SAQA 2014 Benefit Auction

The 2014 SAQA benefit Auction will begin on September 15th.  This is a wonderful opportunity to add to or begin an art quilt collection made by some very talented artists from all over the world.  By bidding on your favorite piece(s) you are also helping SAQA and supporting the art quilt movement.

You can view these unique art quilts on the adjacent slide show or click on the show to go to a link and the SAQA web site to learn all the details.

Here are a few of the art pieces made by our regional members that are being offered in the action.  Many more of our members have contributed so be sure to have a look at all of the beautiful quilts. Such diversity!  I'm sure you will have a hard time narrowing down your choices for bidding.

Sea Oat by Jenny Williams

Blueberry Fields #2 by Christine Hager-Braun

Piscis by Nanette Zeller

Looking at the slide show is so inspiring, that's all that needs to be said.  Until next week..........

Wow, is it Monday already?  Well, good Monday morning everyone!  I hope you are finding time to put your creativity to work this summer.  We have been talking about color and what a powerful artistic tool color can be.  It can affect your mood and how a viewer actually feels about a piece.
The color of today is Green.  Representing earth and nature, green is a soothing and relaxing color.  Green is the inspiration for many songs, titles, and phrases;  The Green Mile, How Green was my Valley, Green Acres, Green Green Grass of Home, and the eco-friendly phrase, Going Green.  
With so many refreshing sentiments associated with the color green, it's ironic, isn't it? that it is also associated with jealousy, as in green with envy or the green eyed monster.  Thought to have originated in Roman times, the association with envy was cemented into our language by Shakespeare and Othello. (1)
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, many famous artists such as Van Gogh,           Degas, Hemingway, Picasso, etc. enjoyed a popular drink of the times, absinthe, which was also know as the "green muse" or the "green fairy".  Getting it's green color from chlorophyll, absinthe became so popular in France that the "green hour" became the time that cafes filled up with absinthe drinkers. (2)
Chlorophyll is the green pigment from nature that is responsible for the production of oxygen which is what we need to survive.  So, green became symbolic as the essence of life. (3)

So, I'll leave you with some green inspiration and the following question......Is the grass always greener on the other side?

1,2,3.  Information and examples of the meaning behind the color green from, "The Secret Language of Color", by JoAnn Eckstut and Arielle Eckstut, Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, 2013.

Good Monday Morning!  Well, it is still overcast, grey and rainy here in eastern North Carolina.  How I wish for some blue skies. Today is "Blue" Monday, but, I don't feel blue (ha ha, that's a little corny) because it's such a beautiful color.  The color blue is calming, tranquil, and is the most gender neutral color.  It is attached to a lot of phrases in our speech such as "got the blues", "out of the blue", "blue plate special".
The first things most of us think of are blue skies and blue seas.  So, here are a few blue inspirations for you.

Blue Pots

Blue Ridge Mountains

Ocean Blue

And here are a few fun blue facts you might not know.

The color blue has been shown to help solve creative problems.

Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as any other color

Blue is a favorite color choice for toothbrushes.




The color blue makes eating  unappealing so it's a good dieting color for plates.  (no, I did not make this up, I actually read it on the internet somewhere.)

Painting the ceilings of your porches a light sky blue color will deter spiders and other bugs from
making their homes there.















.

So, on this blue Monday morning, let me leave you with some blue skies.

Blue Skies over Cape Lookout, NC

Rainy days and Mondays always find me in my sewing room.  I don't know about the rest of you, but here in coastal North Carolina, we have been having torrential downpours for the past 4 days.  I love it because what else can you do except hole up in the studio and be creative.  I feel sorry for all the people who are vacationing at the beach, but really.....I can't be out playing in the sunshine every day!

whoooo loves a rainy day?

So I guess this weeks motivational Monday is all about rain.

But, there is a bright side.  Have you all seen this summers' edition of the SAQA Journal?   The featured artist is Eileen Doughty, our very talented SAQA member from Virginia.  Looking at Eileen's work is like seeing a rainbow after the storm....very beautiful and inspiring!

Rainbow altered in Photoshop 

After the Storm

 

Announcing a workshop given by one of our own SAQA regional member, 

Joni Beach.  If you need a play day, this could be just the thing!

Lifeweavings: A Creative Journey

A Creativity Work-Playshop! with Joni Beach

Come and explore Creativity, your Design Process, and our Lifespans!                                       What do we gather during our lives that influences, inspires, and contributes to our artistic abilities, interests, skills….designs & creations!?

While creating a weaving of colored ribbons, explore each of the 9 stages of life—consider the strengths to be gained…the creative experiences…and the influences that contribute to your unique designs or creative work. Mini-journal your thoughts and observations as we work through the exercise.  Other interactive activities and discussions will be used as a guide for considering what creativity is, generating new ideas, and sharing your inspirations with other artists/creative people! 

Our overall goal will be to have fun, enjoy sharing ideas, and being inspired!!! We will encourage each person to use their creativity, to explore and experiment in their design process (in your own chosen area/or medium), and to motivate everyone to take steps towards their own unique goals…even small ones, or micro-movements!  

Eucalyptus Massage & Healing Arts

Downtown~201 South Main St. Blacksburg, VA

*Sunday, August 10, 2014      *Time~ 1:30—5:00PM    *Fee~$45

For more Information and Registration: 540-552- CALM or www.massageblacksburg.com

Can’t Wait to See You! Come Ready for Fun…Exploring…and Sharing!

Good Motivational Monday Morning!

Well, time to continue around the color wheel......next is violet.  Violet was the first dye ever made and was considered the color of royalty.  It's a color that can be warm (red-violet) or cool (blue-violet).  So a splash can go in almost any piece.  I took a little photoshop liberty to change these sunset colors.  Playing around with settings on photoshop or on your smart phones and altering color can give an entirely different picture and new inspiration.  Give it a try!

 

Oh, and one more thing I'd like to point out.  Did anyone notice the new Pottery Barn catalog?  Color, Texture & Pattern....something we art quilters have known about all along.  So, until next week, happy stitching.

New group forming in NC!

Linda Sexton-Patrick sends the following announcement:

Mountain Art Quilters in Asheville is holding an organizational meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 9:45 to 11:45.  We are looking for current SAQA members or those who have been creating art quilts on their own.  Contact Linda Sexton-Patrick at apricotlion@charter.net or 828 484 8081.

Please get in touch with her, if you are curious!

Hope your summer is cooking along..

If you all are on Facebook, hop over during the month of August for 'August Art Daily" it's a daily art practice to keep (or get going) those creative juices. Join us!

Link here.

Summer is...

Hi to all our VA/NC  members! Eileen and I are jumping into the deep end, and hoping to stay in touch with this region. We have a big area with a lot of great artists!!  Please feel free to contact either of us with questions (which we probably can't answer, but we will try!) and comments. We hope to have several regional meetings in the near future. I am forming a meeting here, in Fredericksburg in the Fall, so stay tuned! More info to come. In the meantime, SAQA is bubbling with activity. The annual fundraising, online auction is coming up, in Sept. There are a bunch of great quilts up for grabs.

Here's Eileen's gorgeous "Moonlight" !

Here's a link to the whole show!

Good Monday Morning!  I have had several of our regional artists contact me to say they have joined and are following our blog.  Although I can't quite figure out why they do not show up on the members list, I'm happy our numbers are growing!  For this motivational Monday, I thought I'd take a pause from our trip around the color wheel and and instead, highlight some news from our members.

Resurrection by Susanne Miller Jones

First, Susanne's quilt, Resurrection recently won Members Choice Honorable Mention award in the "Inspired By" Quilt Alliance contest.                                                                      
Congratulations Susanne!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   And also, Judy Simmons who just joined our blog group wanted to let you know about this exhibit  at the NC Arboretum in Asheville, NC from July 10 thru Sept 28. The exhibit features the work of 3 artists (2 are SAQA members - Kate Weston and Judy Simmons). The exhibit - "Fiber Art and Nature - 3 Perspectives" features around 60 quilts.

  There is a charge to get into the arboretum...$12 per carload of people and first Tuesday of the month is free...so if anyone is in the area, I think they would enjoy seeing it.

So, it sounds like a great reason to take a road trip and head for the mountains this summer.
AS always, if you have any news about art and art quilts to share, let me know!
Until next week,
Eileen Williams

Good Monday Morning.  I don't know about you but I am very slow going this morning.  It must be the summer heat and what color screams HOT better than RED.  Red, the color with the longest visible wavelength on the light spectrum seems compatible with the long hot days of summer.  So go wild, get hot and add red.

 Delicious  ripe garden tomatoes (yum), sultry and sexy  lipstick, and bright beautiful flowers all look eye catching in red.
                                                                                     







Here's a little gizmo I'd like to share with you.  A friend gave me this home made "brush" for cleaning lint from your sewing machine.  So easy to make.....just use a narrow straw and insert a small piece of pipe cleaner in one end.  It works great!  Even better than the standard lint brush in my opinion