Short and Sweet

Sentinels (c) 2013

Another very full day at the Lacombe "Encore: Sale & Celebration of Creative Expression" show.  Each of us sold a small piece, and my daughter sold many of her lovely cards, and some book-marks.  Lots of interest in "Sentinels", but no one's taken it home yet.  It is particularly attractive to men (!) -- and I had two stop and tell me they liked it because they work(ed) as linemen.  That was a total serendipity for me and makes me smile just to think about it.

Another fellow stopped to chat about it even after his wife dismissed my work with  "I do that stuff".  He smiled and said, sotto voce, "She has to follow a pattern though; she doesn't do this" (gesturing toward the exhibit).  And he hung about another 5 minutes or more talking about art and sewing etc.

"Abandoned: House I" and "Watching" both received a great deal of attention as well; they're mounted on stretched canvas.

Abandoned: House I  (c) 2012

Both purchasers of my minis may also contact me for commission work (I have their names), which would be a real plus. The mother of one gal lives here in Mirror, so she was very excited to meet a local artist.  She's just moved into a new house and is still setting up/painting etc., so I may hear from her about a larger piece once she and her husband are settled in.

Another gal who is an art quilting student had a long enthusiastic talk with me about my work, and took a SAQA brochure.  Others took them "for friends" -- so I have only one left!  My stack of postcards is dwindling, too...

And...I survived the expected visit of a gaggle of women from church who breezed through to see my "nice little hobby".  I've been making a point of mentioning (conversationally, of course) that I spend 4-6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, in my studio.  It's a small comfort that the jeweller in the booth next to me gets the same sort of comments.

I lost count of the number of viewers who asked me if I were Patti Morris (the SAQA Western Canada Co-Rep for Alberta) -- or if I knew her.  I'm always flattered because she does wonderful work, but I began to point out that our styles are quite different -- and that she works much larger than I do (at present, any way).  This brought puzzled looks.  Isn't one quilt very like another?  ;-)

Another couple of viewers had seen our SAQA WC exhibit, "Meet the Best of the West" and tried to recall my piece as I described it for them -- with mixed success.  However, they were excited to meet another artist from that exhibit to whom they could put a name and a face.

Another viewer had a hard time referring to the works as 'quilts' because they weren't repeating geometric designs.  On the positive side, she concluded that my pieces weren't quilts (even if they might be quilted) -- they were art!  (GRIN)  (Okay...so what does one say when a viewer refuses to acknowledge the 'quilted' aspect of one's art?!  Now there's a topic for debate!)



In the manner of my friend Nancy Cook, I bought some art with some of my sales proceeds.  I love hand-made books and just across the way from us is a vendor called "Those Great Little Books", from which I purchased a beautifully bound lined journal.

Mine is bound in the 'Rustic' style you see at left, with a turquoise cover, tan spine, and an imprint of an aspen leaf in gold foil on the front -- appropriate to my work, which is filled with images of aspen and birch.


We came home very tired, and hopeful that many of the enthusiastic viewers will return to make purchases today. There's a necklace I want from the jeweller next to us!  All for now...

Encouragement...

from an unexpected source.

This morning I opened an e-mail from Micaela Fitzsimmons, Exhibit and Collection Co-ordinator at the Stratford Perth Museum, where my wee piece, Circle Play, is showing as part of the SAQA 2011 Trunk Show (Canadian Edition), "This is a Quilt!"  I've not had the pleasure of meeting her, but do hope I will one of these days.  Her letter warmed my heart, and thrilled me to my toes.

She began by saying she sought me out because my piece was the only Canadian contribution to that particular Section -- "Trunk C" of the show (there are several; if you're interested in having the show visit your area, you can get in touch with SAQA here.)  I was surprised, because that particular section of the trunk show was specifically designated to be available to travel throughout Canada.*  Still, it's full of delicious images and textures, all small pieces, matted, for your viewing pleasure.

Ms. Fitzsimmons added that though the Museum's website is being updated so photos aren't available there, she posted several on her blog in mid-February, just after the exhibit opened.  The SAQA pieces are hung amidst a variety of heritage quilts from the Museum's collection specifically to complement the trunk show.

Lastly, Ms. Fitzsimmons remarked on my particular piece, as well as her visit to my wee blog and my work in general.  I won't repeat her words, but suffice to say I will savour their sweetness for a very long time.  :-)

*Note: even though it's the designated Canadian section of the trunk show, it's scheduled to travel through Taiwan from May 10 through December 10 this year, so if you want to see this particular part of the Show (my friend and colleague, Nancy Cook of North Carolina is in this section too) you'd best get on it for 2013!

"Nothin' Could be Finer..."

"Than to be in Carolina in the mo-o-o-ornin'..."*

From "Seed Play" - (C) Nancy G. Cook

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that is.  With the wintry weather, how I wish I could  be there -- but more especially, to see the exhibit my friend and SAQA colleague, Nancy Cook, has in the Botanical Gardens there!

"Seed Play" has just opened in the DeBerry Gallery, and runs through February 27.  Information about location, parking and visiting hours can be found on the Gardens' home page. Enjoy!

*"Carolina in the Morning", Jerome H. Remick & Co., 1922 - Lyrics by Gus Kahn; music by Walter Donaldson.