Thursday, April 26, 2007

Katie Pasquini Masopust

I just had the pleasure of watching and listening to Katie's slide lecture about her career as a quilt artist. I am just in awe. I took a workshop from Katie way back in 1993 (or there about) when I was just starting with art quilting. I still use the techniques I learned in this class today in some of my work.

But seeing the progression of her work and learning that she still uses the same basic construction techniques as she has always used makes me think why do I worry about keeping up with everything that is new in fiber art? Why do I make myself crazy trying to master all of these techniques when I already have quite a few in my repertoire that I am happy with?

I'm thinking I should be spending more time learning color, composition, and creativity (the title of Katie's workshop here).

Well, in any case the group of people in this workshop are having a blast and I wish I were a participant! I definitely recommend a workshop with Katie, no matter where she is teaching. But she will be back at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops in the Fall of 2009! We'll be posting pictures of this current workshop on our inn blog, probably early next week.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Too Late For a Sunny Day

My first invitational and I blew it. I was invited to submit a piece for jurying to the Sky's the Limit exhibit which will be shown at the Houston Festival this year and I missed the deadline. Such a bummer. Usually I'm the queen of just slipping in at the last moment, but with the preparations for vending at the Chicago International Quilt Festival and the on going workshops, I just was not able to complete the piece I had planned. Oh, so I did actually get the originally planned piece quilted in time, but then 2 days to go and I realized that the piece was lifeless - blah, just no pazazz.


Oh, well. I did finish it yesterday, though, and now I'm happy with it. I'll just have to look for another venue to show it. I'll post pictures after I get the edging on and find a wall large enough to hang it and take pictures.


This picture is of a smaller version of quilt. I had several other deadlines to meet and decided a series would work. The series is called Oh, Sunny Day and this piece is on its way to Finland for a California Fiber Artist exhibit. I like this arrangement in this small piece (20" x 18") but in the large piece I as making for the invitational, it just wasn't right. I have another small piece still in the works.



This small piece, Flight, was created as a thank you gift to the sponsor of the CFA exhibit that was held at the Huntsville, AL Museum of Art recently. It references the two pieces that I had in that exhibit.



Here is another recently completed piece that I call Alpha. Represents another missed deadline! I think I should stick to making the pieces and then looking for venues. That way I avoid getting depressed about missing deadlines.



We have a workshop checking in today. Katie Pasquini Masopust is the instructor. I took a workshop from Katie over 10 years ago and loved it. I still use the techniques she taught and the piece I started in the workshop was one of the first large pieces I sold. I'd post a picture, but this was back in the ice age, before digital camera and I'd have to search out the original photograph and scan it. (One of those "someday" projects.)