Had a lovely day yesterday travelling to Parrsboro – my friend MaryAnn drove because she wanted to visit friends and family who live there. Our first stop was the Art Labs Studios and Gallery on Main Street to deliver and hang my four quilts and two wall pieces.
Finished Wall Hanging/Table Runner
I had finished the wall hanging “Circles #6” last week. It just fit the spot where it got hung (I’d created it for a different larger space in the gallery which was already occupied).
Here is a glimpse of the other half of the exhibit – William Forrestall’s work (egg tempera on paper).
MF relaxing for a moment
I had a chat with William Forrestall who made interesting observations about my work – he picked up on the connection to traditional quilting techniques but also noticed the focus on colour and the movement of colour – all intentional aspects of my work. He also commented on the technical aspects of the quilting.
Circles #5
The quilts are on display until August 30. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity, drop in for a browse.
I actually started this quilt in the middle of May; I got sewing on it on June 18 (a month ago). I finished it last night (label and hand sewn hidden binding)!
Now I’m ready for the Art Labs show in Parrsboro, Aug 10-30.
I should be able to hang four throw quilts, including this one. I’m calling my contribution to this 2-person exhibit “Circles”.
Circle Quilt #5Circles On PinkDrunkard’s Path #5Planets and Moons
In reserve I have two others:
Skyline #3Study in Blue / Green
There’s also a narrow wall in the gallery where I may get to hang this small piece
Circles #4
I have time to create one more project – this one potentially will be a table runner, although if it gets hung at all it will be hung horizontally. Approximate dimensions – 45″ x 15″. An assembled background of five 9″ blocks in much lighter grey fabrics than Circles #4, each block with an embedded whole circle finished with appliqué embroidered circles, wherever.
Circles #4 is the only time I have tried embedding an entire circle in a background. I will give it another go just to get better at the technique.
I have until August 5 or so to complete the piece – that should be enough time.
I was in Parrsboro hanging the first show today. It turned out the third woman who was supposed to be in the show with Colleen and me couldn’t make it, so Colleen and I shared the space between us.
Here’s what I hung (plus one more Bargello piece):
Bargello #2Cathedral Windows On Point DiamondsMad TeslaEscherTumbling BlocksSkyline #1 Material Matters! Quilts and Fibre Art
These pieces are by Colleen Davidson – she calls them “Moving Through Water”
Colleen Davidson Moving Through Water
You couldn’t have imagined two such different kinds of fibre work! Yet they hang together very well.
I work with traditional quilting materials using traditional quilting techniques. I play with colour and pattern/texture.
Colleen’s works here are on silk organza which she paints and cuts out and appliqués and stitches. The effects are very interesting and ephemeral! Her pieces all have the translucence and movement of water as the silk ripples with the slight air currents in the room.
I’ve never thought about creating anything like that – but as I work on new things this coming year, I must think about how to move toward more abstract creations!
The show is at Art Lab Studios and Gallery – 121 Main Street, Parrsboro. The show hangs until late Friday afternoon, Nov. 22. Do drop in if you’re in the vicinity!
The show was hung on Friday morning after our two hour drive from Halifax to Parrsboro. I’ve shown in the gallery enough times that knowing what I wanted to hang, where, required little deliberation. I knew I’d brought exactly the right number of pieces to display.
The show consists of eight lap size quilts, accompanied by two panels each with an array of 6×6 pieces – a total of thirty pieces of textile art. A respectable amount of work.
As you enter the gallery space
On your right as you enter the Community Gallery you find the four Drunkard’s Path Blocks quilts: Let the Trumpet’s Sound, Drunkard’s Path #5, Skyline #3, and Planet’s With Moons (from right to left). It doesn’t immediately strike you that all four quilts are built using the same block construction, but if you look closely you see the basic quilt block is the same in each.
The “Modern Flower” Pieces
Turn to your left and you see the “Modern Flower” pieces – a couple of larger raw-edge appliqué works with the 6×6 pieces on a panel in between. On the end wall (on the left) I chose to hang the Asian Strips piece, showcasing the use of the asian print leftovers I used to assemble that quilt.
The “Convergence” Quilts
Again, turning to the left you see the “Flower” 6×6 panel above the horizontal post (three have sold so far!), followed by the Convergence quilts – Convergence Quilt #4, #3, and #2.
It always amazes me to see the quilts and small pieces hung in the gallery – the collection has such a different impact than seeing the art one quilt at a time. The technical work slips into the background as the visual impact takes over.
I spoke to a number of people at the opening during the afternoon, all of whom were interested in the decision-making that goes into each work, whether a lap quilt or a small 6×6 piece. People always want to know how long does it take – it’s an unanswerable question – there’s no way to account for the “thinking about it” time that goes into each textile work. The execution, the cutting out, the piecing, the quilting, the embellishing, the binding are all straightforward aspects of making this art. I can predict reasonably accurately how long each phase will take; but the thinking about it is out of my control – it takes as long as it takes.
The show is hanging in the Art Labs Community Gallery (121 Main Street) in Parrsboro NS until late afternoon on Thursday, June 15. If you happen to live near Halifax, or near Parrsboro, do drop by. In addition to the Community Gallery the four resident artists display their work as well. It’s worth a visit.
If you make it a day trip from Halifax, I’d recommend leaving around 9:00 am, driving straight to Parrsboro, visiting the gallery, then having lunch at the Harbourview Restaurant. After lunch mosey your way back, stop at the Five Islands Lighthouse Park to take in the ocean view. Further down the road visit Lowland Gardens – they always have some unusual plants there. You can’t drive back to Halifax without stopping at Masstown Market – fresh produce, great ice cream, good chili if you’re hungry. Depending on how long you take at each stop you should make it back to town between 6:00 – 7:30. You’ll have enjoyed the day.
PS – all of these pieces are for sale. If you’re interested in knowing more about any of them, email me: newman.judith@gmail.com.
21 Quilts & Wall Pieces [Click on photos to view enlargements]
@ Art Lab Studios and Gallery 2022
Today I hung my quilts and wall pieces at the Art Lab Studios & Gallery in Parrsboro. I didn’t hang everything I took with me, opting for the “less is more” principle. Nevertheless, I’m delighted with how the show looks.
I spent the afternoon as “artist in residence” to chat with folks who dropped by for the “opening” – there were probably a dozen visitors who stopped to look, half of whom actually wanted to learn more about the works themselves. Lovely conversations with each of them.
This year, I wanted to show the new quilts produced since last summer as well as a “retrospective” of what I refer to as “the portrait” pieces – the wall art based on my photos where I print elements of a photo on fabric and embed them in a pieced background. The initial reaction is always that you’re looking at a photo and then only when you step closer do you see you’re viewing a textile/thread piece.
The show hangs until late in the afternoon of August 18 in Parrsboro NS.
121 Main Street, Parrsboro NS
If you’re considering a day trip to Parrsboro make sure to stop for lunch at The Pier / Harbourview Restaurant in Parrsboro. Ruby and I went there just to have their lobster roll – it won’t disappoint you!
Lobster Roll (after taking a big bite!)
A nicely toasted (buttered) hotdog bun FILLED with chunks of fresh lobster seated on some lettuce (OK, so there wasn’t any chopped celery, but we didn’t complain because there was so much lobster). We added a single kids’ portion of fries which we shared (just enough for two without having to feel guilty about eating them).
We started with the deep fried battered dill pickle – yes you got that right – a Pier Restaurant invention, I think. Crazy but surprisingly tasty. Ruby had never had anything like it so I ordered some. Comes with tartar sauce for dipping.
Deep Fried Battered Dill Pickle
On our way back to the city we stopped at “The Egg Lady” – to pick up 5 dozen fresh eggs for a friend of mine. Laid today, they’ll last her for several weeks.
I got an email middle of last week wondering whether I’d be interested in exhibiting some of my work in the two outside window cases of the Craig Gallery at the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal (Alderney Landing).
How did they know about my work? A couple of weeks ago, I sent out proposals to five major galleries in the Halifax area – The Craig Gallery was one of them.
Of course I said yes? Short notice wasn’t an issue – I have a closet full of quilts and wall art projects – the challenge was how to limit the exhibit. On Friday morning I drove across the bridge to visit the gallery to get an idea of the size of each window. (I took along a suitcase with a range of pieces to show the curators – their reaction – “The photos don’t do the work justice!”) I know that, but the only way I can get any attention is with photos. While I was at the gallery we talked about me submitting a proposal for a solo show inside the gallery at some time in the future. I plan on resubmitting late in the summer for the 2024 season!
I arrived early at the gallery this morning with eight pieces in my large travel suitcase along with monofilament fishing line, straight pins, gorilla tape, a hammer and level, a few hooks… I forgot small brass nails, but in the end that was OK – we used tiny bulldog clips to hang the work from the window case ceiling using the monofiliament (the two lower portrait pieces are pinned to a plinth top).
Exhibit in the Large Window Case
Floral Art Pieces in the Smaller Window Case
It’s too bad I couldn’t get photos without the reflection from the windows behind me but you get a hint of how the exhibit looks.
While I was looking at the finished windows one of the artists from the Dartmouth Visual Art Society (who are showing inside the gallery for the same month of June) was looking at the work as well. “I must bring my sister-in-law to see this! She’s a quilter but she just follows patterns. She need to see this free-form work.”
If one person brings a second, quite a few people may actually stop and peruse the work – you can get close enough to the windows to examine the appliqué and stitching detail and wonder how in earth did she get those portraits so photo-like. I explain how in my “artist statement” and “biography” if anybody bothers to read either.
At first glance you think you’re looking at photographs – when you get closer you realize you’re looking at textile compositions! Precisely the effect I’ve been trying to develop with these works.
Yesterday I drove to Parrsboro (2 hours from home) to hang 7 quilts and 15 wall art pieces in the Art Lab Studios & Gallery.
This is the sixth summer I’ve been privileged to show my creations in the gallery. It’s a small gallery in a small town but it’s becoming known for it’s displays of high quality art. The five resident artists are themselves fine artists who paint, make pottery, fashion textile pieces, along with a roster of other well known local artists who both show and do workshops at the Studios during the summer.
The space is perfect for hanging my lap quilts and other smaller pieces.
When we’re finished hanging the show I look around and think about the amount of work I’ve done in a year – the range of style, the intensity of colour, and the technical improvement the show reveals.
A number of pieces were created as projects for classes I was intending to teach (except they were cancelled due to COVID-19).
Kaleidoscope Table Runners
Other pieces were inspired by fabric in my stash – they called out for me to do something with them.
Then there were the two quilts I started work on at the sewing retreat last fall that turned into quite striking throws.
Grey called out to me this year – last year it was turquoise.
I think I want to return before the show is taken down to photograph everything once more – it’s very difficult for me to hang the quilts, in particular, and photograph them at home – when they’re on the wall, like this, I am able to capture each piece without distortion.
The quilts and wall art will be on display until August 20, 2020.
If you get a chance, the Art Lab Studios & Gallery is a wonderful destination for a day trip from Halifax – leave around 10am, stop at the Masstown Market in Masstown (they make great sugar donuts if you get there early enough). In Parrsboro you can have lunch at either the BlackRock Cafe or what locals call “The Pier” (now called, I think, Harbourview Restaurant), then visit the gallery, schmooze Main Street, and have a leisurely drive back home either through Joggins/Amherst or back through Truro. If you stop for dinner in Truro you can expect to be back home around 8pm. Even fun on a cloudy day.
I’ve been spending today getting ready for the showing of eight new quilts and eight new wall hangings in the Parrsboro Art Labs during the first two weeks of September. First I had to write some kind of biographical blurb for the blast email they send out, then I had to write descriptions of each piece with photos of the front and back of each quilt. Yesterday I was at the lumber yard picking up nine 6′ lengths of 3/8″ dowels to hang the quilts (I still have to baste a temporary hanging sleeve on each), I bought some bulldog clips to hold the dowels at the Dollarstore. I still need a package of push pins to mount the clips to the walls. The showing isn’t until September 3 so I still have three weeks to get everything done in time.
I love seeing my art hanging in one spot. I don’t have room to display quilts in my apartment—they live folded over hangers in a closet. To have eight of them fully displayed at once is such a delight. I’m not expecting any of the quilts or wall art pieces will sell (the prices reflect the actual cost of the materials, as well as my labour and creativity, which sets the price well above what people locally expect to pay for a quilt; however, I consider my work to be art and so I’ve priced it accordingly). Nevertheless, these pieces of functional and decorative art will be seen by a reasonable number of people and that makes this extra work worth while.
The third sewing table arrived Friday morning and it fits the space perfectly! It’s the right height, and the piece on the left is moveable – when I’m quilting, I can position it further to the right so it will take the weight of the quilt I’m working on. The depth of the main span is also greater (2′ 8″) than on either of the other two tables so there’s more push-back space to work with. I know I’m going to be happy with it.
I intend staining and oiling the surface so it blends better with the other furniture in the space, the majority of which is actually my old teak furniture. I’ll stop off at Lee Valley to ask their advice about how best to do that tomorrow.
So now the space is just about complete. Time to get back to sewing – I have a wall hanging piece I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while – I’m aiming for larger than any I’ve done so far. I’ll start by enlarging the photo on which it will be based so I can look at the elements and think about the fabrics I’ll need.
Here’s the sign outside of the Art Lab in Parrsboro – it was lovely approaching the building Friday evening and seeing it there:
The gathering Friday night was small but definitely enthusiastic.
And as I sit writing on my iPad at the kitchen island counter, I’m also watching the Tennis final in Cincinnati on my iPhone. Cilic has taken the first set, although Murray is pushing him hard in the second…. I was disappointed Raonic didn’t win yesterday. On to the US Open coming week. This streaming thing means I can be sewing and keeping an eye on the tennis at the same time. I love this multitasking….
I’m finally settled into the apartment! There are still a few things to do but for the most part it’s now home.
Yesterday I traipsed to Parrsboro with 10 new quilts and 3 wall art pieces. They’re on show at Art Lab till Sept. 7. We spent the afternoon hanging the exhibition and I was delighted with how well the pieces all show.
jmn 