Sunday, August 31, 2014

let's talk about taking photographs

At some point, regardless of whether or not you want to submit your work to an exhibition or not, you are going to want to take a photo of your work.  It might be to share it in a blog post, on your facebook page or to send a photo of it in an email to a friend.  You should always strive to take the best photo possible because after all, you spent all that time creating the quilt so don't take a photo that doesn't accurately represent what a beautiful piece of art it is.

But let's approach this from the point of view that you want to submit your quilt to a call for art.  You finish your piece and it's time to take a photo so what's the best way to do that?

First and foremost and I can't stress how important this point is: remember that in the case of a juried submission the photographs of your work are what the jurors are using to determine whether or not your quilt is going to be accepted or not.  The juror is not going to look at the photo and say, "well I think this is a good piece of work but the photo is not great so let me go pop over to the artists website to see if there is a better image of it".  In most cases the juror is not even going to know who the artist who made the work is.  So the photos that you submit need to be the best representation of your work.   There's an excellent blog post here by Kathleen Loomis who is one of this years jurors for the Quilt=Art=Quilt exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center talking about her experience with viewing the photographs of work submitted for the show.  She shares some excellent advice and tips about what you can do to improve your chances of being chosen for a show that is juried from digital images.

Do you need to go out and buy an expensive camera to take a decent photo?  Not necessarily.  Many of  the compact point and shoot cameras can take terrific photos if you make sure that you are taking photos at the highest setting the camera will allow.  So before you start taking photos consult your camera’s manual to make sure that you have the camera set to take as large and as high a resolution photo as possible.  Some cameras will let you take smaller lower resolution photos to save space on the cameras memory card.  You might find this information in your camera manual under “image size” or “image resolution”.

Here are some of my own tips:

Find a spot where you can hang your quilt against a neutral background.  This means you don't want to take a photo of your quilt on a bright red, yellow, purple, paisley, checkerboard or any other color or patterned background!  This is also not the time to take your quilt outside and hang it on a fence, over a porch railing or ask someone to stand behind it and hold it up while you take a picture of it.  If you don't have a wall with neutral color paint on it then consider covering your design wall with a clean piece of neutral color wrinkle free fabric stretched taut over it and photographing against that.  

Hang your quilt on the wall making sure that there are no pins, clips or other items you're using to hang the quilt showing.  Take the time to use a level to make sure that your quilt is hanging straight.

Light your quilt evenly across the surface.  This means you don't want to take a photo of your quilt with a swarth of sunshine coming through the pained windows across it.  Natural light is best but sometimes that's not an option and you have to use electric lighting.  This is fine but be aware of the color of the bulbs you use.  Some household bulbs can throw a yellow tint and it will effect the colors in the photo you take.

Here's an example of a quilt that I recently finished hanging on my photo wall:


So at first glance it looks pretty good and ready to photograph but look closely.  See the little spots of brown along the right and left top side edges?  That's the hanging rod sticking out.  Not a huge distraction you might be thinking but you wouldn't see that in a professionally shot photo.

The quilt is also not hanging straight.  This is easily fixed by using a level to straighten it.

This next image shows another thing to avoid when taking an photo of your quilt:


I was obviously not standing in front of the quilt when I took this shot.   You should always take your photos standing directly in front of your quilt.  I use a tripod when I photograph my quilts.  It was an inexpensive investment that really makes a difference in the quality of my photographs.  You'll find the one that I use here.

Take several test shots to check that the lighting is right.  Don't expect that your first photo is the best one.  I always have to take several shots in order to get the lights in the right place.  

Here are some terrific online resources for more information about taking photographs of your quilts:

Holly Knott has an incredibly comprehensive series of articles on her website about taking photographs of quilts:   http://www.hollyknott.com/stq/index.htm

The Bernina We All Sew blog has a series of posts by Kerby Smith on how to take great photos of quilts:

part 1: http://weallsew.com/2014/04/10/5-tips-for-taking-great-pictures-of-your-quilt/
part 2:   http://weallsew.com/2014/05/07/10-tips-for-photographing-your-quilts-and-sewing-projects/

There's some helpful information on the Modern Quilt Guild website:
http://themodernquiltguild.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/photographing-your-quilt/

The International Quilt Association has some great tips for quilt photography:
http://www.quilts.org/tips.html 

You'll find my previous posts about digital photography here.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Fiber Frenzy Exhibit




Fiber Frenzy, an exhibition featuring the work of nine fiber artists, will be on display in the Great Room Gallery of the Yarmouth New Church, 266 Route 6A, Yarmouth Port, from 12 noon to 5 PM on September 7, 13, and 20, and at 7 PM before concerts in the Audience Room and during intermissions on September 6 and 20. Opening reception is set for Saturday, September 6, from 5 to 7 PM.

Reflecting innovative approaches with varied mediums, the art collection includes weavings by Corinne Lilie and Jane Parhiala, felted sculpture by Toni Newhall, fabric collage by Sheila McAvoy, unique sculptural dolls by Madeline Arnault, landscapes in fiber with thread painting by Ro Morrissey, abstract fiber designs by Stephanie Panasci, artisan rugs by
Susannah Wheelwright, and art quilts by Elaine Skoler.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

SAQA Benefit Auction


This is your chance to own beautiful, unique art quilts by some of the world’s finest artists. Plus, your purchases help increase the recognition for art quilts and the artists who make them while supporting SAQA’s exhibitions, publications, and education outreach. Thanks to generous donors and bidders in 2013, the Benefit Auction raised over $65,000!

View the Quilts
Dream Collections
View Artist List and Quilt Details

The Benefit Auction is run in three sections for 6 days each, with a special later section accompanying the International Quilt Festival in Houston. A different group of quilts is available for online bidding each week. Get all the details here.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Trunk show piece by Jodi Scaltreto

Pieces for the MA/RI trunk show continue to arrive in my mailbox...


This gorgeous piece was created by SAQA member Jodi Scaltreto:

Pink Lily 2
Cotton fabric printed using PhotoShop Elements then thread painted with polyester threads.


Submission details for the trunk show:
Each piece must be 9”x 11” - unbound please as the edges will not be visible and the piece will be mounted on matboard.  Please keep any dimensional embellishments at least 1" from the edges.  Include a one page ( 8 1/2” x 11” sheet of paper) artist statement that has your name, the title of the piece, materials and techniques used and any contact information or other information about the piece you wish to include.   Please also email a copy of this statement to Sue at sue@suebleiweiss.com

Send the artwork Sue Bleiweiss to (or bring it to a future SAQA regional meeting) Please include $5.00 (make checks payable to SAQA) to cover the supplies needed to mount and frame the artwork.

Note that this is an open ongoing call for SAQA MA/RI members and there is no deadline to submit a piece for it.



Wednesday, August 13, 2014

IMAGO foundation for the arts call for submissions


IMAGO Foundation for the Arts (IFA) 

36 Market Street, Warren, RI 02885 


National Call
9th Annual Open Juried Exhibit - Textile and Fiber Arts

Multiplicities: New Directions in Fiber

Work created using or referencing any fiber techniques and vocabularies, in any material is eligible. Techniques considered are traditional as well as innovative, including weaving, twining, plating, beading, stitching, felting, dyeing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, spinning, embroidery, surface design, and 3-D mixed media. Materials considered include cloth, thread, paper, metal, glass, wood, clay, plastic, as well as any other material.

Cash Awards
On View Friday, October 17 - Saturday, November 8, 2014
Artist Reception October 24, 2014

Deadline for Online Entry Midnight, Sunday, August 31, 2014
Enter your images online at www.OnlineJuriedShows.com

Juror - Elin Noble


Eligibility:
• All work must have a shipping address in the continental USA.
• The artist must be 18 years of age or older.
• All work must be original.
• Work created under instruction or supervision is not eligible.
• Work must have been completed within the last 3 years.
• Work should not have been previously exhibited at IMAGO gallery.
• All work must be received ready to install. If work requires specific hanging device or armature, these must be included with clear installation instructions.
• Work must fit through an average doorway and weigh no more than 20lbs.
• IFA Board and Directors are not eligible.
• If the gallery determines that the work received does not represent the images submitted, the gallery has the right not to display the work.

Fees
Entry fee is $35 for up to 3 works.

Get all the details here on the online juried shows website.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

World Quilt Show - New England XII

The World Quilt Show in Manchester NH opens this Thursday, August 14, 2014!

The Radisson Center of New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire



The World Quilt Show - New England is Mancuso Show Management's outstanding New England quilt festival. This New England quilt festival is one of the most internationally diverse events of its kind in the world of quilting and the textile arts. This year’s faculty will be offering a fabulous variety of workshops and lectures. In addition, Mancuso Show Management is hosting the World Quilt Panel and Forum Ice Cream Social; this special event is included with your festival registration. Also returning to the Festival for another year will be the special Saturday luncheon presentation. Plus, for those who wish to travel to the show with ease, Show Management is offering an all inclusive show & hotel package. We hope you will join us in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA for World Quilt Show - New England.

Don't miss the I ♥ New England! special exhibit of New England SAQA members!
New England is, after all, a state of mind! So whether it’s the seasons (summer, almost winter, winter, still winter), mountains, lakes, people or potholes that inspire you, let your imagination run wild! This exhibit is from SAQA New Englanders about life here, either real or imagined.  From abstract to pictorial, come see what we really think!  
 

 For more information visit the Mancuso Show Management website here.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

let's talk photography...

Way back when, a long time ago, when I started my artistic journey I had a big clunky digital camera that actually wrote to 3 1/4" floppy discs!  By today's digital camera standards it took terrible photos but at the time 15 years ago it was cutting edge.  I used to to take photos for all my online class materials and to photograph my artwork.  I knew next to nothing about photography back then and when I look back most of my photos are dark, blurry and the colors are definitely off.  I replace that camera eventually with a nice Canon Rebel and started to get much more interested in photography because my camera took much better photos and photo editing software was getting much easier to navigate.  I was also starting to submit my work to shows, exhibits and magazines so I needed to know how to take a great photo.  Fast forward to 2011 and I signed a book contract with Potter Craft to write my first book "The Sketchbook Challenge".   I was given a very short 4 months to write it and on top of that, it was up to me to handle all the photography because Potter Craft didn't supply any photographic support.  There was precious little time to write the book, create the artwork and then try to find, interview and hire a photographer so I decided I would do all the photography for the book myself.   I gave myself a crash course in how to photograph artwork and there were three books that taught me everything I needed to know:

 
This book by Steve Meltzer is a fantastic resource for learning how to photograph artwork.    It appears to be out of print but it's worth tracking down a used copy or checking with your library to get a copy.  

Another excellent resource is Gloria Hansen's book "Digital Essentials"


This book is packed with just about everything you need to know about taking and working with digital images of your quilts.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you are taking your own photos of your quilts to submit to juried shows.  Click here to order a copy.

You can't take a good photograph without good lighting:

  Digital Photography Lighting for Dummies is an excellent resource for learning about effective lighting and  lighting equipment.

I cannot stress this enough - using a smart phone or table to take a photo of your quilt to submit it for jurying to a quilt or art show is not appropriate!  I love my Iphone, I carry it everywhere and I take a lot of photos with it BUT I would never use it to create a digital image to submit my work to a show, magazine or a portfolio.   You don't have to spend weeks and months of your life studying photography but you should learn the basics so that when you submit a photo to a show you can be confident that it is a true representation of your work.  Take the time to learn how to use your digital camera and some basic photo editing software.   Start with these books I recommend above and you'll be glad you did!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

trunk show piece by Janis Doucette

I received this beautiful piece from Janis Doucette for the SAQA MA/RI trunk show:


Submission details for the trunk show:
Each piece must be 9”x 11” - unbound please as the edges will not be visible and the piece will be mounted on matboard.  Please keep any dimensional embellishments at least 1" from the edges.  Include a one page ( 8 1/2” x 11” sheet of paper) artist statement that has your name, the title of the piece, materials and techniques used and any contact information or other information about the piece you wish to include.   Please also email a copy of this statement to Sue at sue@suebleiweiss.com

Send the artwork Sue Bleiweiss to (or bring it to a future SAQA regional meeting) Please include $5.00 (make checks payable to SAQA) to cover the supplies needed to mount and frame the artwork.

Note that this is an open ongoing call for SAQA MA/RI members and there is no deadline to submit a piece for it.