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.

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.

World Quilt Show - New England XII

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

World Quilt Show - New England XII
August 14 - 17, 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.

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!

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.

Fiber Exhibit at the Fuller Craft Museum

The Fuller Craft museum in Brockton MA has some very exciting exhibits on view right now:

Game Changers: Fiber Art Masters and Innovators 

July 5, 2014 - November 23, 2014 

Artist reception:  Sunday, August 3, 2014 2:00 pm. 

Game Changers: Fiber Art Masters and Innovators are those artists, both past and present, who are recognized for continuously experimenting with traditional techniques and materials as well as developing revolutionary approaches in the realm of fiber art. The exhibition focuses on the energy and breadth of vision that continues to shape the future of fiber art.  Artists featured in the exhibition include: Renie Breskin Adams, Olga de Amaral, Lucy Arai, Anastasia Azure, Linda Behar, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Mary Bero, Lanny Bergner, Nancy Moore Bess, Archie Brennan, John Cardin, Lia Cook, Randall Darwall, Eric & Martin Demaine, Carol Eckert, Catherine Ellis, Arline Fisch, Arline Fisch, John Garrett, Jan Hopkins, Mary Lee Hu, Lissa Hunter, Diane Itter, Michael James, Naomi Kobayashi, Nancy Koenigsberg, Alison Kotin, Gyongy Laky, Maximo Laura, Chunghie Lee, Kari Lonning, Susan Martin Maffei, Ruben Marroquin, Amanda McCavour, John McQueen, Norma Minkowitz, Debora Muhl, Kait Rhoads, Lesley Richmond, Michael F. Rohde, Ed Rossbach, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Jane Sauer, Cynthia Schira, Warren Seelig, Kay Sekimachi, Carol Shinn, Adrienne Sloane, Pamela Studstill, Polly Adams Sutton, and Dawn Nichols Walden.

Small Expressions

July 12, 2014 - October 5, 2014 
Artist reception:  Sunday, August 3, 2014 2:00 pm. 
Small Expressions is an annual exhibition sponsored by the Handweavers Guild of America. It features high quality contemporary fiber works, none of which may exceed 15 inches in any direction. All fiber techniques are considered. This year’s juror is Gerhardt Knodel renowned textile artist and long time faculty member of Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Both exhibitions relate to the presence of Convergence 2014, the biannual meeting of the Handweavers Guild of America held this July in Providence, Rhode Island.
Artists featured in the exhibition include: Arlene McGonagle, Barbara Heller, Barbara Heller, Brigitte Amarger, Carol Outram, Chris Motley, Claire Taylor, Claire Taylor, Danielle Bodine, Deborah Zeitler, Dora L. Hsiung, Janet Austin, Jayne Gaskins, Jean Poythress Koon, Jeanne Schenk Steiner, Julie Blackstone, Lesley Nishigawara, Lois Russell, Lois Russell, Maria Kovacs, Marty Jonas, Melanie Siegel, Michael Radyk, Michael Rohde, Nicki Bair, Paula Becker, Peggy Wiedemann, Rebecca Jensen, Rebecca Reeves, Rebecca Smith, Saberah Malik, Sally Raskoff, Sally Shore, Sasha de Koninck, Xia Gao

Visit the museums website site here for more information on these and other exhibits on view.

What's going on in Maryann Gallaher's studio

I have made a lot of progress in my studio since my last post. I now have sewing, pressing, and cutting spaces. I am ready to create!

You will see some pics of my piece in progress for the ME/NH/VT "I Heart New England" show. I am going to hand sew a snow-dyed pair of LLBean silk underwear to a whole cloth white with snowflakes quilt. Come see the exhibit and stop by the SAQA table during the Mancuso show in Manchester, NH August 14-17.

Stay tuned for info about the Parlor Meeting at my studio in Pawtucket, RI in October!