Week Three at the Benefit Auction!

The final week of the 2019 SAQA Benefit Auction -- Section Three selections -- kicks off this afternoon.  Congratulations to Karen Johnson, Linda Ingham, Marie McEachern, Susan Selby and Terry Rammel, all SAQA Western Canada members whose work sold in Section 2.  Unsold quilts remain available for purchase in the SAQA Store through December -- and there's a great selection, perfect for holiday gifts!

This third section includes work by these Western Canada members:

The selection also includes pieces by a number of well-known artists, among them Margaret Abramshe, Susan Shie, Deborah Boschert, Jean Wells Keenan, Judith Trager, Jane Dunnewold, and Katie Pasquini Masopust.  What wonderful company we get to keep when we participate in SAQA's fund-raising auctions!  Our next opportunity to contribute will be the Spotlight Auction for MoSAiQA, the 2020 Conference in Toronto.  Submission forms will be available November 1. Stay tuned!

The K's Have It!

Karen Cummings and Karlie McChesney, that is.  Both have exhibits on now and in the near future that came to my attention this week.

Karen Cummings shows and sells her work at the Okanagan Art Gallery in Osoyoos, B.C.  It's a co-operative gallery that features the work of twenty-five artists, including Karen.  She says that she tries to change out the works every two months, and that she creates an e-mail invitation each time she has a new showing.  When she posted the photo of this single piece on Facebook, she reported that is was only her third 'statement' piece -- and a powerful statement it is too!

Someone Knows - (C) Karen Cummings

Someone Knows - Detail

This is Karen's statement about this particular work:

The above piece will be at the Okanagan Art Gallery through October and November.  There will be a reception at the Gallery on Friday, October 4, 2019 -- in the tradition of their First Friday events, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.  Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at 8302 Main Street, Osoyoos, B.C.  (Call 778-437-2238 or e-mail office@okanaganartgallery.ca for more information.)

Meanwhile, Karen is now working on three large pieces featuring the hand-printed fabric with which she enjoys working.  We look forward to seeing more of your work, Karen!

*****    *****    *****

Another B.C. member, Karlie Norris McChesney is known for her work featuring complex and colourful geometric shapes that appear three-dimensional.  Last June her work was included in the Fraser Valley Biennale at the O'Connor Group Gallery in Chilliwack. B.C. 

Karlie explains, "The 2019 Fraser Valley Regional Biennale is a dynamic, collective representation of exceptional artwork produced by artists in the Fraser Valley region over the past two years. Small, tailored iterations of the exhibition will be presented at multiple venues throughout 2019, culminating in a full showing at The Reach from October to December.  The exhibition is planned by The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford in partnership with the Abbotsford Arts Council, the Mission Arts Council, the Kent Harrison Arts Council, and the Chilliwack Visual Artist Association."

In her statement about the work showing in the Biennale, Karlie writes:

All things mathematical inspire me.  I love to solve puzzles especially those with 3-D form; like origami modulars.  I am drawn to the accurate meticulousness required to make origami. It has a simple complexity; simple because it is paper folded and creased, and complexity because intricate shapes are constructed. I became even more intrigued with origami after watching the documentary 'Between the Folds' by PBS's Independent Lens. It demonstrated how mathematics and physics have informed origami structure.

My work explores how 3-D models can be represented in a 2-D format. 'Box Patterns' depicts 7 of my favourite origami boxes accompanied by the unfolded paper pattern to assemble the box.  The colour on the 'pattern' piece shows the placements of the inside, outside, and hidden parts of the folded paper used to construct the box.  The plastic embellishments tell the number of papers used and folds needed to make each box.

Karlie is also pleased to announce that she's returning to the O'Connor Group Gallery for a solo exhibit  that runs from early October through mid-November...

About her work for "Crossroads", Karlie shared this information:

Karlie's art making frequently explores her love of perspective and structural form.  Her art practice requires much measuring, calculating and arranging of colour, so much so that her work is a form of puzzle solving. Her preferred medium is fibre in the form of stitched textiles with an element of mixed media applied to the surface or standing as an installation accompanying the 2D work; these materials include paint, paper, plastic, metal, clay, and/or wood.

This body of work is her response to a time of great change in her life, where many decisions were required. All the pieces of work contain a path representing the choices a person has available to them and a container representing the restrictions or parameters that influence the decision making process.

Karlie is a retired art teacher from the Chilliwack School District.  She is an active member in SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Association), FAN (Fibre Art Network) and in the CVAA (Chilliwack Visual Artists Association).

This is Karlie's first solo exhibition and she is very excited to share it with you. She invites everyone to join her at the Opening Reception on October 12, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the O'Connor Group Art Gallery, 9201 Corbould Street, Chilliwack, B.C.  

The exhibition runs from October 10 to November 16. Gallery hours are 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm, Wednesday to Saturday, as well as 6:30 – 7:00 pm preceding evening theatre performances.  Admission is free.

(C) Karle Norris McChesney

If you are able to view one or both of these exhibits, we're certain they won't disappoint!

Thanks to Karen and Karlie for sharing this news with their colleagues 

through the SAQA WC blog.

The 2019 Benefit Auction Rolls Along!

First off, congratulations to SAQA WC members Judy Leslie, Debbie Plett and Nancy Riemersma, whose pieces were sold in Section 1 of the bidding!  (Pieces that aren't sold during the auction are still available for purchase in the SAQA store, at $100 USD plus shipping.)

Section 2 is now open for bidding.  Again, it's getting off to a slow start (only 1 piece purchased as of this writing at 4:40 p.m. Mountain Time) but...as Yogi Berra used to say, "It's never over till it's over!" 

One hundred and six quilts have already been sold, for a total of $20,850 USD (That's over $27,400 CAD!)  That's a lot of funding for education about art quilts, and for shipping!  With postage costs destined to increase now that the U.S. appears to be pulling out of the international Universal Postal Union, this is valuable support from our members to keep our work "out there" going forward.

And who in the Western Canada region is showing in Section 2, you ask?

What a variety of styles, palettes and compositions!  Prices on these pieces decline daily through Saturday, September 29.  For details on how to bid, or how the auction works, click HERE. 

And thanks to everyone whose contributions will make this auction successful!  😊

Following the Auction...

The Annual SAQA Benefit Auction got underway on Friday, with three pieces selling on "Diamond Day"...but NOW the fun really starts, as the first section is up for bid for this week.  With the starting price of $750 from noon (Mountain Time) on September 16, dropping to $550 at noon today and so on...it's off to a slow start.

I'm thinkin' folks are waiting to see "how low will they go?" before putting in a bid.  That's what makes this sort of gamble rather fun.

Looking through the pieces up for sale in Section One, who's there from SAQA Western Canada?  I found...

and

and 

and 

A diverse and interesting selection!  If one of these would suit you -- or be the perfect gift for someone you know, take note...and keep your eye on the auction to get in at the right time, the right price!  Prices drop daily through September 21.  For more information on pricing and other Benefit Auction details, check the Guide & FAQs -- and have fun!

Registration is Opening...

for Valerie Wilson's latest workshop, Facial Expressions.  

Does this describe you?

• You want to create a portrait in fabric but don't know where to start;
• There's a photo of a grandchild, parent, friend or spouse that you would like to do in fabric; or
• You simply want to try something new. 

If so, Val invites you to sign up for this workshop to learn more about the ins and outs of creating fabric portraits.  You can get all of the details and to register, click HERE.  

Detail of Val's "Hockey Boy"