INSIDE: MEET VICTORIA FINDLAY WOLFE • DON’T GO OFF ON A TANGENT • SHOULD YOU LOWER PRICES? • MUSIC IN YOUR STUDIO • WEAR YOUR ART • WHERE TO TAKE ‘STUFF’ • BEARING WITNESS • MEMBER GALLERY: NEEDLE PLAY
In memoriam: Mickey Beebe, Molly Flowers, Claire Gimber, Denise Konicek, Ruth B McDowell, Maria Perez, Francine Willby
THE COVER: Paula C . Dean
QUICK NOTES
To find out more about SAQA, contact Martha Sielman, executive director, by phone at 860.530.1551, or by email at execdirector@saqa.com.
Explore varied resources on our website at www.saqa.com. Annual membership for U.S. and international members is USD $90.
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt. Through exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership, we seek to increase appreciation for the art quilt as a fine art medium and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
The SAQA Journal is published four times a year. To submit articles or story ideas, contact Diane Howell, SAQA Journal editor, at editor@saqa.com. Review submission guidelines at www.saqa.com/journal-submit
For delivery questions, contact circulation@saqa.com
For advertising information, visit www.saqa.com/ads
BOARD MEMBERS
PRESIDENT
Lilo Bowman
Fort Worth, Texas
VICE PRESIDENT
Kathie Kerler
Portland, Oregon
ACTING SECRETARY
Clara Nartey West Haven, Connecticut
TREASURER
Shannon Conley Moore, Oklahoma
Brenda Bailey-Hainer Broomfield, Colorado
Holly Brackmann Ukiah, California
Ana Buzzalino Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Shin-hee Chin McPherson, Kansas
Jette Clover Lier, Belgium
Susie Floyd Goodman Bloomington, Indiana
Chawne Kimber Lexington, Virginia
Michael McCormick Tualatin, Oregon
Kestrel Michaud West Melbourne, Florida
Candice Phelan Boynton Beach, Florida
Carol Rossi Sacramento, California
Melissa Wraalstad Grafton, Wisconsin
Zara Zannettino Highbury, Australia
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Martha Sielman Hebron, Connecticut
SAQA's 2024 Benefit Auction Are you bidding on the one I want?
by Diane Howell
We are in the season of Auction Frenzy. From September 13-October 6, the 2024 SAQA Benefit Auction takes place online, wrapping up a year of planning and making.
But the season actually starts about a month before, when the auction listings are ready to view and bidders can search through the hundreds of donated 12 x 12-inch art quilts. I imagine brisk breezes forming around the keyboards of potential bidders as they create a favorites list, register to bid, and plan their bidding strategy to win the one I want. (I take these things personally.)
Each art quilt is made by a SAQA member. The fundraiser, which supports all of our programs, is a great opportunity to win a quilt made by one of your favorite artists or someone whose work you discover through the auction. Because we are a worldwide organization, it is also a chance to win a piece of art from somewhere far away from where you live. Behind every piece is someone who has taken the time to create art that delights the eye and enlivens the soul.
To make sure you are ready to beat me—I mean win the piece you have fallen in love with—go to www.saqa. com/auction. From there, you can
register to bid. Don’t wait until the last moment to register! It’s a reverse price auction, so the first bidder wins. There’s no time like now to get ready!
Do prices in this auction format change? They do! The quilts are divided into three sections, with a new one opening each week of the auction. The price in that section drops every day—from $750 on Monday to $100 on Saturday—but if you wait too long, that quilt is going to someone else’s address.
Full details on pricing— and Diamond Day, when all quilts can be purchased for $1,000—are available on our website. Throughout the auction, if you don’t want to wait for a section to open, you can choose to purchase a piece at the highest price point.
Sue Sherman | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Portrait of a King
12 x 12 inches | 30 x 30 cm | 2024
I get a sneak peek of the auction quilts, so I’ve already seen them all. It is almost impossible to pick the one that will wing its way to me. There are many lively birds, thoughtful landscapes, playful abstracts, and soulful portraits.
From my list of favorites is Sue Sherman’s sweet little penguin king, who may not fly but he gets around. So take a look now at all there is to see and dream about winning. You know you want to.
Just in case you missed it, the link to read all about the 2024 SAQA Benefit Auction is www.saqa.com/auction. ■
Small Efforts Leave Positive Impressions
by Lilo Bowman
Recently I was asked what my goals as president were and if I would share them. Having been in a leadership role in a number of organizations, this question was not unexpected, but it made me consider the question of what makes someone want to join and stay with an organization.
Like many, I joined to support the mission to increase recognition for art quilts and those who make them. But I was also drawn in because a member personally reached out to say that this was a community where I would be welcomed, my voice would be heard, and I could be involved. Therein lies the reason that many choose one organization over another.
SAQA, like many organizations, is competing to acquire members who can choose where they want to devote their time, money, and effort. While we as an organization support a more diverse membership with varied ideas and perspectives, we are not the only option available. This truth should make us very aware that we need to continually strive to make SAQA the obvious choice.
As a global organization with members scattered across multiple time zones, it is a delicate balance
between our desire to bring in a new generation of rising art quilters, serve the needs of long-standing members, and select the optimal times to gather. Global membership should also make us mindful of our language differences and the way others receive information.
Living abroad for much of my adult life often placed me in social situations where my lack of the native language made me feel left out of the conversation. Smiles and hand gestures only get you so far. What I did learn from these experiences is that small efforts (such as butchering a few sentences in the native language) leave big and positive impressions. We still should do more to engage all our members.
Our financial decision to include closed captioning for every presenter at the 2024 virtual conference— Plurality & Heritage: Showcasing Europe & Middle East—regardless of whether the artist spoke English or their native tongue, was received with overwhelming positive reviews. Many attendees expressed how welcome and involved they felt, including those with hearing impairments. For ten days we came together as one group. What a huge difference this small step made for so many.
Times change and we need to adapt along with them. I’ve always felt that it is best to lead by example. Our current SAQA Board of Directors is comprised of members from Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United States. We have full-time university professors and business professionals, which has meant that not everyone is available for some meetings due to time constraints. Over the years, we have also had many well-qualified board candidates turn down the opportunity to serve or leave a position due to scheduling conflicts. In an effort to have the largest number of attending board members at a meeting, we are using a rotating meeting schedule. It means everyone must adjust as we move incrementally forward.
These small gestures and changes resonate with individuals looking at what SAQA has to offer. Are we there yet? Absolutely not, but we are making advances with an eye toward the future that will include everyone who wants to be a member. ■
Wear your elevator speech
Art on a cape creates singular sensation
by Laurie Fagen
It’s wonderful to see your artwork displayed on an exhibition wall. It’s a thrill to use it to create your own textiles. But it’s even more fun when you find a way to make your work into your own wearable art.
I’ve been using a few sources to print my artwork onto wearables and other objects, partly for marketing but mostly for joy. My journey has let me wear my elevator speech, even though I have had to adapt as some companies closed. Mostly my options have only grown as printing trends have changed.
Printing on fabric
My introduction to creating yardage started with Spoonflower, an online print on demand (POD) platform that many of my quilting friends used to print photo images for wholecloth quilting. The company has now expanded offerings, as have most of the fabric printing resources, to include wallpaper, home décor and other items. Artists can upload and sell their fabric to others as well. At the time, I found their editing software a bit cumbersome.
Then came My Fabric Designs, which also offered a huge assortment of different fabrics to print on, everything from knits for swimming suits to silk, canvas, or cotton fabrics for yardage. According to an internet search, it has closed.
During the pandemic, having lost count after making about 600 masks, I needed a fabric design printed with a specific blue Pantone color for Soroptimist International of the Americas, a nonprofit that works to economically empower women and girls. They needed cotton masks, but Spoonflower and My Fabric Designs were taking six to eight weeks to deliver the fabric. I discovered Contrado, which offered
This flowing cape ignited Laurie Fagen’s desire to print her own artwork on wearables.
Contrado printed the fabric for these masks with just the right Pantone color.
a seven-to-ten day turnaround even when shipping issues were rampant. I have been using and recommending this POD ever since. According to their website, they are a Londonbased company founded in 2002. Each order is handmade inside their facility, often within twenty-four hours. In addition to fast turnaround, they have economical shipping to the United States.
Most of the PODs have expanded to print your art or designs on T-shirts and other wearables. Your work can be featured on just about anything: bedding, shower curtains, sunglasses, hats, cufflinks, lighters, home décor, kitchen accessories, and much more.
Beyond yardage
For wearables, more than ten years ago I started with ShopVida. I printed a quilt on a long, flowing cape and had purses made with my original photos. They weren’t cheap, but the cape is always a conversation piece when I wear it to art openings and other events. I was able to sell the purses at retail, so I recouped my costs. I also purchased a top by Arizona artist Lee Travathan, which I love. Unfortunately, according to its website, ShopVida now only offers masks.
Then I discovered ArtsCow, a POD which seemingly offers everything: phone cases, bags, stationery, umbrellas, and wearables of all kinds.
The prices are much more affordable and the editing software is decent. I’ve had canvas bags and even a neck pillow printed with my art on them. I printed another quilt on a kimono style wrap, as well as the front and back of a long vertical quilt called Life After Death on a tunic.
As a book author and former publisher of a community newspaper, I had collected several “newspaper” quilt tops over the years—knits printed with generic newsprint in a tunic style—to wear to my book events. But the project I most wanted to create was a top using my own stories and images.
I could specifically place high resolution jpeg images of my newspaper and magazine articles plus logos from a television station I worked for and AZ Creates, a YouTube TV show I produced during the pandemic. The top turned out great! ArtsCow gives you a virtual model wearing your piece so that you can see what it will look like from front to back. I
A kimono-style wrap is printed with one of Fagen’s art quilts.
Life After Death is reproduced on this colorful tunic produced by ArtsCow.
Fagen wears a top featuring her published works.
This apron features a cookbook cover and was printed by ArtsCow.
Photos are laid out to be printed on 58-inch wide fabric by Contrado. They will be cut out and made into wholecloth quilts.
also had an apron made featuring the cover of a friend’s cookbook for her to wear at her book events.
ArtsCow has many wearable art pieces to choose from, and the fabric quality and color printing are decent. They say they use an advance heat sublimation technique and recommend hand washing in cold water; however, I put my items in the washer, hang them to dry, and they are fine.
While ArtsCow claims to “produce” items in two to ten days, depending on the item, shipping usually takes several weeks. They are based in Hong Kong. The sizing tends to be smaller than US sizing as well, and I wish I would’ve ordered a larger size.
I went back to Contrado to print my photographs on their beautiful cotton sateen or silk yardage to create wholecloth quilts, after which I add lots of thread-painting.
I lay out blank white yardage of 58-inch wide fabric to whatever length I need, and upload my images, creating the size I want for
Fagen’s Mug Shot appears on the front of a tunic printed by Contrado. You can see how it is laid out for printing in this photo.
each, with a little extra space for cutting, and can often “squeeze” in a smaller photo to use up as much of the space as possible.
The company’s attention to detail is admirable. Once they emailed me with a concern about mask yardage that had an ink smudge on the white border, and wanted to know if they needed me to reprint the entire thing. The border was not going to be used, so I told them it was good to go, but that I appreciated their contacting me in advance. I have only had one order where the color was not correct, and they quickly reprinted and sent it to me without question.
I found Contrado now offers wearable “blanks” to print on clothing articles for men, women, and children. There is also a wide assortment of home and wall art, bags, accessories, and even sunglasses. They use three different types of printing: reactive fabric printing, pigment fabric printing and dye sublimation printing. Check out their website for details,
Fagen’s art quilt Abstract 1 is featured on the back of of this same tunic.
but I believe they have the highest quality products, vibrant colors, and easy-to-navigate editing software.
I recently made a tunic with my Mug Shot quilt on the front and Abstract 1 on the back with Contrado, and they feature specific binding as well. The sizing is more accurate for US customers, and I wish I would’ve ordered it smaller. But why sew your own apparel when there are so many styles available?
When Contrado introduced sunglasses—on sale from $50 to $25—I put pieces of my Columbine quilt on the front, the back, and both the outside and inside of the temples. I could specifically place where I wanted the crystals from the quilt to show. The colors and quality are great.
There are many other sites out there as well, including Printify, which Colorado artist Tad Smith uses for his wearables to sell through Etsy. Walgreens will make your art into a puzzle, which comes in a tin box and is a great gift or holiday product. Vistaprint, long known for its quality business cards, now offers mugs, pens, and many other marketing items.
The marketing results
So, do I sell more quilts or books because I’m marketing them with my wearable art? Not necessarily. But does it create a buzz? Absolutely, as people are always commenting on them and the items bring me great joy.
Who needs to memorize an elevator speech when you can simply wear it? ■
Laurie Fagen is a SAQA member who is also a serial entrepreneur, fiber artist, jewelry maker, mystery writer, and singer. You can learn more about her at www.FagenDesigns.com, www.ReadLaurieFagen.com, and www.LaurieFagen.com. She resides in Chandler, Arizona.
Walgreens will turn your art quilts into puzzles that arrive in tin boxes.
STARK SUBJECTS ELICIT RAW EMOTIONS IN INTIMATE EXHIBITION
by Patty Kennedy-Zafred
Bearing Witness is a compelling exhibition regarding the perils of antisemitism, racism, homophobia, sexism, and inequity. It is presented in collaboration with the Raritan Valley Community College Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, based in Branchburg, New Jersey.
The 36-piece collection was juried by Robin L. Bernstein, whose artistic practice is grounded in reflections of the Holocaust as well as redemptive stories and heroic acts of resistance. Each selected work tells a specific story, revealing personal experiences, observations, memories, and commentary on current and past history. Bernstein evaluated each submission not only from an aesthetic artistic viewpoint, but also considered artist statements to understand the motivation and intention behind making each work.
Not unexpectedly, many of the pieces are concerned with the Holocaust and the persecution and deaths of Jewish populations. Yet others address genocide in Darfur and Rwanda, the plight of Native Americans, and the war in Ukraine.
Gisha Wogier | Kfar Yona, Israel
There is No Prophet in His Hometown-1933 46 x 43 inches
116 x 108.5 cm
2023
Paula Straw | Montrose, Colorado, USA
Bearing Witness is a history lesson as well as a stunning artistic representation of innovative techniques, materials, and personal revelations. Bernstein states that these works are “guiding us through a landscape so often full of ignorance, denial, and hatred.”
Identifying her work as a collaboration with her uncle—artist and painter Meir Ader, who was killed by the Germans in 1942— Gisha Wogier had one of his paintings printed onto fabric. She incorporates it into a piece utilizing her own techniques, including painting and piecing. The stark palette of There is no prophet in his hometown-1933 (page 9), with a slash of red, draws attention to this recreated painting, which was once exhibited in Warsaw. Wogier has effectively honored her uncle while revealing personal loss and memories.
Paula Straw was inspired to create Not Forgotten after visiting the Holocaust Shoe Memorial in Budapest. The memorial includes sixty pairs of vintage shoes, including those of children. Shoes left on the riverbank were all that remained when Jewish children in Hungary were taken to the Danube River and executed—their bodies falling into the icy water. Enhanced with hand stitching and cloth pebbles, exposed raw edges of linen and wool, and text, Straw’s remembrance is unforgettable.
Deborah Fell also was struck by the magnitude of the Holocaust in northwestern Germany. She created Witness Trees after a visit to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp Memorial. Using dyes, digital printing, bark cloth, and actual bark from
Deborah Fell | Urbana, Illinois, USA
Cathy
Fussell
| Columbus, South Carolina, USA
Genocide at Horseshoe Bend
40 x 53 inches | 102 x 135 cm | 2023
the grounds of the Memorial’s parking lot, her witnesses are represented by the trees, birch trees in particular. She believes the trees that are still standing were witnesses. Fell states: “Look closely—you will find your eyes. Dig deeper and you will find the skeletons.”
In Genocide at Horseshoe Bend, Cathy Fussell addresses the plight of Native Americans in 1814 and the slaughter of countless members of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Using primarily white with accents of red, she recreates a textile map of the area. Each red hand-stitched mark is representative of a lost life; the river runs blood red across the surface.
Alicia Merrett’s work, City of Dreams (Stories of Migration), reflects on migration and upheaval when in search of safety. Merrett was born to parents who emigrated from Eastern Europe and Odessa, Ukraine, to Argentina; she again moved to England. Digitally printed on cotton from an original design, Merrett has composed a colorful skyline of hope for migrants and refugees.
Genocide in Rwanda is the theme of Traditions Transposed by Karol
Karol Kusmaul | Inverness, Florida, USA
Traditions Transposed
61.5 x 85 inches | 156 x 217 cm | 2023
Alicia Merrett | Wells, UK
City of Dreams (Stories of Migration)
31.5 x 51 inches | 80 x 130 cm | 2022
Kusmaul, a triptych beginning with joy, struck by terror and death, and concluding with renewed hope. Comprised of African and Dutch prints, her work also includes upcycled clothing, paint, hand appliqué, and quilting. At first glance it appears chaotic but further study reveals the complete story.
Refugee (page 12) by Betty Busby considers the tragedy in the Darfur region of Sudan by depicting the scorched aftermath of war. Initially seen as a desert landscape, foot tracks suddenly appear in the sand amidst scattered bullet cartridges. The piece speaks to the loss of life and livelihood. Through the use of
Photo by Fred C. Fussell
hand-painted and dyed materials, digital printing, appliqué, and heat distressing, Busby presents a striking work.
Pat DaRif places us squarely in today’s headlines with War Crime, her response to the war in Ukraine. Utilizing various techniques, including dyeing, discharge, painting, and lamination, DaRif represents the shell of buildings left behind after the bombings and attacks on communities, which she indicates could apply to past history or future conflicts.
Bearing Witness will be exhibited August 28-Dec. 13, 2024, at the
Raritan Valley Community College, Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Branchburg, New Jersey. The collection will travel through 2027. It is a thought-provoking exhibition, filled with stark, often disturbing images and stories, yet also celebrations of survival and renewal. This exhibition will create conversations and discussions, elicit memories, and educate and inspire. ■
Patty Kennedy-Zafred is a SAQA Juried Artist who resides in southwestern Pennsylvania. You can view her work at www.pattykz.com.
Betty Busby | Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Refugee
72 x 62 inches | 183 x 158 cm | 2008
Pat DaRif | Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
War Crime
30 x 19 inches | 77 x 48 cm | 2022
Avoid going off on a tangent
TIPS TO MAKE YOUR STORY COGENT
by Kestrel Michaud
One of the most important things in design, whether you’re working in realism, abstract, or somewhere in between, is avoiding visual confusion. Seemingly insignificant design choices can appear visually bothersome or disorienting to viewers, detracting from what the artist is trying to convey. Three of the biggest issues for me are tangents, adjacent fabric, and maintaining the progression of color and value. I pay extra attention to avoiding these distractions in my designs to ensure the clarity of my illustrations.
Tangents
Tangents occur when two lines or shapes within an artwork touch or interact with each other to suggest a relationship that the artist did not intend. They come in a few different forms. The callout box on page 15 presents these foibles in visual illustrations that use an apple and a glass of orange juice. Avoiding all tangents will create a better design and stronger composition, but there are a couple that I encounter more often than others in my work. Those notorious tangents are the ones that involve objects interacting with each other or the background.
This issue came up recently in a project I taught to my Patreon subscribers. We used two reference photos to draw a bird of paradise flower and a background, but the background was drawn completely separate from the flowers. We then combined both in computer
Figure 1: Problem and solutions
First draft
First draft, showing tangents
software, and tangents popped up all over the place.
I knew going into the project how big it was going to be, so I was able to appropriately size the flower inside of the space to avoid tangents related to crowding the artwork to the edges of the composition (A through C in the callout box). I also avoided Split Apex (F) and Skimmed Edges (I). But the remaining four types of tangents all reared their ugly heads, as you can see in the first draft of Figure 1.
There were three Fused Edges (D) tangents where the tips of the orange petals almost perfectly touched lines in the background. There were two Hidden Edges (E), one where an orange petal stopped behind another and one where a pointed leaf in the background stopped behind a petal. I also had one Stolen Edge (G), where a curve in the background almost perfectly lined up with the flower. And finally, there was one Antlers (H), where two lines in the background appeared to be coming out of the back of one of the flowers. It was a mess.
I fixed all of these tangents by subtly tweaking the position of the lines in the background and/or by extending the tips of the orange petals. The Fixed/Final version of the design is much easier on viewers’ eyes and doesn’t have any distractions.
Adjacent Fabric
I work exclusively in fused appliqué, and I’ve learned that having two pieces made from the same fabric touching each other can be visually confusing. Even though there is a cut line of fabric and one piece goes on top of the other, that’s not enough of a distinction between
Figure
One-color background
Two-color background
Three-color background
Types of Tangents
In general use, tangent typically means two things that touch. In art, the term tangent refers to lines or shapes that touch in a way that is visually bothersome. Tangents can occur in different ways, but here are nine of the most common.
them to clarify what’s going on. The two shapes seem to visually blend together.
Referring back to the birds of paradise, the background was intentionally designed with three different colors of green specifically to avoid this problem. Take a look at Figure 2 (page 14). The three-color background is made from a light, a medium, and a dark green. But if one or two of those colors is removed, the distinction of the different leaves is lost. It’s less clear where one of those shapes ends and the other begins, even though I’ve added a drop shadow to simulate when one piece overlaps another. Sometimes making sure two pieces cut from the same fabric
don’t touch isn’t an option—if, for example, multiple objects made from the same fabrics are touching. I have a trick for dealing with those areas to minimize the amount of touching required.
Take a look at Figure 3 (page 16). The areas with the same colors of orange touching are confusing. Without the black dotted lines, It’s not clear where one petal stops and another petal starts. On the orange petals in the top left in particular, it’s not clear that there are actually supposed to be two petals; the dark orange shape looks like one object.
To help clarify, I added some additional areas in other oranges that make it more visually obvious
1. Closed Corner: When a shape completely covers the corner of a composition.
2. Halved Shape: When a symmetrical shape is cut off the edge of the composition.
3. Fused Edges, Frame: When a shape perfectly touches the edge of the composition.
4. Fused Edges, Shapes: When two shapes just touch each other.
5. Hidden Edge: When the edge of one shape disappears behind another.
6. Split Apex: When a vertical shape, such as the apple leaf, intersects or is directly aligned to another shape.
7. Stolen Edge: When the edge of one shape aligns with the edge of another shape.
8. Antlers: When one or more shapes are aligned with another and appear to be “growing out” of the one in front.
9. Skimmed Edge: When the top edge of a lower shape meets the lower edge of an upper shape.
what’s going on. Now it’s clear that there are in fact two petals in the upper left, and we can see where the lower three petals stop and start next to each other.
Maintaining progression
All of my designs are created with a clear progression of values in mind. Each object gets a highlight, a midtone, and a shadow. This is to create an illusion of three-dimensional form on the two-dimensional surface of my quilt. I learned very early on in my quilting career that maintaining the progression is vitally important. In other words, whenever pieces of fabric touch each other, they can only touch other pieces adjacent to them in the
progression of values (i.e., the highlight can only touch midtone; midtone can touch highlight or shadow; shadow can only touch midtone. Highlight and shadow should never touch.) Let’s talk about why this is an important rule to follow before I show when it’s okay to break it.
The problem with not following this rule is that the value difference between highlight and shadow is too large without midtone to soften the transition. Having a highlight fabric touching a shadow makes the area in question look like a hard edge, like the corner of a block. This is not good when trying to create a rounded surface.
Take a look at Figure 4. This is the digital design for Link, one of the first quilts I ever made. I did not follow the “maintaining progression” rule on the subject’s leggings. His leggings actually have four values (highlight, midtone, shadow, and deep dark shadow.) On his left leg, the highlight directly touches deep dark shadow, which is an enormous value jump and makes it look like his thigh has a hard corner running along the length of it.
On his other leg, midtone touches deep dark shadow, which still skips a step in the progression. It’s not as egregious as the other leg, but it’s too dramatic to feel natural.
I didn’t realize the issue until after I made the physical quilt. But if I were to go back and do it again, I would add a few more pieces of fabric to his pants so that I could maintain the progression. This would soften the transition between values and make his legs look curved, as they should be.
What about breaking the rule? Cast shadows are the exception. When an object is blocking light from hitting another object, the first object casts a shadow onto the second. This means
Unclear
Unclear, marked
that the shadow will touch all other values, since it is blocking all light. You can see this effect on Link. His tunic is casting a shadow (made from the deep dark value) onto his thighs. It makes sense that this shadow touches the other three values.
Conclusion
Clear, visual communication is paramount. Deceptively subtle blunders like tangents, adjacent fabric, and not maintaining a progression of value
can be confusing for viewers. If any of these are present in my design, viewers will be focused on the wrong thing— namely why something doesn’t look right and not the story my artwork is trying to tell. Remove distractions like these in your own art to create stronger, clearer compositions. ■
Kestrel Michaud is SAQA Board member who resides in West Melbourne, Florida. You can view her work at www.kestrelmichaud.com.
Figure 4
Needle Play
Irmgard Geul | Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, USA
Yellow Steel Bridge
22 x 28 inches | 56 x 71 cm | 2023
Isabelle Wiessler | Staufen, Germany
Tree fungi 1
25 x 9 x 1 inches | 64 x 23 x 3 cm | 2023
Tracie L. Maryne | Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
Saying Goodbye
17 x 23 inches | 43 x 58 cm | 2016
Ponischil | Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Stink Eye
7 x
Sandra Sider | Bronx, New York, USA
Seismic Shift
Margaret A. Phillips | Cos Cob, Connecticut, USA
Pink Desert with Roadrunners
Stefanie Neuner | Summerville, South Carolina, USA
Plan B
x 36 inches | 137 x 91 cm | 2022
Photo by Alisha Bailey
Karen
Hit parade or hit the wall?
An experiment in creating to music
by Susan Lenz
A recent question posed on the SAQA-Members
Only Facebook page intrigued me: “Here's a question for some fun: If you had to choose a theme song for yourself as an artist, what would it be?”
I read this question while riding in our cargo van on the way to the grocery store. My husband, Steve, was driving while I scanned through the more than fifty comments. I wasn’t a bit surprised to see titles like Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman and Jimmy Buffett’s Someday I Will. I laughed at the words from the theme song to the 1959-65 television show Rawhide: “Keep rollin’, rollin’, rollin’.”
Christie King Eckardt provided a link to Napoleon XIV’s 1966 top ten song They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! Other tunes were from Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, John Denver, Queen, and Gwen Stefani. Some comments simply listed a favorite musical genre.
I had absolutely no idea what I might select for a theme song. I’ve often joked that every radio is pre-programmed to my favorite channel: w-OFF. So before pulling into the parking lot, I read the question aloud to Steve and asked him what song best described me as an artist. He did not hesitate. “It’s obvious! I Can’t Get No Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones or The Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha." We both laughed but inside, I was wondering if there was something missing from my studio practice. Should I be listening to music?
Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to study while music played in the background. So many reasons were offered for this ban. Wasn’t it a distraction? Wasn’t silence the best way to focus? Didn’t lyrics interfere with decision-making?
According to Healthline Media’s website, “Music can motivate you, improve your mood, and help you relax.” Listed benefits include boosted concentration, improved memory and brain stimulation, and better management of pain and fatigue. Yet, the website also states that “listening to music can reduce working memory capacity.” There’s a link to a 2017 article in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in which working memory capacity is examined by authors Janina A. M. Lehmann and Tina Seufert. With regard to recall, results concluded that “background music did not influence performance.” Further, it was stated that the benefits and drawbacks are “merely a matter of personal preference.” Additional study is suggested, but, another conclusion is: “We could imagine that highly creative learners may especially benefit from listening to background music while learning.”
More research did not answer my own questions. The only way to determine whether music might enhance my studio practice was to experiment. The parameters were easy. I would use the SAQA Spotify playlist that member Marie McEachern created from the songs listed in the comment
Susan Lenz at work in her studio with music played via Spotify on her iPhone.
section. (Spotify is an international audio streaming and media service provider with millions of songs, podcasts, and other content. It was started in Sweden in 2006 and now has more than 615 million active monthly users.) Downloading the app on my iPhone was easy and totally free.
Elvis Presley’s Welcome to My World seemed an appropriate way to start my experiment. I got Fitbit steps while dancing to Jules Gaia’s Glitz At the Ritz . I sort of timed my hand stitching to the swaying rhythm of Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry Be Happy . I laughed aloud when Pat Metheny’s fusion jazz guitar style abruptly transitioned into Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild . Amy Grant’s This is My Father’s World was a surprise. From childhood choir practice, I knew the words. From middle school choir, I knew the words to The Sound of Silence though I’d never heard Disturbed’s 2015 cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic. One hour and forty-three minutes of streaming music ended perfectly with Nina Simone’s Feeling Good .
through available categories on my new Spotify app. Who would have guessed that I would find something wonderful? There’s nearly five hours of music listed under Iconic Soundtracks.
For the rest of the afternoon, my studio was filled with instrumental scores from Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, The Godfather, Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Mission Impossible, and lots of films I haven’t even seen but whose music made the hours fly by pleasantly.
I realized that music really could enhance my mood, motivate me, and provide the relaxing atmosphere. “ ”
Yet, the music continued. Apparently, Spotify simply selected songs that some algorithm thought mixed well with this diverse selection. Before I figured this out, I heard Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, the Ronettes' Be My Baby, and Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman. It sounded too much like one of my husband’s favorite ‘60s countdown shows on our car’s Sirius app that I am forced to listen to from the passenger seat. It does not improve my mood, make me feel motivated, or relax me. My predisposition against “oldies” is a contributing factor in my selfimposed studio silence. Hearing these songs made me think my experiment was for naught. In frustration, I grabbed my iPhone and started browsing
Some of the rhythms were fast-paced, some slow. Some of the melodies were profoundly haunting, some upbeat and cheerful. Most were instantly evocative in terms of mental visual imagery. Almost none had lyrics. Guess what? I liked working this way. Guess what else? There are all sorts of other playlists in equally compelling categories. The more I scrolled through the available channels, the more I realized that music really could enhance my mood, motivate me, and provide the relaxing atmosphere that makes time in my studio even more enjoyable.
Perhaps the choice to listen or not listen is more than just a personal preference. Perhaps the preference is all about the type of music one enjoys most. As for me, I’ll continue my experimentation with other intriguing genres. The possibilities sound endless. ■
Susan Lenz is a SAQA Juried Artist who resides in Central, South Carolina. You can view her work at www.susanlenz.com.
The ups and downs of pricing artwork
by Deborah Boschert
I recently had an opportunity to rethink my sales, pricing, and marketing strategies. I am always delighted if a piece of my artwork sells out of an exhibition. I occasionally sell small pieces during workshops or through my Etsy shop, but I don’t put tremendous energy into selling my work. It’s not the primary focus of my creative work.
So when I received a message from an art consultant through my Etsy shop, it was interesting to explore possibilities with her. She was gathering work to install in a health-care facility. She was working within a budget and was interested in a piece that was listed for $550. She asked if I would consider selling the piece for $450. Before I responded, I did some internet sleuthing to ensure she was a legitimate buyer. Then I pondered how I felt about the lower price. Since I don’t actively pursue sales, this piece was not likely to be seen outside of my studio storage. Plus, the quilt was almost ten years old, making it even more unlikely to be seen or purchased. For all of those reasons, the lower price seemed better than no sale at all. The price also didn’t feel entirely unreasonable. There was a time earlier in my art career where I was selling work at a similar price per square inch. So, I decided I’d accept her offer—and I had another idea.
The piece she was interested in was part of a series of four quilts, all listed in my Etsy shop. When I responded to her and wrote that I would accept her offer, I pointed out that she might be interested in the other quilts in the series. I wrote that
I would be willing to offer additional discounts on those pieces. She picked another quilt and offered $400 for it. She thanked me for pointing out the additional pieces and was excited to acquire a matching pair.
It made me curious about other artists’ experiences with lowering prices. I reached out to several SAQA members to get their feedback.
The two most common reasons artists lower prices is to clear out inventory and to show appreciation for their customers. Generally, lowering prices is not a common practice and respondents had both positive and negative experiences with it.
Special Events
Initially it felt sort of gutsy to suggest she buy another piece, but this is a common and accepted marketing technique called upselling. Why shouldn’t I use it? There were many factors that influenced my decision to lower the prices of these two pieces. In addition to the age of the pieces, there was the chance to sell multiple works and the opportunity to build a relationship with an art consultant. I was pleased with how the whole situation unfolded.
Some artists artists lower prices for annual
studios or other special
open
Growing Up Through the Cracks 20 x 20 inches | 51 x 51 cm | 2015
Waiting for the Light to Change
20 x 20 inches | 51 x 51 cm | 2015
events. Carol Larson lowered the price of thirty of her early pieces to $70 each in honor of her seventieth birthday. All thirty pieces sold within three days. Larson said, “My CPA was happy and I was happy to clear the inventory. Shortly thereafter I learned others were waiting till the next sale to purchase. I have mixed emotions about doing it again.” The risk that potential buyers will wait for future sales is a common reason some artists don’t like to lower prices or offer regular discounts.
Patty Kennedy-Zafred said that lowering prices might seem unfair to collectors who paid full price if they see similar artwork sold for less.
Kathy Angel Lee made several sales at an open studio event where she offered twenty percent off everything. One of the customers later commissioned another piece.
Discount Requests
Artists react in a variety of ways when potential customers actually ask for a discount. Jamie Fingal’s cheeky response is that she’d only give a discount to someone who didn’t ask. Lorraine Roy shared that she has a client she dreads because she always manages to talk Roy into lowering the price significantly. Roy adds, “However, she has purchased several larger pieces over the years. You gotta hand it to her, she’s a master at getting her price! But when I see her coming, I want to run the other way.”
Roy also shared that early in her career, a couple came to her studio and talked her into thirty percent off because the sale was direct from the
artist rather than through a gallery. She was caught off guard and vowed to never let that happen again. Artists and gallerists both have overhead costs and expenses that should be compensated for in their pricing structures.
Other pricing options
Several artists mentioned that one way to offer a discount is to cover the sales tax or offer free shipping. This means the buyer pays a lower price overall, but the price of the artwork is preserved.
Sherri Ramsey mentioned that lowering prices can help her be more competitive. Potential buyers will always be able to find something for less, however, so it’s not a guaranteed way to generate sales.
Another potential challenge with lowering prices on older work is that the work may no longer represent the artist’s style. The artist may also feel the work isn’t the best representation of their current skill. Some artists expressed frustration about how to
market artwork that has value but isn’t the newest or best work. It’s a tricky challenge.
There’s a common message in the art world that artists should always stand firm, state their value, and demand their worth. Many experts recommend raising prices in order to drive sales. This is all reasonable advice and worth deep consideration. But the reality is that each artist and each situation is unique. If lowering sales can add a much-needed infusion of income, it’s worth considering. If an artist has lots of old inventory and other options for putting it to use are too much trouble, deep discounts may make sense.
Fingal shared some great advice that sums up many of the ideas shared here: “Lowering prices is a personal decision. What is your worth? Can you afford it?”
I have a few main takeaways from my experience. I’m eager for work to be sold rather than in storage, as long
Victoria Findlay Wolfe Curiosity defines
what will be
by Cindy Grisdela
Curiosity is a defining feature of Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s life and work.
“I was always a really curious child and I’m still curious as an adult. I did everything, whether it was crayons, oil paint, woodburning, or making birdhouses. And I’m still doing all of that.”
Asking, “What if?” is a constant in Wolfe's work. She is known for her modern approach to traditional double wedding ring quilts. In 2013, her Double Edged Love quilt won Best of Show at Modern Quilt Guild’s first QuiltCon in Austin, Texas. She was inspired to make twelve more double wedding ring quilts, changing her approach for each one but keeping the basic structure the same. She authored the book Double Wedding Ring Quilts: Traditions Made Modern , published by C&T Publishing in 2015. The quilts were also exhibited at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
To date, Wolfe has made over sixty double wedding ring quilts. Two of these—The Space Between Heartbeats and Is That You?—include photos digitally printed onto cotton fabric. This design element firmly brings the traditional pattern into the modern realm.
The Space Between Heartbeats also features Wolfe's signature “made fabric” (produced from scraps) in some of the melons and block centers; similar shapes feature plain fabric.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe
All artwork images by Alan Radom Artworks quilted by Shelly Pagliai
89 x 88 inches | 226 x 224 cm | 2019
Wolfe’s work is all about the process, whether it’s playing with scraps or producing small studies to generate new ideas, a concept she shared in her first book, 15 Minutes of Play . “When I’m working on one idea, I’m rolling it around like a Rubik’s cube in my head,” she explains. The idea often starts out very clear, then it gets chopped up, stretched, or spliced with something else—as well as turned, minimized, or maximized.
Wolfe’s solo show at the International Quilt Museum (IQM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, showcases this concept. Titled Option Expedition , the quilts focus on basic patchwork shapes—circles, triangles, squares, and parallelograms—and explore the different ways they can be manipulated.
She sent in an exhibition proposal to the museum about two years ago when eight of the quilts were finished. After the proposal was
Is That You? 92 x 76 inches | 234 x 193 cm | 2020
accepted, she had roughly a year to complete thirteen additional pieces.
Red Dot #1 and Eureka! are part of this expansive exhibition which runs through December 14, 2024. The
color palette is the same for all of the quilts, but Wolfe changed the design elements in terms of shape, balance, scale, movement, and texture to
The Space Between Heartbeats
Victoria Findlay Wolfe at work in her studio
explore the various possibilities inherent in the series.
Trek is a series of twelve quilts which hang together. The piece was designed specifically for the space at IQM. The hanging possibilities for this piece can change depending on where it is exhibited, however. “The process changes, so the way the work can hang changes as different connections are made. It’s a very exciting piece.”
Wolfe has another upcoming exhibition at the European Patchwork Meeting in the Alsace region of France in September 2024. This exhibition, titled Virtual Voyage: Pixels and Patchwork, is a personal exploration of what quilting as an art form means.
Wolfe received a fine arts degree from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota—a small arts institution. She studied painting, monoprinting, sculpture, and photography, but when she wanted to include a couple of quilts in her degree presentation, the entire
school was convened to a meeting about whether quilts were craft or art. The quilts in this exhibition refer back to that college experience by including all of the art techniques Wolfe studied, such as using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to manipulate photos she had taken, and bringing them into the quilts.
“All those techniques you learn in art school are actually in these pieces, so there really is no difference. Quilts are art just as much as anything else is.”
Concurrency is an example of these pieces. The quilt depicts Wolfe with photos of her grandparents and uses hand appliqué, embroidery, hand stitching, reverse appliqué, and digital imagery in the design.
Wolfe has been based in New York state for the last thirty years. She has a large studio that can support design walls for ten to twelve quilts at a time, since that’s the way she works best. She likes to have everything she’s working on up at the
same time so that she can move between projects and be inspired by what’s happening on the walls. Something that didn’t work in one place might work well in another place, for example. Or two quilts that started out as separate pieces might work better merged together.
“I don’t plan anything. I haven’t planned anything in my life or my career. I just go in every day with what I’ve got and it’s the same way when I’m working on a quilt. What is in front of me right now? What can I do with it? Where can I turn a corner and do something else? It’s that kind of thing.”
Wolfe grew up on a farm in Minnesota with a mom who was a seamstress and a dad who had an upholstery business. Her grandmother Elda Wolfe was a quilter who had an outsized influence on Wolfe’s creativity. Wolfe learned to sew around age four. Her grandmother made quilts from a huge variety of fabrics, including polyester double knit in the 1970s. She didn’t
Red Dot #1 101 x 86 inches | 257 x 218 cm | 2021
Eureka! 86 x 82 inches | 218 x 208 cm | 2023
Trek (a set of twelve works hung together)
Each: 59 x 59 inches | 150 x 150 cm | 2023
of it: traditional, modern, contemporary, reproduction, American Civil War-inspired prints, and even double knit polyester. “All of it excites me. I don’t want limits to hold me back from trying something I’m curious about or interested in,” Wolfe said. For the last ten years Wolfe has been a prolific teacher, pattern maker, fabric designer, shop owner, and artist. “I said yes to everything!”
Then COVID hit.
While she enjoyed her busy life pre-COVID, Wolfe has shifted her focus. She will teach retreat style workshops, primarily at Woodland Ridge Retreat Center in Wisconsin, and possibly online or in her home studio. And she will continue to have patterns available in her online shop at www.vfwquilts.com.
But she wants to be available to spend more time with her husband and daughter, and she has lots of ideas for quilts to make, which means she needs to be home to make them.
As a teacher and pattern designer, Wolfe makes different quilts for
those she writes patterns for. “I love to make those simple quilts that are two-color or use one technique,” she says. Chevrons, stars, or basic double wedding rings are ideal for pattern drafting or teaching because they are accessible to many quilters.
Wolfe advises other artists or aspiring businesspeople to look for the opportunities and decide if it’s the right fit for you at the time. And don’t do everything for free, she advises, particularly if you are a woman. Have courage to ask for the pay you think you are worth, even if you get pushback for doing so.
She also believes it’s crucial to give credit to those who inspire you. Educate yourselves about quilt history and the artists who came before you and credit them when it’s appropriate. None of us can claim to have done it all ourselves, Wolfe adds.
She plans to add more pieces to the Option Expedition series in the coming months, as well as other series that are in process. “I’m
see "Victoria Findlay Wolfe” on page 38
Concurrency
78 x 87 inches | 198 x 221 cm | 2024
Rehome unneeded studio objects hiding in plain sight
by Lilo Bowman
Lecturing on a regular basis about the benefits of an organized studio elicits audience questions, which in turn provide the insight to broaden my focus for future presentations.
For several years it seemed it was enough to share with audiences how to go about creating a space that was devoid of visual pollution, served their needs, and reflected the individual. Audiences were excited to learn a process for attaining a more organized, inviting, and efficient studio (see SAQA Journal Vol. 33, No. 3) by first removing items that were no longer within the scope of their needs, current work, or interest. A necessary component of removing items was that the maker would need to do homework to determine what items agencies in their area would accept. The list of places I suggested were the usual options: school art programs, churches, youth programs, pet rescue organizations, etc.
Because I spend a fair amount of time searching the internet, this list seemed very reasonable to me. Apparently, I was wrong. With great frequency questions about where very specific items (i.e., costume jewelry, slides, sculpting materials, spinning tools, palette knives, and easels) could be donated arose. And what about those dealing with decades of magazines, vast numbers of books, and ancient electronics? Taking these questions to heart, I began to provide a resources page specific to their area prior to my lecture. Every attendee was given the information
peacefully
Magazines and books can easily take over if not regularly
to connect with organizations that would be happy to receive donations. Now there was the incentive to follow through. Not knowing where to donate can be a big hurdle when it comes to organizing a studio space, especially when you consider some of the resident items that hide in plain sight.
‘Veiled’ residents
If you’ve been feeling a bit hemmed in when it comes to your studio space, it might be a good time to take a hard look at the less than obvious items that might be dragging you down. Items such as document files, books, magazines, electronics, CDs, DVDs, office
As a stitched maps artist and abstract painter, Ekta Kaul’s desk is a mindful and
calm place for design work.
David Owen Hastings keeps the most used tools in woven baskets near his workstation.
managed.
supplies, etc., have happily settled in. As you embrace the new, the tendency is to set the old aside because there just isn’t time now to deal with it. You might hold on to it “just in case” you need it. Ultimately, you don’t “see” these things anymore, as if a veil had been drawn across them. Let’s focus on dealing with these specific longterm “veiled” residents.
Start Small
Trying to offload everything within one day or a weekend is not advisable; you will most likely be overwhelmed and quit. Start small with realistic goals for what you want to accomplish. Focus on what irritates you the most. Is it the bookcase groaning with an inordinate number of books, or the box where old electronics go to die but never leave the house? Have you considered a 30-day challenge? Each day the number of items removed relates to the number of the day. On day one, one item is removed, on day two, it’s two items, and so on. It’s a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment as you ease into the process over the course of a thirty days. Recently, I shared progress on my own thirty-day challenge on social media. I doubled the job for myself by adding the same number of items per day from the house. Out went twenty years of magazines, books, office files and supplies, old electronics, fabric, and numerous other items. My guest bedroom became the staging area, with designated donation/gifting areas. By day thirty, four-hundred and
eighty-five items had been removed from my studio alone. As expected, there were numerous comments and questions as to where it would go without adding to the landfill. The answer isn’t as hard as you might think.
Documents, files, notebooks
By long habit, I am a keeper of paper files and documents, both handwritten and typed. That is not to say that I don’t file many items electronically for my day job at TheQuiltShow.com. I do, but a legal pad is still my go-to for daily task organizing.
Storing seventeen years of notebooks and folders was becoming cumbersome and they have now been transferred to digital format on the company shared drive. Eleven years of legal pads, along with other documents containing
sensitive information have been shredded for use as bed prep in my garden, providing me with vast amounts of space in my bookcase and office file cabinet. Where did the remaining empty notebooks and file folders go? They were donated to a local organization that provides all manner of donated items (including myriad office supplies) free to local teachers.
Books and Magazines
Amassing a huge collection of books when you work as an editor in the quilt industry doesn’t take long. When my own personal interests are included in that inventory (needlework, gardening, cooking, travel, etc.) the need to cull regularly is necessary. There are, of course, books that I will keep for as long as I can. Letting books go does not
Tag stacks of items for donation to make it easy to transport them to the appropriate destinations.
come easy for me, nor does it seem to be the case for others. I always ask my audience to consider these questions when deciding on a book:
• Are you still working in this manner?
• The information is still relevant, but do you still use it as a resource on a regular basis?
• If you were to move next month, would you pay the additional expense to have it shipped?
Charity and Craft Reuse Centers
Most of these organizations provide lists of similar organizations across the United States that are willing to accept donations. Click through the tabs on their websites for details on resources near you.
If the answer to the first three questions is no, the book is a great candidate to pass on. Used bookstores are more than happy to buy your books; just be aware that you will receive considerably less than what you initially paid for them. Another option is to donate to your local library. Most libraries will accept books that will then be sold through another agency. The money generated from the sales support programs that benefit the local community, which includes those who do not have easy access to or funds to purchase books. Magazines take up an inordinate amount of real estate while only being utilized on rare occasions. The desire to keep the three or four inspirations within a magazine means most of us keep the entire issue. Finding the inspiration after several years might take some time and digging through multiple magazines.
local recycling organizations to properly dispose of paint and chemicals.
Tearing out to keep what you want in a file (whether physical or scanned electronically) cuts the amount of paper significantly and offers you the opportunity to donate the remainder to craft reuse centers. Keeping inspirations in folders on your electronic device means ideas are at your fingertips. But, if scrolling through images on your device is not for you, I’d like to suggest an alternative.
For years my practice has been to keep inspirations in a filing cabinet that, I will admit, I don’t refer to as often as I would like. Going through the file meant thumbing through many clippings before I come to the ones I am looking for. Recently I took an online Create A Design Journal course with Pati Fried (www.patifried.com) that has radically altered how I access things. The course is a way to curate all your collected images (pattern, texture, color combinations, stripes, botanicals, architectural designs, shapes, etc.) into a tangible journal
Utilize
Diana S. Fox keeps books in another area of her house to have more room for fabric storage in her studio.
that allows you to "tune out all the noise and organize your thoughts into clear and concise design strategies." This working journal offers me the opportunity to easily access specific areas of inspiration, write notes, and add bits of sketching all in one place.
Electronics
In a world of rapidly changing electronics, it isn’t surprising that it’s easy to unknowingly amass an inordinate number of outdated devices, cords, and accessories that have migrated to drawers or bins. It’s time to get those unwanted guests out of the house to where they can be sold, reused, or recycled. Electronics do not increase in value as they age. New models can be sold and reasonably new can be donated. Old devices (unless they are a generation one collectible) should be recycled. Your options should be based on how much work you want to put in. And don’t forget to wipe phones and clear the hard drive on computers.
Selling Electronics: Amazon, Best Buy, Buy Back World, Gazelle, Target, Decluttr.com (which buys CDs & DVDs), are great resources to recoup value in cash or gift cards. Many offer free shipping labels or drop-in locations. Other options include eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist. Each option requires you to be your own photo stylist. eBay charges fees a for each item sold, while Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist don’t. A word to the wise: use caution with in-person money transactions for goods sold.
Donating Electronics: American Cell Phone Drive, Dell Reconnect, or eBay for Charity (where you sell the item and the donation goes to the charity of your choice).
see “Rehoming Objects” on page 35
Pati Fried’s Create a Design Journal course teaches you to curate your own inspirational images to spark ideas for new work.
2024 SAQA Benefit Auction
SEPTEMBER 13 - OCTOBER 6
Make sure you’re ready to win big! Register now to bid in SAQA’s most-anticipated event of the year. Then click to pick your favorite 12 x 12-inch art quilts in this exciting online auction. Proceeds support our exhibition programs, publications, and education outreach.
Susan Sawatzky, Summer Sunshine
Fabienne Peter-Contesse, Double Crested Cormorant
Molly Eckes Flowers, Hello, Honey
Alicia Merrett, Love Words Ellaree Pray, Jazz Collection
Susan Shie, Blessings of the Art Goddess #1 Mary-Ellen Latino, The Golden Hour
In Memoriam
Mickey Beebe
Michelle “Mickey” Cornell Davis Beebe was born December 18, 1949, in San Francisco, California. She passed away aged 74 at her home in Bonny Doon, California, on June 22, 2024.
Mickey was an award-winning quilter whose work was exhibited at prestigious events such as International Quilt Festival and QuiltCon. She was an avid gardener, baker, enthusiastic traveler, and devoted mother and grandmother.
Molly Flowers
Molly Eckes Flowers of Griffin, Georgia, passed away on June 24, 2024, aged 78. She worked at Cabot Corporation before becoming an independent management consultant and technical writer. Upon retirement, she was devoted to her family and explored creative interests.
She wrote two novels (neither published) before finding that her true calling was that of a fiber artist. Her works have been shown in various fiber arts exhibitions and galleries around the world. She served for two years as co-rep of the Georgia/South Carolina region.
Molly said on her website that her goal was to tell stories often ignored by today’s sophisticated world. "Quilts suggest comfort, warmth, peace, and simplicity. My hope is that the stories of innocence and wonder told in quilted form will serve as a reminder of what is truly important."
Claire Gimber
Claire Rose (D'Orazio) Gimber, 83, was born on October 30, 1940, in Smithfield, Rhode Island. She passed away at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 7, 2024, from brain cancer. Claire grew up in Rhode Island and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island. She taught elementary school in the states as well as overseas at U.S. military bases in Japan and Germany.
Claire was a quitmaker for 40 years. Her art quilts were featured in regional, national,
and international art exhibitions and published in several art quilt magazines. Many of her pieces featured her love of birds. Claire particularly loved the Miguel de Cervantes quote: “By the streets of byand-by, one arrives at the house of never.”
In her words: “Don't put off or delay doing things, as they may never happen.”
Denise Konicek
Denise Fay Konicek, born in 1952, passed away on April 17, 2024, from cancer at her home in Winchester, Massachusetts. Denise was born in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, and grew up in Tomah, Wisconsin, and Rochester, Minnesota. From the University of Minnesota she earned bachelor’s degrees in nursing and music, and a master’s degree in public policy.
Denise worked at University of Minnesota Hospital and the Boynton Health, the student student health center. She moved into managerial and consulting roles, serving as a senior analyst at the Health Policy Institute at Boston University before becoming a planner, program developer, and fundraiser at Greater Lynn Senior Services. She then opened and ran a small business installing tile for residential customers.
Denise pursued artistic passions. She was a classical singer and soloist for many community choruses and orchestras. Over the last sixteen years, she worked to master and teach quilting. Her art quilts appeared in numerous juried exhibitions.
Denise also enjoyed gardening, charitable work, and adopting very large dogs from shelters. She was a warm, generous, and vivacious person.
Ruth B. McDowell
Ruth B. McDowell, a pioneer and visionary in the contemporary art quilt movement and lifelong appreciator of the natural world, died on June 23, 2024, following a brief illness.
Ruth was raised in Winchester, Massachusetts. In 1967 she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Art and Design. Ruth spent several years working as an illustrator, while simultaneously expanding her interests in fibers and nature. She began her art quilting career in 1972.
Until her retirement in 2017, Ruth forged the unique path of being a full-time professional quilt artist. Ruth's body of work represents a sustained and extraordinary development spanning nearly fifty years. Themes in her work include geometry, botany, the natural world, color and pattern, abstraction, and composition. Ruth's quilts were exhibited nationally and internationally in many galleries and museums, as well as in juried, invitational and several solo shows. They are also represented in museum, private, and corporate art collections worldwide.
Maria Perez
Maria Guadalupe Perez-Gomez Harmon was born on January 10, 1960, in Mexico City, Mexico, the youngest of seven children. She grew up with a love of art and a natural talent for creativity. She legally migrated to the United States when she was 20 to find a meaningful career. She eventually settled in Irving, Texas, where her son, David Harmon, was born in 1986.
Maria worked for the Irving Independent School District for many years. She was fluent in Spanish, English, and American Sign Language. She continued painting and growing her skills, and also learned to quilt and hula dance. Her beautiful quilts, which combined both traditional methods and innovative ideas such as painting on fabric, won many awards. Her Best of Show awards officially made her a master quilter. She achieved these accolades in only three years. She truly was an incredible woman of many talents as well as kind, passionate, fiery, intelligent, and devoted to those she loved.
Francine Willby
Please join us in expressing condolences to the friends and family of Francine Willby of Maine. At publication, we did not have further information on her passing.
Pricing Artwork
from page 23
as the price is reasonable. (I get to be the one who decides what “reasonable” is.) I’m not eager to put a lot of energy into sales and marketing, but it’s a good idea to keep a few pieces in my Etsy shop. Even if it feels awkward, it’s worth encouraging buyers to consider additional pieces and to incentivize them with discounts.
Pricing is complicated for many reasons. Opinions and experiences vary. Maybe some of these ideas about when and how to lower prices resonate with you and will offer clarity and confidence for your own sales and marketing practices. ■
Deborah Boschert is a SAQA member who resides in Lewisville, Texas. She is a past president of the Board of Directors. You can view her work at www.deborahsstudio.com.
Rehoming Objects
from page 31
Recycling Electronics: There may be other options in your area, but the ones listed below are a good place to start:
Best Buy: Accepts three items per household per day. Along with cell phones, radios, computers, tablets, TVs, and video, they also accept ink and toner. For larger items they offer a haul-away service for a small fee. If you don’t live near a store, you can mail items for recycling.
Call2Recycle: Accepts rechargeable batteries and cellphones. To find a location near you, enter your zip code on the website.
Home Depot: Accepts a variety of batteries, electronics, and cell phones. Place the electronics in provided plastic bags and drop in the designated orange bins near the Returns counter.
Lowe’s: Accepts rechargeable batteries, plastic bags, cellphone, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Look for the bins near the front entrance.
City Drop-Off Stations: These centers usually accept Styrofoam, paint, household chemicals, large TVs, and cardboard. Residents will need to provide a water bill or some sort of ID to prove that they live in the area.
Once you move the hidden residents out, you might just be inclined to take a second look at your other materials to determine if some need to go to a new home. You’ll be amazed how refreshing more open space will make you feel. ■
Lilo Bowman is the president of the SAQA Board of Directors. She is also the author of the book Love Your Creative Space , a lecturer, and editor-inchief of TheQuiltShow.com. She resides in Fort Worth, Texas.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe from
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waiting to see what else percolates up. I’m still interested in trying new things, manipulating and mixing techniques, and trying things I haven’t tried before.”
The Quilting Experience: A Celebration of Community and Patchwork Patterns is the artist’s latest book, and will be released in late September 2024. Not only a pattern book, it also tells stories from both quilters and nonquilters about how quilting connects us. The book is broken down into twelve life themes, including tradition, food, ageing, community, and identity. It explores how quilters stitch our daily lives into the work we do. ■
Cindy Griselda is a SAQA Juried Artist who resides in Reston, Virginia. You can view her work at www.cindygrisdela.com.
Shin-hee Chin wins SAQA Award at Quilt Visions 2024
Shin-hee Chin is the SAQA Award recipient for an artwork juried into Quilt Visions 2024, the prestigious show produced by Visions Museum of Textile Art in San Diego, California.
The exhibition’s jurors—Caryl Bryer FallertGentry, Karl Reichert, and Sandra Sider—selected Chin’s piece, Winter Trees - A Glimmer of Hope, because it is compelling, dynamic, and progressive, SAQA’s award criteria.
In the piece, Chin’s random weave and stitch technique creates an organic dialogue between intention and chance. The art quilt is part of the artist’s Symphony in Fiber and Forest series. “For almost a decade, I have nurtured a dream of creating a fiber series inspired by Beethoven's symphonies. This ambitious endeavor is a humble tribute to the genius of Ludwig van Beethoven, who, beyond being a legendary composer, had a profound love for walking and hiking in the forests,” says Chin. “This piece is a visual symphony, inviting viewers to experience the vibrant interplay of colors and textures that echo the rhythm of the natural world.” The piece was inspired by the composer’s Symphony No. 2. Materials include a recycled blanket, cotton and linen fabrics, and polyester threads.
Quilt Visions 2024 is a biennial juried exhibition that showcases work that exemplifies art quilting at the highest level of quality, innovation, surface design techniques, excellence in composition, and craftsmanship. The exhibition runs October 19-December 28, 2024.
The SAQA Award is presented to one artist at each of four prestigious textile exhibitions: Art Quilt Elements, Interpretations, Quilt National, and Quilt Visions. Each recipient receives a $500 prize. The winner is selected by exhibition jurors. ■
Shin-hee Chin | Hillsboro, Kansas, USA
Winter Trees - A Glimmer of Light 65 x 46 inches | 165 x 117 cm | 2023
