Autumn 2009
Dear Friends,
Today autumn arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, along with cooler temperatures and
shorter days. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colors, the scents, the
crisp air, the feeling and sound of scuffing my shoes through fallen leaves!
As the earth starts to settle in and prepare for a slower pace, I'll be taking a week
to retreat to my old stomping grounds in Upstate New York and revisit the places that
make autumn come alive for me: family places; favorite parks; secret groves; and the
winding roads that open up to beautiful, colorful treescapes around each bend.
I hope that autumn brings you an opportunity to enjoy a slower pace for a time, too.
Warm regards,
Cynthia
In this issue:
Decisions, decisions! How I select what exhibits to enter
Quilt Festival, Houston
The secret hidden in plain sight in Blocks
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Decisions, decisions! How I select what exhibits to enter
Every week I check many sources for calls for entries for exhibits. Most of them are
specifically fiber-related, but since I work in other media, I check for upcoming
exhibits in those arenas, too. I check out several magazines, both print and online;
look at the calls open to members of professional organizations I belong to such as
Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and the Surface Design Association (SDA);
read my email discussion lists; and cruise by a couple websites where other artists
compile calls.
It varies, but generally there are a dozen exhibits listed that I could enter. How do
I narrow it down?
Well, one easy way is the cost of entry. There is a particular exhibit I've wanted to
enter, but the submission fee is $70 if one isn't a member of the organization... and
still $30 if one is. I just can't justify that kind of outlay.
Another way I eliminate possibilities is by geographic location. It's always a little
worrisome when one ships artwork for exhibit. That concern multiplies when we're
talking about international shipping. So I usually pass up overseas opportunities.
Next comes the time frame. Is there a realistic window in which to create work to meet
the exhibit guidelines? Sometimes exhibits don't get the word out until far too late
for me to create something specifically for it.
And, finally, are the requirements something I can work with? Most exhibits have size
and theme requirements that can be quite restrictive. While some artists find this
spurs creativity, I find it very difficult to work under someone else's rigid conditions.
There are some things that will tip me toward entering rather than skipping an exhibit.
First among these, who is the curator/juror? If it's someone whose work I love, and who
creates great exhibits, then I'll probably take a shot at it. Secondly, if the venue is
one that I know has a reputation for hanging excellent exhibits, that also inclines me
toward entering.
I try to mention exhibits I'm working toward on my blog so you can keep track.
Next time, I'll talk a bit about the difference between juried and judged exhibits, and
why I never enter one of them.
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Quilt Festival, Houston
The biggest and most-visited quilt event of the year is set to take place from October 15-18
in Houston. This is the 35th anniversary of this massive show that attracts more than 50,000
visitors each autumn.
In the past, I've had pieces in the Journal Quilt exhibits (which will be an online-only
exhibit this year), but with two relocations and various other major changes in my life,
I'm not participating in any quilt exhibits there this year. However, I did submit three
pieces for the brand new "Eye of the Quilter" photography exhibit. The idea was to submit
photos that provide inspiration to us in some way, whether or not we have gone on to make
quilts from them. Since I was a photographer before I was a quilter, this seemed like a
great opportunity.
I haven't heard yet if any of my photos were selected, but I'll give you a special peek at
my submissions as a perk of being a newsletter subscriber! I tried to select a variety
of different subjects and styles to hedge my bets.
Watch my blog to see if any of the images were accepted.
I'll be volunteering at the SAQA booth on Thursday at Festival, so please stop by and say
hello if you are there. I'd love to meet you!
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The secret hidden in plain sight in Blocks
My latest series, Blocks, is an exploration of basic graphic elements and how they can
be used as structures to hold and contain other more organic forms. They contain bold
blocks of color, and equally bold graphic shapes, all within square containers.
This series is a challenge for me on several levels. I don't ordinarily work in a square
format and I'm not quite sure why. I have a theory that it is because, as a photographer,
I tend to view the world with the aspect ratio of a camera viewfinder.
Normally, I work with more organic shapes. Most of my work does not contain any straight
lines or 90 degree angles. This series is all about that!
I can't remember ever working this small, either. While there is one piece that's larger,
most of the pieces in the series so far are only 3" x 3". That's tiny for me. I'm sure
there will be more larger pieces; in fact, they are necessary to add my visual pun in
a more complete way.
One reason for naming the series Blocks is because the small square format reminded me
of children's wooden alphabet blocks. I wanted to expand on the similarity of these being
foundational blocks as those are, yet I didn't want to use letters. So in keeping with
my bold graphic theme, I decided to use a visual secret pun. These blocks do contain
letters... just not in the way most of us are used to seeing them!
I've included images of the entire series (so far) below. See if you can figure it out!
Yes, you got it! Morse code!
OK, I admit that may be just the tiniest bit geeky, but I am going to have great fun
spelling things out as I arrange them on my design wall and my website. I just need to
make some more larger pieces to maintain the proper proportions and still be able to
fit all the elements of more weighty letters on one piece.
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Thank you for your ongoing support of my work!
Happy Autumn!
