SAQA MA/RI REGIONAL MEETING

PRO CHEM & DYE

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

On Saturday, September 23rd, twenty-two members of the MA/RI Region of SAQA enjoyed a two hour lecture and demonstration from Vicki Jensen at Pro Chemical & Dye in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Following the lecture some members chose to experiment with materials that Vicki provided.

Following the demonstration and experiment time, several members shared their current work through Show and Tell.  A brief business meeting followed.

The next meeting is a Studio Tour with Cheryl Rezendes on Saturday, October 21, 2017 in Bernardston, MA from 10 am to 2 pm.  Check the newsletter for exact address and directions (www.cherylrezendes.com).  We hope to see you there!

Regional Meeting News

June 4, 2016

PRO Chemical & Dye 

Twenty four SAQA members and guests attended the quarterly meeting in Fall River, MA to connect with other members, receive and share information and attend a lecture and demo by Vicki Jensen, owner of PRO Chem. Topics of the day's business directed by Nancy Turbitt and Allison Wilbur, the region's reps, were upcoming meeting schedules, Currents opening at the Brush in August, upcoming calls for entries and events, topics for next year's meetings, open studios, outreach on the Cape and development of the blog with thank you's to Dawn Allen & Alanna Nelson and the addition of Sharyn Raiche as the blog's reviewer of books and articles. Two guests were in attendance who have joined as a result of their attending. Two members of the SAQA Board of Directors, Diane Wright and Jeanne Marklin, were also in attendance and spoke briefly to the group.

Vicki began her discussion of discharge products by stating that recently some of her basic products have been discontinued but have returned as the products of another company. Jacquard Products have bought out Harbor Sales formulas for deColourant and have tweaked the recipe to put out their own recipe for a discharge agent which is now carried by  PRO Chem. Discharge agents take color out of previously dyed fabric allowing for a myriad of creative uses. 

Behind Vicki (above & right) you can see three sample boards which she prepared to explain her findings of how Thiox preparations and bleach preparations affect MX black dyed fabric. She used several different numbers of MX dyes which produce black and one Kona cotton in black so that we could see the varied colors created from using discharge.

Vicki explained that there are two ways to discharge dye from fabrics, reduction which uses Thiox to work with cottons and silks employing heat (an iron) to make it happen, and oxidation which uses bleach to remove dye from cotton at room temperature. Bleach can never be used with silk as it degrades the fabric over time. Bleach may also continue to degrade cotton fabric if not rinsed properly with a product called Anti-Chlor Concentrate. Soft Scrub cleaner and bleach pens are two products which can be used to apply bleach to fabric. Vicki also had several fabrics illustrating the creative uses of discharge products in which she had added dye over discharged areas, used stencils with a spray of Thiox, and added potato dextrin over bleach paste to create crackling in the discharge. 

After breaking for lunch, shopping at PRO Chem, and socializing, members had the choice of going out on the loading dock with Vicki to practice with discharges or

staying inside to play with PRO Chem's new line of PRO Silk & Fabric Paint. Vicki's new line of paints are similar to Setasilk, a thin paint for using with silk and cotton, but with the benefit of a lower price.

Here are some photos of members being creative and having fun.

Dawn Allen amid friends having fun with paints.

Diane Wright using a spray bottle to use the paints.

Vicki explaining the use of stencils with sprayed discharge fluid.

Members Vicki Jensen, Cathey LaBonte, Sara Crocker, and Suzanne Housley-Noonan with their respirators having fun with discharge but being safe

Nancy Messier's gorgeous feather painted with PRO Silk & Fabric Paint on cotton

Creativity on the painting table

Although it was difficult to walk away from the fun of experimenting with new techniques, the group moved on to Show & Tell. Here are some shots of our member's sharing their work and their experiences.

Nancy Turbitt started off the Show & Tell with her article in the June 2016 issue of Art Quilting Studio

Jeanne Marklin continues the discussion on the SAQA Yahoo page by showing her cards printed by Moo.com

Dawn Allen wowed the crowd with her 3D Black-eyed Susans created completely with her fabrics designed from her photography, computer manipulated, and then produced by Spoonflower

Cathey LaBonte shows us her samples made minutes prior with discharge techniques

Suzanne Housley-Noonan shows us an unfinished but fantastic piece she has been working on - the centers of the flowers were padded and in relief - so much fun!

Diane Wright explains how this work is part of an exhibit where each piece continues a linear line

Nancy Messier brought in a small piece in which she used the discharging process to create her image of an unfurling fern

Nancy Donovan shows two pieces, the second is created from a photo taken of tubes drying on the path to the beach - she found just the right piece of fabric for the sky

Members enjoyed a full day of socializing, learning and experiencing by creating samples, shopping at PRO Chem, and picking up information about SAQA and our region. The MA/RI Region's next quarterly meeting will be held at the New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck St. in Lowell, MA on August 7, 2016 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Melanie Johnston & Joan Blade Johnson will be talking about exhibiting and marketing your work. There will be no Show & Tell this meeting and members are encouraged to have lunch before coming to the meeting. The meeting will be followed directly at 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm by the premier reception for Currents at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios on 256 Market St. in Lowell. Don't miss the fun, join us there!

Regional Meeting Recap

SAQA MA/RI members gathered together on Saturday, August 8 for a fantastic meeting centered on identifying and defining an artist's voice. Sue Bleiweiss led a panel of three successful and prolific professionals from our region in discussing what defines an artist's voice and what their personal journeys have been. Those artists were Mary Ellen Latino, Valerie Maser-Flanagan and Wen Redmond. Each artist not only talked about their own philosophies but brought examples of their work to further define their vision. Sue video taped part of the lecture in an attempt to bring this exciting discussion to those who could not make the meeting. You will find this videotape on the SAQA website with other SAQA webinar recordings.

Mary Ellen, Valerie, Wen & Sue

To recap some of the gems that these women gave us I will start with a quote Wen read by Anais Nin, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." 

Development of voice takes a long time and it evolves with time. Wen was very philosophical about her thoughts on finding the artist's voice stating early that musing is the artist's voice and citing her early reading of the philosophical book Centering in Pottery, Poetry, and the Person by MC Richards as a clarifying point for her journey. Wen likes to let the materials speak to her. She uses journals filled with pictures she loves and her own writing to inspire her creativity. She also believes that writing a heartfelt artist statement is a good way to focus on what is important to you as an artist in finding your voice.

Valerie believes that doing a lot of work as opposed to looking at an individual expression is how you begin to develop a voice. How your pieces link together as a whole speak to what your voice is. Valerie talked about how after taking a class with Nancy Crow she came home to focus on her own work. Her drive to work steadily and with a strong commitment to working daily have paid off for her in a gradual, but steady development of her style. She talked about the power and emotional impact of seeing all of her work together in her first solo exhibition as she realized that it indeed had a clear voice.

Mary Ellen believes that focusing on your own creative imagery is what initiates an artist's voice. To this task she adds that passion and authenticity are very important. She draws on a wealth of life experiences in travel and a love of photography as well as other artist tools as she works. Mary Ellen has spent a good deal of time academically learning about art but stated that at one point the challenging thing was to take what she had learned and to make it her own. Her art has also been a way for her to heal and suggests that art can be a way to work through life experiences thus making a very personal statement. Mary Ellen also quoted a book by Dakota Mitchell, Finding Your Visual Voice: A Painter's Guide to Developing an Artistic Style, which would be a wonderful read for any artist trying to discover their voice.

A wealth of solid advice, suggestive thinking and great ideas for reflection were passed to the group. Thanks to Mary Ellen, Valerie and Wen for sharing their visions, ideas and processes to help us all understand the concept of what it means to have an artist's voice.

Members looking at Wen's, Mary Ellen's and Valerie's work

After lunch and announcements we wrapped up our meeting as we always do, by taking a look at what our colleagues are doing in a show and tell. Below are some of the photos.

Atara Halpern

Three by Valarie Poitier

Janis Doucette 

Alison Wilbur with a piece worked in Esterita Austin's class

DonnaJean Downer

Suzanne Munroe 

Two from Vicki Jensen

Patricia Faulkner

Madalene Murphy

Nancy Turbitt

Sue Bleiweiss (sorry I missed the right edge)

Sharyn Raiche with a portrait of her daughter

Dawn Allen with quilt business cards

Two from Nancy Belsky from New Hampshire

Ellen Fisher from New Hampshire

Our next meeting will be held at the Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St. in Brockton, MA on Sunday, October 18 from 12-2pm. This meeting will coincide with the 2-5pm opening of the regional exhibition, Art As Quilt: Transitions in Contemporary Textile Media.