Here are some of the UT members gathered at the opening reception. Left to right, back row, Cathy Jeffery, Merrilee Tieche, Carol Bormann, Emmie Seaman. Front row, Maureen Ashlock, Roberta Ranney, Donna Olson, Dianna Callahan.
Some of the pieces in the show that you haven't seen:
Do You Like Butter? That's the question asked by Lettie Blackburn's beautifully framed piece. "Of course I do" is the answer given by generations of laughing children on a warm summer's day, "my chin is yellow!" The glittering threads and sheers play perfectly off the grassy background, taking one back to remembered days of itchy grass, fireflies and golden dandelions.
This lovely oil pastel portrait of the artist's mother, done by Dianna Callahan and entitled Momma is a charming tribute. A lace collar and tags from clothing add personal touches to the piece since Dianna's mother worked in a garment factory.
Three Sisters, submitted by Lucy Silliman utilizes a different surface design technique to achieve a beautiful and interesting look. Lucy first thread painted her flowers on cloth, then colored the raised portions with oil pastels. The three small pieces were then mounted on stretcher bars giving the trio a great design element.
Rainforest, a mixed media piece from Diane Steffen, uses the artist's great abstract style to evoke the sunless depths and bright canopy of a rain forest. Mosses are stylized with the use of wool roving, and bright parrot blue draws our eye.
A secondary exhibit within Threads of Memory showcases our members contribution to a special exhibit. In 2008, UT member Kathy Kansier was the recipient of the prestigious Jewell Pearce Patterson scholarship awarded to "Teacher of the Year" by IQA. In return for the many perks this award entails, Kathy had to develop a class based on something she had learned during the scholarship period, and then mount an exhibit of works on that theme made by herself and her students to be premiered at the 2009 Houston IQA show. The show then traveled to Quilt Market at Minneapolis and the fall IQA show in Long Beach, CA. Kathy had 24 quilts in her exhibition. Several of our UT members rose to the challenge and made art quilts based on Kathy's chosen theme of "Making a Grand Entrance"
Down Olive Way is Maureen Ashlock's contribution. The doorways are based on the different homes Maureen lived in during her husband's military career. Maureen worked long and hard to achieve the perfect perspective evidenced on this complicated quilt. Choice of fabrics, the great machine stitching and even the kitty on the doorstep bring a warm feeling to it.
Reflections of Tuscany: Limonaria at Spannocchia selects an image beloved by artist Carol Bormann of the ancient building in Italy where lemon trees are stored during cold weather. Carol and her husband, Nick, have returned to this enchanting place in Tuscany for it's particular beauty. Note the reflection of the vines in the glass over the doorway.
Greek Archways by Dianna Callahan portrays an ancient entrance photographed, and now captured in fabric, during Dianna's recent travels to Greece and Turkey. The amazing depth and realism of this piece is enhanced with paint, applied by both brush and spray.
First of four quilts made by Kathy Kansier for her exhibit is Entering a Competitive World, hilariously picturing aging bathing beauties on the beach. Kathy's use of fabric and sense of humor play a big part in this quilt.
On a Hill Far Away by Kathy Kansier shows an ancient arch and landscape focused on three distant crosses. Note the realism and excellent use of perspective in this quilt.
Kathy's quilt, He's Not There, shows the shock of discovering Jesus's body was missing when Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, mother of James, looked in the tomb. Kathy's use of color and imagination add to the realism.
Damascus Gate is a sister piece to He's Not There in more ways than one. Both were originally created as one very large quilt but Kathy determined that each should have been separate, so she cut the quilt to make two. The Damascus Gate was exit from Jeruselum that was used to transport Jesus to the site of his crucifixion.
Chaco Canyon by Donna Olson shows a series of entrances, photographed by Donna's husband, in an ancient Anasazi Native American ruin in the Four Corners area of the U.S. Southwest. The age of the worn adobe brick and the shadows made by sun shining through the collapsed ceilings make a perfect backdrop for Donna's favorite Native American myth - the Trickster, the crow.
L'Entrata di Siena, by Merrilee Tieche, translates a photograph taken by the artist in the ancient city of Siena in Italy. The modernity of the shiny new bicycle in front of the old building and the shadows growing longer, created a contrast she couldn't resist. In the original photo, there was a very modern black plastic garbage bag to the right of the door.
Well, my friends, that's the whole show. I will insert a caveat here and tell you that no photograph in the world can do justice to our fiber art - the texture, depth and color of the fabrics add an element that must be seen to be appreciated.
