factor of the golden ratio in one turn, with its outer sides expanding more rapidly than the inner given the space it has to expand. The chambered nautilus has not evolved much during the last 500 million years and often earns the nickname of “living fossil.” It is one of many natural wonders of the deep. 39
Blue Buttons, 32” x 20” x 1”
Char Punke
Albuquerque, NM, charpunke@gmail.com “Blue Buttons” are small animals found along the Oregon state shoreline. They help to color the coastline with the color blue. Although they look similar to jellyfish, they are not of the same family. Their sting is less potent and not deadly. My representational art reflects the great color scheme of lapis and malachite or blue and green. It is through my work that I tied together the color and beauty of this place with the contribution made by the “Blue Buttons.” 40
Remembering, 26” x 32” x 1”
Char Punke
Albuquerque, NM, charpunke@gmail.com Give me a rushing stream with clear cool water, rocks, trees, vegetation, and I’m home. These places enlighten the soul and fuel the senses. I speak to these special places through my representational art.
41
Photo: Betty Busby
Whales, 32� x 32�
Judith Roderick
Placitas, NM, rainbowpaintr@comcast.net, http://www.judithroderick.com This is an image that I painted on silk of a pod of whales swimming in the deep blue ocean. It is hand-painted, fused, machine quilted.
42
Ocean and Shore, 55� x 28�
Judith Roderick
Placitas, NM, rainbowpaintr@comcast.net, http://www.judithroderick.com The moon is reflected in the many blues of the ocean. The shore is rich with an abundance of shells, gifts from the sea. This quilt is made entirely from my hand-painted silks. It is embellished with shells that I picked up on Sanibel Island, Florida, that have been hand-drilled, and hand-sewn.
43
Photo: Carolyn Wright
Restless Waves, 35” x 41”
Nancy J. Steidle
Santa Fe, NM, mssnjs@aol.com The health of the environment directly impacts and determines the health of human society. -Arthur Pack From its origins in earth’s primordial seas, life has been sustained by water. It is shortsighted to deny climate change and the effects of human consumption on the health of our oceans and the availability of fresh water resources around the world. For the future of our planet and our continued existence, we must conserve and preserve our most precious resource. Water is life. Cotton fabrics, hand-dyed fabrics, silk thread, glass beads. Machine pieced, machine quilted, hand beaded. 44
Sea Creatures, 52� x 38�
Lynn Welsch
Mimbres, NM, lbwelsch@hughes.net, http://mountainspiritsstudio.blogspot.com All sorts of unique creatures live on the sea bottom. These fun and whimsical sea creatures are based on photos that I took at the Monterey Aquarium.
45
Photo: Gregory Case Photography
Blue Cascade, 35� x 43�
Marianne R. Williamson
Mountain Brook, AL, leapingdeerranch@gmail.com, http://movinthreads.com Blues from a cascade range from light, light blue to purple and almost black. The mist is very ephemeral, the water thunders over the rocks, and the noise is deafening. It is sparkling and translucent.
46
Photo: Gregory Case Photography
Crashing Waves, 36� x 41�
Marianne R. Williamson
Mountain Brook, AL, leapingdeerranch@gmail.com, http://movinthreads.com I am emphasizing the sound that crashing waves make as they go over the rocks that protect the shore. I took this image when I was on a trip to St. Kitts, a number of years ago, and I have never forgotten the image of the waves going over the rocks.
47
Blue Night
48
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The Wild Blue Yonder, 19” x 27”
Schatzi Brimer
Santa Fe, NM, sbrimerartquilts@gmail.com You never know what surprises you find beyond the outer edges of our universe. Something may appear “Out of the Blue.”
50
Willow Revisited, 66” x 51”
Betty Busby
Albuquerque, NM, fbusby3@comcast.net, http://bbusbyarts.com Moonlight has the magical power to make everyday objects turn to beautiful shades of silver and blue.
51
Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
From Out of The Night’s Sky, 24” x 20”
Kelly Butterman
Rio Rancho, NM, buttercrabdesigns@gmail.com “From Out of the Night’s Sky” is a continuation of my fascination with manipulating fabric and rope to create unique textile art. “From Out of the Night’s Sky” — brightly burning, cutting through the inky depths of darkness. It is the beginning of a new world, slowly spinning into life, destination unknown.
52
Carolyn Castaneda
Solstice, 36” x 36” Carolyn Castaneda
Santa Fe, NM, nmartscapes@yahoo.com, http://enchanted-quiltscapes.com My “Solstice” quilt expresses the emerging of the warm yellow of summer out of the cold blue winter and vice versa. It is about the existence of opposites and the inevitable interconnectedness of the one to the other. Techniques used are fused cotton and synthetic fabrics quilted on my long arm. 53
Blue yearns for yellow Yellow pines for blue Each exists for the well being of the other As winter wedded to summer Life and death The coldest day And the beginning of warmth -r nasef
Lightning Crashes, 24� x 36�
Susan Clarkson
Lamy, NM, smclarkson@gmail.com In the midst of a streak of several nights of thunderstorms I decided to try and capture the feeling of lightning crashing through the night sky. Jagged piecing and straight line quilting are used to create the lightning which cuts through the swirling darkness. This piece was created by sketching on a large piece of paper and cutting up the sketch into six-inch blocks, which were then individually paper pieced. 54
Photo: Carolyn Wright
First Light, 37� x 38�
Cynthia Fowler
Santa Fe, NM, CLFJAM-Cindy@yahoo.com Between the inky darkness of night and the bright golden light of day there is the first light, the gentle lightening of the sky that is quickly overtaken by the rising of the sun. Coming out of the night, the first light lasts only a few moments. Materials: Hand-painted and commercial cotton, metallic threads. Techniques: Fabric painting and marking with chalk pastels. Machine pieced and quilted, hand appliqued. 55
Cosmic Storm, 40” x 30”
Anita McSorley
Albuquerque, NM, amcsorley@q.com “Out of the Blue” became a cosmic experience for me. What better way to portray the vastness of space than with movement and velocity. All fabrics used are cotton and hand dyed by me and a few close friends who wanted to explore what could be produced using the same black dye. It became explosive! 56
Photo: Sibila Savage
Reflections 2: Night Sky, 35” x 39”
Jean Neblett
Santa Fe, NM, jeanneblett@gmail.com The Reflections series are quilted landscapes reminiscent of places visited, remembered or envisioned. “Night Sky” is a reminder of lying in a sleeping bag looking at the stars on mountain back-packing trips.
57
Photo: Sibila Savage
Reflections 6: Moonrise on the Nile, 59� x 67�
Jean Neblett
Santa Fe, NM, jeanneblett@gmail.com The Reflections series are quilted landscapes reminiscent of places visited, remembered or envisioned. From the Semi Ramos Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, the full moon spectacularly rises over the wide and placid Nile River.
58
Photo: Sibila Savage
Reflections 18: On the Slough, 39� x 40�
Jean Neblett
Santa Fe, NM , jeanneblett@gmail.com The Reflection series are quilted landscapes reminiscent of places visited, remembered or envisioned. Rowing on the slough at Point Reyes Station as the sun set was magical.
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Monsoon Moon, 25” x 25”
Mary Jo Stipe
Lamy, NM, maryjstipe@yahoo.com Monsoon season is awaited with great anticipation in New Mexico. Afternoon downpours are common; on rare occasions it rains all day. Arashi shibori always reminds me of water. One of my hand-dyed fabrics seemed to evoke the idea of monsoon rains. I paired it with another piece of shibori that called to mind the moon. By chance I came across a discarded patchwork of Japanese fabrics in a bag of scraps that was gifted to me. “Monsoon Moon” became an abstract summer landscape and inspired this haiku: Monsoon season comes. Moonlight breaking through dark clouds glistens on wet fields. 60
Photo: Gregory Case Photography
Evening Song, 54� x 50�
Marianne R. Williamson
Mountain Brook, AL, leapingdeerranch@gmail.com, http://movinthreads.com In the dark blue of the evening light the swaying branches and leaves sound like they are singing a song.The crickets and insects go along to the tune.
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Feeling Blue
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We Remember, 28” x 10” x 10”
Betty Busby
Albuquerque, NM, fbusby3@comcast.net, http://bbusbyarts.com Made to symbolize loss and mourning, this piece uses deconstructed handmade lace to represent the ephemeral nature of material things.
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A Blue Haunting, 37” x 34”
Carolyn Castaneda
Carolyn Castaneda
Santa Fe, NM, nmartscapes@yahoo.com, http://enchanted-quiltscapes.com In making my “A Blue Haunting” quilt, I wanted to convey the feeling of eeriness. Perhaps the ancient castle is haunted as it sits under an angry, midnight blue sky. Is there someone in there? What does the cat have to say? Can you find her? Techniques include fused cotton and synthetic fabrics quilted on my long arm.
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Blue brooding just under my skin Just out of reach Cold but near I want to believe In moons And light I long to be home. -r nasef
Trapped in Blue, 37” x 34”
Carolyn Castaneda
Carolyn Castaneda
Santa Fe, NM, nmartscapes@yahoo.com, http://enchanted-quiltscapes.com My “Trapped In Blue” quilt is based on our hu- I crawled along the floor man, blue feelings of sadness and grief and My hope the turmoil they create. The quilt has areas de- Connected to blue shadows picting these feelings as well as areas of calm In my mind and steps that finally reach to the outside. And the entrapment of sorrow Techniques used are fused cotton and synthetic Here and there The turmoil fabrics quilted on my long arm machine. Of new beginnings Disquieting and heartening The allure of light -r nasef 66
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Photo: Mike Cox
Peace Be With You, 50� x 48�
Shannon Conley
Moore, OK, la.emperatriz@gmail.com, http://shannonconleyartquilts.com Peace be with you...and also with you. These words are exchanged as parishioners greet one another during the Episcopal worship service (and many others). They remind me that peace, like so many other ideals, begins at home in the small daily interactions we have with those around us, that a little kindness and patience go a long way. The piece is part of an ongoing series inspired by historical illuminations and tile work from many different traditions. 67
Photo: Stephen E. Foster
Waitin’ for the Daylight, 23” x 24”
April Foster
Santa Fe, NM, aprilspring43@msn.com “Waitin’ for the Daylight” can mean many things — maybe just waiting to enjoy the sunrise, waiting on a moment when you find your path or awaiting something larger that will impact us. It is the dark curtain of night giving way to hope and joy of day.
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Breathe, 27” x 24” x 1”
Char Punke
Albuquerque, NM, charpunke@gmail.com Here my representational art tells one to breathe. In these chaotic times we all need to stop and remember to take a breath. Such is the state of our current lives. Remember to breathe.
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Just Blue
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Just Blue, 30” x 23”
Jane Ann Bode
Sapello, NM, jadbode@gmail.com Just blue hue and value too.
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Too Blue, 52” x 22”
Ann Ferkovich
Santa Fe, NM, annferk@gmail.com This quilt was inspired by Erich Borchert who drew magnificent lines. It’s a reminder to myself why I love/hate them! I also used this challenge as an opportunity to keep a simple shape and limit the colors and stitching.
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Color Study: Green and Blue, 31� x 31�
Cheryl Fitzgerald
Albuquerque, NM, cherylf@swcp.com, http://cherylfquilts.com This is an experiment using analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel), yellow to green to blue, using random square and rectangular shapes. I free-motion quilted over the surface using a variegated thread in similar colors, creating leaves and flowers.
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Photo: Betty Busby
Three Part Harmony: Shibori, Sashiko & Indigo, 35� x 48�
Renee Gannon
Santa Fe, NM, reneemgannon@gmail.com Cotton fabrics, individually wrapped in assorted shibori methods, hand dyed in indigo, pieced and hand stitched in sashiko style. Machine quilted.
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Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
Wonky Tonk Blues, 38” x 31”
Lorraine Hollingsworth
Albuquerque, NM, laholli@live.com “Wonky Tonk Blues” is a wonky log cabin with applique and hand-stitching embellishments. I chose the title because, as I worked on it, I kept singing the chorus of The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Woman!”
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Photo: Betty Busby
Infinity, 36� x 36�
Mary Olivea
Santa Fe, NM, moliveanm@gmail.com The quilt gets darker and darker as it gets closer to the center, or conversely, lighter as it comes outward to the edges. On top of this expanding matrix are thin yellow painted circles of various dimensions placed in a pleasing arrangement. Fabric, paint, fused, glued and quilted.
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Wisps, 22� x 22�
Mary Olivea
Santa Fe, NM, moliveanm@gmail.com This quilt is all about process. I painted the canvas and then repainted it again. I added black thread designs in several locations. Then I fused blue fabric throughout the canvas in pleasing manner. Then five orange curves of fabric were added to the quilt as contrast. The large one was quilted on each side. Fabric, black thread, painted, fused, and quilted.
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Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
Indigo II, 38� x 34�
Lynn Rogers
Rio Rancho, NM, kblr049@aol.com Twisting and clamping fabric and then immersing it into the indigo dye pot, created these fabrics. As the fabric comes out of the dye-pot watching it turn from green to blue is always magical.
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Photo: Mark Hollingsworth Photography
Kiowa Blue, 29� x 19�
Lynn Rogers
Rio Rancho, NM, kblr049@aol.com While visiting my daughter in Kiowa, Colorado, I had time to experiment with piecing some of my hand-dyed fabrics. This piece was created during that time.
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