Friday, November 3, 2017

So very pleased for and proud of our Canadian Quilters who have taken awards at the International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX this weekend... CONGRATULATIONS all.

INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL, HOUSTON, November 2018, Canadian Award Winners

You can see all of the International Quilt Festival award winning quilts here

The Pfaff Master Award
for Machine Artistry

$5,000*
Sponsored by Pfaff Sewing Machines

 



Copper Reflections
by Donna James
of  Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

  A World of Beauty

 



Art-Abstract, Small
Sponsored by Benartex, Inc.
First Place
The Prairie's Changing Landscape
by Ana Buzzalino
of  Calgary, Alberta, Canada




Traditional Appliqué
Sponsored by World of Quilts Travel
First Place

For Such a Time as This
by Kathy K. Wylie
of  Whitby, Ontario, Canada





Honorable Mention

Receiving Grace
by Elizabeth McDowell Heagy
of  St. Clements, Ontario, Canada





Judge’s Choice
 Sponsored by Bohin France
See the Leaves for the Tree
by Marilyn Farquhar
of Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada
Choice of David Taylor

Saturday, October 28, 2017

I am so proudly an active member of STUDIO ART QUILT ASSOCIATES and it is time to start planning your particpation for 2018. Come on - join in the fun!

SAQA CENTRAL - KINGSTON/BELLEVILLE/BROCKVILLE/PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY and AREA - contact Bethany Garner

SAQA members from Kingston/Perth/Belleville/Brockville/Arnprior area meet for POD meeting in late September... 
The Kingston and area SAQA members met at the Odessa Fairgrounds Hall on September 25th for an all day 'INDIGO - For the Love of Blue' play date and all of the dye players had a super time making little or no mess and PLENTY of BLUE fabric during the day with a 1-2 pm SAQA meeting and shared 'Creative Buffet' of new work underway.  Lots of experimenting and getting the handsbue and two of the dyers took home vats to refresh and continue their play time!
Members participating were (left to right in the above photo) -  ANITA PAYNE, PHILLIDA HARGREAVES, KATHY SAGE, JOANNE MEISNER, JANET ELLIOTT, LINDA COULTER and BETHANY GARNER

Having the opportunity to spend time with our SAQA friends who are gathering across the area is a great way to keep our links and friendships growing and developing.  While the numbers were low for the Odessa play date, as we all know September is a busy travel and yard work time of year for many of our members... and we all had good fun! 
I know there are pods gathering in Toronto, London area and Fergus area though I don't know if they have official names or contacts other than our own MAGGIE VANDERWEIT - SAQA Regional Representative. Thanks to Millie Cumming and Maggie for hosting recently! Do be in touch with these members for more details .

I know there is a TORONTO POD meeting on November 7th but do not have the details for you here. Do chat with our SAQA friend Gunnel Hag at colourvie@istar.ca , as she will likely know.
                     
SAQA - NIAGARA PENINSULA “POD” - contact Dianne Gibson (will try to secure their more recent October photo with more members)

OTTAWA VALLEY/ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY CORRIDOR "Pod" - contact Kristi Farar
Also hope there is a recent photo from their area POD meeting October 15 in Almonte that someone will share!

Ottawa Valley/St. Lawrence SAQA members at the home of Heather Dubreuil in spring 2017
NEWS:

Hoping this fall each of you are enjoying time for stitching together, and working up planning for Spring Retreats, more POD meetings and just being with SAQA friends along the way. Winter months are awesome for planning and creating new work  for upcoming SAQA CALLS TO ENTRY,

* Registration is OPEN now for the awesome SAQA 'TEXtiles' Spring Conference in San Antonio, TX April 5-8, 2018!

Early Bird Registration ends November 1st.  
 
(I have booked my room t the San Antonio Drury Inn and looking for a ROOMMATE to share the cost! 2 room suite and I will take the folding couch and the 'mate' can have the King bed...  let me know!       garner[AT]kingston.net

Hoping YOU can attend! Take a friend! There is not a better city to explore in early April when the warm temperatures and sunshine abound!

2018 SAQA TEXtiles Conference, San Antonio. TX  Registration Fees 
$350 - Early Bird Registration (must register by November 1st)
$400 - Full Conference Registration ($40 late fee applies after March 1st)
$200 - Regional Representatives (must attend Reps meeting)
$150 - Full time student (verification will be required)




* Enjoy the coming months and do make time for SAQA events and friends... make some calls and meet-up for seeing a show together, check out meetings of our provincial SAQA Pods and bring along a friend or two!

* Lots of memberships renewing at this time of year and this is the very BEST time to get your membership secured for all of the great things happening in 2018! Follow the link here to renew your membership! And don't forget that there are benefits for recruiting new members - so do invite your friends to join us!

* QUILTS=ART=QUILTS opens in the Schweinfurth Art Center at Auburn, NY and is not to be missed!


Many SAQA international stars are featured on the Artists List - with HELENA SCHEFFER  from Beaconsfield, QC representing our country this year .

Let's all try to support this beautiful show with our entries this exhibition for 2018! (Open to artists from around the world)

A short drive into Northern NY and a great "road trip with friends" opportunity. I plan to get down during November!

See you along the way...
Bethany

Thursday, October 26, 2017

New MODERN QUILT GUILD forming in Prince Edward County and Bay of Quinte area..... if you are keen to discover the magic of clean, fresh, contemporary quilt design, come visit!


The Truth Behind Morning Make

from her great blog here

 

At work in her Studio, Cheryl has infration at her blog to entice YOU to try her Early Morning Make routinee and get some work done...

As the brand new BAY OF QUINTE  MODERN QUILT GUILD begins the journey to becoming a full fledged and recognized international Modern Quilt Guild here in Ontario, we celebrate the quilters who have taken the Improv and Modern Quilt movement here in Canada to a whole new plateau. The quilts that are appearing in shows, shop class lists and at Guild Show and Tell segments are all just wonderfully exciting.  

Take a peek at the Facebook Page that Bill Stearman has set up for the start-up Guild - it is wonderful! Great photos and sure to be one that you should friend and add to your reading list!
Amazing work done by Bill Stearman and shared at the first Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt Guild meeting
Great quilts created by the members of the new Guild are shared at each meeting...



I attended this week's meeting at the Ameliasburg Hall in Prince Edward County and was truly inspired by the 'ready to get this going' commitment of all of the 12 or 13 participants. I am excited and eager to try to participate as often as possible.

Bill and friends have rented the hall for a fourth Monday 3-5 pm meeting through December 2017, at the Hall in Ameliasburg and the dates for the 2018 meetings are being booked. The later afternoon allows several members who work to participate.  

If interested in more details, do please contact bill at bill.stearman[AT]gmail.com. Everyone welcome.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

For all of my students at St. Lawrence College... you are invited to submit work for the 10th Annual Juried Artists Exhibition at Brockville Campus Gallery!

Attention artists!
The Marianne van Silfhout Gallery invites visual artists of all artistic levels to submit work of any medium for display in our 10th Annual Juried Exhibition. 

This year’s theme, Soul Confessions & Guilty Pleasures, challenges artists to push their creative limits to depict their interpretation of this theme. The call is open to artists across the region.

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”— Pablo Picasso

SOUL CONFESSIONS & GUILTY PLEASURES
10thANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION
NOVEMBER 3- DECEMBER 8, 2017
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
9pm, Friday, October 27, 2017.

PUBLIC RECEPTION: NOVEMBER 15, 7-9PM

Please see the attached application for submission details.


 Christina Chrysler

School of Continuing Education
Coordinator, 1000 Islands Summer School of the Arts
Marianne van Silfhout Gallery
Curator/Community Outreach
School of Justice Studies and Applied Arts
Professor/Program Coordinator, Visual & Creative Arts-Fine Arts
St. Lawrence College


 

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

FLASHBACK - from the exhibition sponsored by THREADWORKS currently open at Arthur Child Heritage Centre, Gananoque, ON through October 24th... a show NOT to be missed!


News for those who love fibre art, and work, quilts, woven work and embroidery! Please share with friends...

The amazing traveling exhibition that is sponsored by the well recognized THREADWORKS team, Elizabeth Duggan Litch and Sharron Deacon Begg and the CONNECTIONS Fibre Artists, along with the Ontario Network of Needleworkers . THREADWORKS, is currently being exhibited in Gananoque through October 30th ... and well worth the drive! 
THREADWORKS has been an amazing show, shared across Ontario for the past 25 years and with 11 separate shows during that time frame. The current exhibition has been seen in six galleries across Ontario over the past 20 months and just arrived in Gananoque this past week.

In the Arthur Child Heritage Museum Gallery you will find the many works shared from the beautiful collection of work on tour that will speak to each of you in very special ways - the techniques incorporated in the artwork is very well executed and the variety amazing! Jewellery, art quilts, sculpture, photo transfer, embroidery and hand stitch that will inspire and bring you close to the special effort that has gone into each individual piece. Large pieces that were designed for the walls and exciting small works that exemplify the talent and special skills of the stitchers.

Hoping you might have the opportunity between now and October 30th to visit the Arthur Child Heritage Centre along the beautiful St. Lawrence River in Gananoque and visit this truly beautiful exhibition of art quilts and fibre art pieces that are currently on display. A number of well known local artists have work in the show as well as artists from across Ontario and indeed Canada. 

The Museum will also be of interest as the keeper of an amazing collection of works that profile the history of the St. Lawrence River, the early life along the river and the talented artisans whose work is housed at the Museum. Husbands will have time to explore the shipping and outdoor exhibits while YOU enjoy the artwork. Children's exhibits are hugely important to the museum as well - so everyone is welcome.

Please plan a day trip with family or friends and enjoy seeing the work of artists you know and admire while the exhibition is in place... you will not be disappointed. Car pools of friends will enjoy time together or perhaps even day out including lunch and a walk through Gan's downtown and many antique and specialty shops. This is a great time of year to take a drive and visit Gan... the shops in the area bursting with great fall buys and the restaurants are open and welcoming. Antiques and FIBRE ART - what could be better.

Threadworms - Running the Stitch by Coralia Reid, Kingston, ON

Arthur Child Heritage Museum (on the waterfront next to the Gananoque Boat Lines docks just as you come into the town from the west off Highway 2)

125 Water Street.
Gananoque Ontario, K7G 3E3

613.382.2535 | 1.877.217.7391 (If you have questions, please call before you go to make sure you have the time to enjoy the exhibition to its best advantage)

Hours:
September 4th – October 30th: 10 – 4 pm
Tours are available by appointment during the off season.

Office Hours:

Call: 613-382-2535 for office hours during the off season.

Admission:

Admission is FREE, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Sharing CONVERSATIONS at the Joshua Creek Heritage Centre, ART FEAST, Opening Sunday, September 17, 2017 - do mark your calendar and join us!

A FIBRE ART FEAST 
Connections Fibre Artists & Oakville Stitchery Guild

Exhibition dates: Sept 15 – Nov 12, 2017
Opening reception: Sept 17 from 2 pm -5 pm

Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre
1086 Burnhamthorpe Road East, Oakville, Ontario Canada L6H 7B2
(1 km East of Trafalgar Road)
Phone: (905) 257-4730

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday  1:00 pm to 4:00 pm or  by appointment

Closed Mondays


CONVERSATIONS, Bethany Garner, 2017

Created with 108 heritage quilt blocks from the Ruth McKendry Collection
Hand stitched, English Paper Piecing technique and
the papers remain in the blocks as well as the original basting stitched.
 by an unknown Wellington County Artists well over 130 years ago.
Bethany joined each of the blocks with a small wooden bead,
suspended against fibreglass screen as a wall art piece.


We have always been connected by the threads of time. Stitching cloth or skins together has been elemental to human survival, and for centuries, embellishing cloth has been a cultural heritage. Playing with a needle and thread can be a pleasurable pastime but embroidery is a refined skill, and creativity takes it to another dimension.

In this exhibition The Connections Fibre Artists will celebrate 150 years of Canada with work inspired by settlers and pioneers. The Oakville Stitchery Guild (one of the first embroidery Guilds in Canada) will pay tribute to Constance Howard O.B.E., the great teacher who brought embroidery to Canada in 1972.

Connections Fibre Artists

The Connections Fibre Artists group is comprised of artists stretching across Canada and into the UK.
Fibre is the medium that connects them, giving their art depth and texture that other media can only dream of. Their work is highly diverse, from silk fusion to thread painting, soft sculpture to machine embroidery, hand-quilting to photo transfer, fibre wrapping and beading, with new techniques and disciplines occurring regularly. 

TURN, TURN, TURN, Dianne Gibson 2017



Oakville Stitchery Guild
The Oakville Stitchery Guild meets monthly at Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre, with guest speakers and instructors, classes, and workshops on stitchery techniques and fabric art. Characteristic work includes experimental embroidery by hand and/or machine, mixed media fibre work, soft jewellery, lace-making, knitting, crocheting, quilting, doll making, beading, stumpwork, altered book-making, and silk ribbon embroidery.

Artwork by a member of the Oakville Stitchery Guild

Gallery Hours

Tuesday through Sunday
1 pm to 4 pm
or by appointment
CLOSURES
All Mondays
June 25
July 1, 2, 10, 30
Sept 3, 10

Friday, August 25, 2017

My Corner of the World - Canada exhibit opens in FRANCE on September 14-17 as a part of the 23rd European Patchwork Shows Schedule and will travel for a year in France!

The Exhibitions Committee of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) has sent our beautiful  40 piece ALL CANADIAN Artists exhibit titled "MY CORNER OF THE WORLD-CANADA"  to FRANCE and it will travel there to four venues over the next year with the huge European Patchwork Association traveling show:





EXPOSITION

« My Corner of the World - CANADA »

My Corner of the World invites the artists to investigate a real or imaginary world that represents what is important in life.

It might be where the artist lives, works, or grew up, or their works.
It might be their favorite place that they always keep in mind at any moment of their life, or an even more private and personal place.

My Corner of the World contemplates the situation as a whole, but staying open and including homeland, ancestors and culture

SAQA developed this exhibition in collaboration with the Stratford Perth Museum, Stratford, Ontario, Canada, and with the Canadian Regions of SAQA.

This exhibition began its journey at the same time as an International  exhibition in the Statford Museum of Perth in May 2016.


Hargreaves Phillida, Looks Like a Nice Day Up There, 122cm x 72cm
sponsored by
SAQA
         
Studio Art Quilt Associates, (SAQA) is a non profit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications.

SAQA's membership has over 3000 members worldwide. SAQA regional representatives aim to promote quilt as an art as well as its associates though exhibitions whenever they are made possible.


https://www.patchwork-europe.eu/zoom-artiste-2017.php?id=2188

(This link will take you to the page at their website - click on the small translate "ball" with British flag at top left of the page, to translate to English. Then click on Exhibitions and scroll down to see the SAQA button on the lower right. Click there and it will take you to our page reproduced here for you.)

Espace des tisserands
Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines

3


Thursday, August 10, 2017

Please plan to join the community of TEXTILE ARTS Students at Kingston's St. Lawrence College this fall - TEXTILE ART HISTORY is the fall credit course and sure to provide lots of interest and fun!

Ann Brauer, Week Two Artist Study... September 28, 2017
http://annbrauer.blogspot.ca/

Textile Art: History, Diversity and Techniques  
  
You are invited to join the devoted group of textile focused students from in and around the Kingston, ON community as we come together on September 21t to begin our exploration of the history of textile and fibre arts and create an all new body of work along the way.

There are no pre-requisites for the course and this term will earn students a full credit in this 36-hour Textile Arts Certificate Program ongoing at St. Lawrence College since 1996.

As we enter our tenth consecutive year of Program concentration at the Kingston Campus, our returning students will reunite with friends in the fibre arts, and new students who have an interest in pursuing a textiles and fibre focused learning experience. The course will be of interest to quilters, embroidery enthusiasts, fibre artists and general interest stitchers.

Course Description:

The study of Textile Art History will be the most impressive part of a personal journey to develop a body of work, collect an inventory of resources and supplies for design and development studies and as a foundation for future collection, exhibition and perhaps sale of textile art. 

Designed to support both the traditional and contemporary fibre artist and quilter, this course will provide a guide for individual as well as interactive study and resource development to support current and future design work in a chosen area of interest. Explore American and European coverlets, quilts and needlework, and ethnographic textiles with strengths in South and Southeastern Asia, Latin America and particularly India. Learn how Impressionist Art and African and Japanese textiles continue to influence current fibre art and traditional quilt trends. 

Course studies may lead to concentration on one particular technique as a focus for each individual student, or study and exploration in several areas of interest as students develop one or more small pieces of fibre or a small quilt which will be shared as a final Textile Art History course submission.

Online and Continuing Education > Fibre / Metal Arts
REGISTRATION LINK: http://www.stlawrencecollege.ca/programs-and-courses/con-ed/

(The query buttons included here will be active for you at the Registration link above).

Offered In SLC Classroom 00060 - Thursday evenings for 12 weeks (no class October 5th)
Textile Art - History, Diversity and Techniques
Course Code: ARTS136Section: 860
Campus: KINGSTONInstructor: Bethany Garner
Date(s): 9/21/2017 - 12/7/2017
Days of Week: Th   Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM 

No class Oct. 5 
Fee: $268.20Additional Notes: 
 

Please contact Instructor, Bethany Garner for more information and a course delivery outline:
garner[AT]Kingston.net

September 21, 2017, Artist Focus for Study - MITA GIACOMINI, Ontario based textile artist

http://www.mitagiacomini.com/



Saturday, August 5, 2017

The Annual SAQA Benefit Auction means the creativity shared as a supporting donation by artists from around the world gives US all a chance at building an amazing personal collection International Art...

Summertime is all about the water for me. Living near a city that is along Lake Ontario is a blessing, and while my own house in in the middle of a hayfield, the call of the blue of the water, the memories of childhood walks long so many beaches and the amazingly different colours and textures that are seen in the summertime lakes, rivers and waterways close by and at a distance call me back - again and again.

When SAQA offers the opportunity to post a DREAM COLLECTION, I always jump at the chance to ponder the whole collection of about 400 quilts made especially for this annual event... and so very crucial to the annual fundraising that keeps my Art Quilts Association alive and well. The dollars raised through the Benefit Auction are all a part of the support for SAQA Exhibitions, educational opportunities for our members, touring Trunk Shows, exhibition catalogues, components of the annual Conference and most importantly our Staff!

I love to work with water themes in my own artwork, but the artists here are sharing their special relationships with lakes, rivers, waterways and the ocean. Please join me in celebrating the artists, their creativity and their willingness to give away their art to support the organization that mean so much in their professional arts practice.

If I am lucky in September - one of these may end up in My personal collection - taking the number of SAQA Auction quilts to sixteen my home.

See the WHOLE collection of Benefit Auctions quilts here
And the Benefit Auction details for bidding and purchase.
Auction bidding starts September 15, 2017!.


Enjoy these quilts as much as I do! DREAM ON!


Arashi-Shibori dyed, discharged, pieced, quilted, Thai silk




Commercial and original fabrics, paint, thread, embroidery floss; fused appliqué, surface design, free motion quilting, hand embroidery


Whole-cloth painted with Tsukineko inks on cotton.

Artist's own hand-dyed fabrics are freehand cut into small pieces -  for the "brushstrokes" of the art - and used in a collage technique. They are then fused and stitched into place, followed by extensive free motion quilting, which adds a rich texture to the finished piece. ‘Twilight II’ incorporates artist’s own hand-dyed Pimatex cotton, wool batting, and a high-sheen trilobal polyester thread.


Hand painted silk, raw edge cottons, machine quilted with silk thread.

Cotton. Screen printed, painted and machine quilted.



Sunday, July 16, 2017

SUMMER IS A GREAT TIME FOR DESIGN PLAY and working on terrific stash of original fabrics for your new work!

  COMPLEX CLOTH
      Creating Fabrics with Dyes and Pigments

 SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

JULY 31-August 4, 2017, Brockville Campus


A full credit component of the TEXTILE ARTS  Program at

  St. Lawrence College
 
CLASS IS A GO!!!! We will hope to see you along with a great group of new friends on Monday, July 31st in Brockville!
 

I would be so pleased to have you join us if your week of July 31 to August 4th is clear and coming on over to our Brockville Campus at St. Lawrence College is a possibility... this is a week of creative play time that will result in a terrific stash of all new, original fabric to inspire your new textile work. Lots of time for stitching, dye work, screen printing and more.
 
So much opportunity exists in a full week class to learn, share with like-minded students and create some beautiful new work. Pull a carpool of friends together and make this a week that could change your 2017 year of creativity, exploration and learning in a supportive and encouraging environment!
 
Our students are looking forward to acquiring new skills and leaning techniques that further hone their existing skills and having time to translate them into dynamic creations.  
 
You are encouraged to bring along works in progress, sketchbooks filled with ideas, and plans for work that is waiting to take form but may need encouragement to be released into reality. Using your sketchbook is encouraged during the week and recording the beauty of Brockville and the St. Lawrence River!
 
Your favourite fabric/tools/stitching supplies will be coming with you from home. (Supplies list with paid registration).

 
Our students receive a comprehensive set of course handouts and and have access to Bethany's extensive resource library, daily video lessons and some project based tools and supplies will be available in the classroom as a part of the Instructor’s teaching package.    
 
So whether you love to design and stitch pieces that use your own hand painted and dyed fabrics, or bring together a wonderful stash of fabrics you have been accumulating and want to use, this is a class that will help you take steps toward those goals!  
 
Notes:
 
This full-week, Monday to Friday course is designed for those with a passionate interest in fibre arts and as a vehicle for artistic expression and creation of functional art and personal, original textile design. 
 
Students will study complex but easily learned processes for fabric coloration and dye work, including pole wrapped Shibori and Arashi patterning. We will work together to explore a complete series of Indigo studies, and develop a personal inventory of beautiful colour and pattern on cloth during our week together and more.

While on-campus residence may NOT available at this late date, many area hotels and B & B residences are in the area for those who would like to join us. Share the cost with several friends for a great chance to learn together.
 
Plan to use this experience as a “get away” for personal development of a new stash of fabrics for work as the year progresses, exhibition calls that are on the calendar, or if you just need a time to focus on your new work.
 
There will be time for machine work and lots of design play, and the studio classroom will be open 8 am through 10 pm each day.
 
We have a terrific group of students enrolled who bring with them all levels of experience. You can be assured that the classroom is  a place to play and your friends, old and new will certainly be eager to work along with you in support of our warm and welcoming creative learning  environment.
 
Course Information/description in the course catalogue here:

http://reader.mediawiremobile.com/StLawrence/issues/200193/viewer?page=5
 
 Information: Sara Barrie, Program Assistant
Brockville  Campus Location/Contact
2288 Parkedale Avenue
Brockville, Ontario
K6V 5X3


Bethany Garner, Instructor

  613-376-6150 Email: garner@kingston.net
Please feel free to write me with questions!

Register online at SSOA, www.SL.on.ca
 

 
Brockville Campus Residence 
(call to see if there are cancellations that might mean there is a room for YOU!)
60 Magedoma Boulevard
Brockville, Ontario K6V 7N7
Tel: 613-345-0660, ext. 3510
LCampbell@sl.on.ca  

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

OPENING RECEPTION - July 14, 2017, 7-9 pm for the new CONNECTIONS FIBRE ARTISTS Exhibition: RUNNING WITH FIBRE, at Gallery Stratford. Hope to see you there... Bring friends!!


The artists:


Wendy O'Brien, Ralph Beney, Helen Hughes, Gordana Brelih,
Bethany Garner, Maggie Vanderweit, Penny Berens,
Dianne Gibson, Hilary Rice, Mita Giacomini, Jacqueline Venus,
Dwayne Wanner, Gunnel Hag, Micaela Fitzsimmons, Elizabeth Duggan Litch, Sharron Deacon Begg, Sybil Rampen, Pat Hertzberg, Linda Janzen, Chris Kummer, Frankie Lemonde-Meunier, Gail Rhynard, Ann Sanders,
Bev White, Nancy Yule, Gordana Brelih,
Wendy Anderson Breedveld


The members of the CONNECTIONS Fibre Artists Group work together to bring you the very best of the best in contemporary technique and use of beautiful, original fabric and stitch design. They share a wide variety of interests including dye and print work, digital design play, three dimensional art, woven and knit/crochet pieces and beautifully presented hand and machine stitch interpretations in cloth and fibre as they finish and present each individual fine art piece. Creative use of cloth, thread, paper, metal, dye, paint, embellishment, natural eco print technique and so much more is combined with the many talents demonstrated in the unique and intriguing mark making and design play used in their new pieces.

If you were fascinated by the forward thinking and art focused uniqueness demonstrated in their recent exhibition at the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Fergus, you will truly enjoy  
exploring the beautiful collection to be shared at Gallery Stratford July 14th though September 24th. Mark your calendar and be sure to share with friends.

Please visit the CONNECTIONS FIBRE ARTISTS website to get to know the artists a bit better as you plan your visit through Stratford this summer.  http://connectionsfibreartists.com





GALLERY STRATFORD
54 Romeo Street South 
Stratford, ON (Canada)
N5A 4S9

519-271-5271info@gallerystratford.on.ca





Gallery Hours

10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday

Free Admission thanks to a community supporter

Accessibility
Gallery Stratford is wheelchair accessible and there is plenty of free parking adjacent to the gallery; bus parking is available. 

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Thrilled to see my quilt, TURNING POINT, included in a celebration article in Machine Quilting Unlimited Magazine... a real honour!


Last year I had the amazing opportunity to curate the SAQA all Canadian Regional Exhibition of quilts which were, along with a joint exhibit MY CORNER OF THE WORLD, submitted to the Exhibitions Committee as My Corner of the World CANADA. How exciting when both exhibits were hung and enjoyed by thousands of visitors at both the Stratford Perth Museum and the Art Gallery of Thunder Bay this past year. Now the travels begin, and many more thousands of people will see, study and enjoy these beautiful art quilts. The talent and devotion to their work is truly a tribute to the artists and their passion for sharing their art with others.

As a result of being able to participate in the International side of the exhibitions, I am so pleased that my quilt TURNING POINT was juried into the International Traveling Exhibition. It has been seen in the amazing Stratford Perth Museum exhibition run in Stratford, ON last summer, featured on the SAQA Fibre Art on Friday website/blog and in the SAQA online Slideshow/gallery of the MY CORNER OF THE WORLD exhibit.

Our Canadian Artists are:

art KWilt connection (Ontario) – Reflections on the GrandTerry Aske (British Columbia) – Inside the Tipi
Shirley Bailey (Ontario) – Down on the Farm
Penny Berens (Nova Scotia) – Rusty Gate
Sandra Betts (New Brunswick) – Fishing Weir in Moonlight
Margaret Blank (Alberta) – It’s Still About the Sky
Sharon Collins (Ontario) - Northern Sky 1
Albert Cote (Ontario) – All I Need Is a Garden and A Chair
Linda Coulter (Ontario) – Limestone City Blues
Millie Cumming (Ontario) – Washday Blues, Northfield Drive
Diane Eastham (Ontario) – Arctic Sea Change
Janet Elliott (Ontario) – White Pine: Titan of the Shield
Ann Fales (Ontario) – The Blueberry Patch
Mita Giacomini (Ontario) - February
Dianne Gibson (Ontario) – Crossing The Peninsula
Gunnel Hag (Ontario) – Rocks on Lake Huron
Phillida Hargreaves (Ontario) – Looks Like A Nice Day Up There
Jaynie Himsl (Saskatchewan) – Poplar Point
Paula Jolly (Saskatchewan) – The Road Home
Robin Laws Field (Ontario) – Ted’s Garage
Susan Lilley (Nova Scotia) – Laurentian Fall
Heather Loney (Nova Scotia) – At Anchor
Kate Madeloso (Nova Scotia) – Fundy Flame Agate
Toni Major (Ontario) – Good Morning, Canada
Judith E. Martin (Ontario) – Time Passes Over the Earth
Lynne McCulloch (Ontario) - Through My Window
Lynne McCulloch (Ontario) – Autumnal Rhythms
Marie McEachern (Alberta) - Downtown
Holly McLean (New Brunswick) – Into the Heart of the Birches
Mary B. Pal (Ontario) - Courage
Mardell Rampton (British Columbia) – Beaches #1
Joan Reive (Ontario) – A Fall Day in Westport
Hilary Rice (Ontario) – Traditional Is Growing On Me
Janet Scruggs (Alberta) – Looking Down
Jocelyne Sobeski (Ontario) - Moonlight
Arja Speelman (Ontario) – Reflections of the North
Susan Tilsley Manley (Nova Scotia) – You’ve Got Mail
Catherine Timm (Ontario) – Autumn Leaves Over Water
Maggie Vanderweit (Ontario) – Cree Hunters
Joan Willison (Ontario) – A Nod to Maud

You can see the full exhibitions here: International MCOTW   and Canadian MCOTW Exhibition

I recently received a courtesy copy of MACHINE QUILTING UNLIMITED, and there in the centre was a great article about the MCOTW exhibition and a beautiful photo of my Turning Point quilt was included - a great thrill. I also heard via email and cards from several US magazine subscribers who recognized not only my quilt, but the work of other SAQA artists whose quilt works are highly regarded in the art quilt world, and they reminded me how important Canada is to their lives in unique and special ways.

When this local Canadian artist is able to be celebrated along with the amazing and renowned artists whose work often graces the walls in SAQA Exhibitions worldwide, it is a thrill. Thank you so much to the Editors at Machine Quilting Unlimited for this great article celebrating the work of our SAQA artists from around the world. We love your publication and continue to look inside for the very best of the best tips, lessons to support our own machine work, and the opportunity to see and enjoy the work of so many quilters around the world.

A very exciting piece of news... Our SAQA MY CORNER OF THE WORLD, International SAQA Exhibition, is traveling to AUSTRALIA.

My Corner of the World
Craft & Quilt Fair, Perth, West Australia, Australia • May 24 - 28, 2017
Craft & Quilt Fair, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia • August 10 - 13, 2017
Intocraft Handmade Expo, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia • August 17 - 20, 2017
Craft & Quilt Fair, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia • September 11 - 12, 2017
Intocraft Handmade Expo, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • November 24 - 26, 2017

And our Regional Exhibit My Corner of the World- Canada will be shown at the Ailsa Craig Quilt Festival in June 2017, and then leave for a full year to travel to FRANCE and be exhibited along with the shows of the Le Carrefour European du Patchwork.

Needless to say, I am very excited to be a part of this great movement and sharing of art quilts around the world. Congratulations to all of our Canadian Artists. I know you are as excited as I am to see your work being loved around the world.