On Now, Coming Soon...and Other News

In Alberta, Calgary area members and friends -- collectively known as "Spectra Textile Arts" -- are on show later this month at Calgary's Southern Jubilee Auditorium!  SAQA WC members participating include Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas, Marie McEachern, Barbara J. West, Margaret Jessop, Beverly Patkau, and Linda Van Gastel.  If you're able, do join them in the Auditorium's Lower Lobby for their Reception on Friday, November 29 at 7 p.m.

Also in Alberta, member Margaret Blank will have ten of her "matted minis" on show -- and for sale -- at the "Encore Under $100 Art Market" to be held November 21 (4 p.m. - 10 p.m.) and November 22 (10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.) at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.

The Market is a new event this year at the City's annual "Light Up the Night" Festival, and the commissions taken on the works sold will go toward the Lacombe Arts Endowment Fund.

Meanwhile in B.C., member Terry Aske has finally revealed the artwork she exhibited at the "LAD Anonymous Art Show" held last month in New Westminster.  Congratulations, Terry, on selling two of the three pieces she had accepted into the show!  Check the link to her blog post for the reveal!

And Karlie Norrish McChesney currently has work on exhibit at the Ranger Station Art Gallery 98 Rockwell Drive, Harrison Hot Springs, B.C.  Her exhibit opened November 2 and runs through December 8.  Gallery hours are 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. weekdays and noon - 4 p.m. on weekends.  Karlie is showcasing some new work in this exhibit, including the following (shared from her Facebook post):

F 2 is part of a new series entitled Fluidity 10" x  10" 
(c) Karlie Norrish McChesney, 2019

REMINDER: Margaret Blank is retiring as Blog Editor as of December 31, 2019.  The blog has been a valuable way to share information -- especially about member accomplishments -- with photos and stories -- for those who don't use other forms of social media.  A new editor is needed if the blog is to continue to provide this service to these members in our far-flung Region.  If you are interested in taking over this spot, contact either Regional Rep (Jennie Johnston or Susan Selby) or Margaret herself. 

And thanks for your support!

A Two-fer for Terry!

Just got word from SAQA's Bill Reker (shipper extraordinaire and all-round exhibit expert) that Terry Aske's "Moonrise", the companion piece to "Aurora" in the Dusk to Dawn  exhibit, SOLD last night in Houston!

Congratulations again, Terry!

Moonrise (C) 2018 - Terry Aske

New and Notable in November

Breaking news! 

B.C. member Terry Aske has two pieces in the Dusk to Dawn SAQA Global exhibit, now showing at the Houston Quilt Festival -- and word went out last evening that one of them -- "Aurora" -- has been sold to a collector!!  CONGRATULATIONS, TERRY!

Aurora - Terry Aske (C) 2018

Still with Terry, she currently has pieces in the International Artists' Day (IAD) Anonymous Festival, now showing at 100 Braid Street, Vancouver, B.C. -- and her piece, WOW Westminster with Dots, sold at the Opening Gala!  Bravo, Terry!  If you can't see the exhibit in person, she talks more about this piece in her blog post HERE.

Still in B.C....

While our SAQA WC Rep, Jennie Johnston, closed her solo show on October 26, she has exhibits elsewhere to tell us about!


First, Jennie contributed work to the UDHR Quilt project commemorating the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The exhibit has now debuted in Canberra, Australia; Jennie's contribution is in the "Blue Quilt", and you can read more about the entire project through the links on Jennie's blog post, or
by clicking HERE.

Jennie with her piece that's now part of the "Blue Quilt"
in the UDHR Quilt Project

In her sharing with me, Jennie provided these words from the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia:

"At a time when the patchwork of liberties is fraying, craftivism is a global movement that combines craft and activism into quietly powerful protest to call for social and political change. Craftivism allows people to actively engage in democracy, contribute to social change, and transform the world one stitch at a time.    

The UDHR Quilt Project features never before seen work from a global craftivism project. Stitching in local and global stories; see the intricate detail of these quilts that represent the world’s conscience.

Aided by the power of social media, Australian craftivist Tal Fitzpatrick and fellow USA based craftivist Stephanie Dunlap put the call out for collaborators. 131 craftivists from across the globe, united by their passion for quilting and human rights, came together to showcase the power of their voices through the work of their hands.

Through the creation of four quilts, each embroidered with the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the project draws attention to the way human rights are challenged around the world today. The messages sewn into the quilts inspire visitors think, engage and take action.

The #UDHRQuiltProject moves beyond a traditional museum experience by inviting visitors to get involved. Visitors can immerse themselves in craftivism by participating in a range of hands-on craft activities, workshops and community-based events. Textile artist, Tal Fitzpatrick, will be on hand for special events throughout the exhibition to facilitate workshops and discuss the everyday practice of democracy through craftivism."

Next, Jennie's work is also part of a project entitled  "Imago Mundi -- Great and North", which opened at the Venice Biennale just over a year ago, is now showing at the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) Gallery, through December 16th.  Jennie has received a copy of the catalogue including her work and as she says, "It is always a pleasure to see your artwork take on its own life."

Jennie's work in the catalogue for
Imago Mundi -- Great and North

And the last show (for the moment!) in which Jennie's work is included is entitled Textile Narratives, and it's on NOW through November 17 at CityScape Community Art Space, 335 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver.

Editor's Note: I apologize for not mentioning "Textile Narratives" sooner, but in the interests of trying not to innundate readers with too many posts at one time, I tend to look at the dates of the exhibits and post based on the months in which they are showing.  Alas, with events that straddle more than one month, sometimes I find I've not posted their information quite soon enough!  My apologies to the artists in question.  If you have an event to share and want to be sure to highlight particular dates (such as the reception), please do so when you send me your notice for sharing on the blog.  Many thanks for your support!

August Update -- Part III: Lots to see in B.C.!

Who'dda thunk it?!  August is steam-rolling ahead to the end of it's tenure for 2018 -- and soon it will be September.  In some places, it's already "back to school". 

Sigh.  When did that happen?!

Happily, art lovers still have some "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" to enjoy perusing exhibits and galleries.

Included in what's ON this coming weekend (August 24-26) is THIS:

B.C. member Terry Aske highlighted this in a recent blog post (for those of you who don't -- yet -- follow her), as it is showing in the same location as the VMQG (Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild) exhibit was shown in 2016.

And two of Terry's quilts will be on display:

Sailing at Sunset
(c) 2018 - Terry Aske

and

Shades of Grey
(c) 2013 - Terry Aske

Meanwhile, another SAQA WC member from B.C., Karen Cummings, reports:

I have been invited to showcase my textile work at the Okanagan Art Gallery, Osoyoos, British Columbia -- a co-op art gallery featuring the work of 25 artists.

My plan is to change the work out every two months, creating an email invitation to each new showing. I am currently working on three large pieces featuring the hand printed fabric I like to work with.

 Here's Karen, posing with some of her lovely work at the OAG!

So...if you'd like to spend the last lingering weeks of Summer...(or even if you'd just like to get out of the smoke from the tragic wildfires all over the province)...take some time to introduce beauty into your life with one or both of these exhibits!

Catching Up With the News

It's said that timing is everything...and that certainly seems to be the case when it comes to keeping up with all the exhibits in which our SAQA WC members are participating!

It's definitely a challenge for your Blog Editor -- particularly when she finds herself inadvertently off-line for 10 days while she awaits a replacement part (power cord) for her computer!  For this, I apologize...and now scramble to catch up!

First, a mention of an exhibit on now in Vancouver -- and ending this weekend.

B.C. member Susan Purney Mark may have been travelling in Europe for the last several months, but that hasn't stopped her pieces from showing at the CityScape Gallery's exhibit, Industrial Perspective.

No More Ships
Susan Purney Mark - 2017 

The exhibit is on through June 30, so if you are in the area, do drop by and see it!

While that exhibit is closing, another has just opened -- at the Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery in Stony Plain, AB.  Fibre Art Network's Ekphrastic: Part I will be there until July 28.

Several SAQA WC members are participating, including Terry Aske, Diana Bartelings, Janet Bednarczyk, Joyce Brown, Jan Clark, Alison Dean Cowitz, Gloria Daly, Donna-Fay Digance, Diane Duncan, Dianne Firth, Robin Fischer, Jaynie Himsl, Karen Johnson, Judy Leslie, Linda MacKay, Judy MacLeod, Pippa Moore, Jenny Perry, Katie Stein Sather, Susan Selby and Mary Wilton.

Mary describes the exhibit this way:

This exhibition, is built around four Fibre Art Network artists, interpreting unpublished poems from twelve Canadian poets as a dialogue between the two art forms.

The exhibition has been divided in two to accommodate the smaller gallery at the Multicultural Centre.

The opening [reception] for the Part One will be held on Saturday, June 30 from 1-3.  Part Two will be hung July 30 to August 31 with the opening scheduled for August 4 from 1-3 pm.

Her piece, Visitors at Dawn, was selected as the featured art for the poster advertising this unique exhibit:

Visitors at Dawn
Mary Wilton

Meanwhile, in print, it was exciting to see B.C. member Terry Aske's piece, Aurora, as one of the "Selections from Dusk to Dawn" in the current issue of the SAQA Journal.

Congratulations are in order for Alberta member Ana Buzzalino!  Her piece, The Prairie's Changing Landscape, won First Place in the "Art -- Abstract, Small" category at the International Quilter's Association (IQA) Judged Show, "Quilts: A World of Beauty" in 2017.

You can see a photo and Ana's statement about this work on page 61 of the June/July 2018 issue of Quilting Arts.







Thanks to the hard work of former members Patti Morris and Debra Bray, The Burgess Shale has at last found a home!  All 25 participating artists gave their permission, so these colourful pieces have been shipped to the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum  near Grande Prairie, Alberta.  We await news of a possible Open House in the coming months, once the pieces have been settled into their new venue.


And finally -- for the moment -- Alberta member Margaret Blank has recently received word that her entry, Incarnation to Resurrection: Reflections on the Colours of the Church Year, has been accepted into the SAQA exhibit, "Season After Season", which will begin its tour at the Texas Quilt Museum,  La Grange, Texas, in January 2019.

Incarnation to Resurrection:
Reflections on the Colours 
of the Church Year
Margaret Blank

You can read about some of Margaret's journey in the creation of this piece on her blog HERE.

Stay tuned for more exhibit news as we move into July.  That said, your Editor is not a viewer of every available social media platform so please e-mail her or track her down on Facebook if you have news you want to share with SAQA Western Canada (and beyond) colleagues!

And thank you for your support!

We Have a Winner!

Quilt Canada, the highlight of the year for the Canadian Quilters' Association, is -- as most of you know -- on now in Vancouver.

And this morning, via Facebook, SAQA WC member Terry Aske of B.C. has shared the first *win* that has come across my awareness!


CONGRATS, Terry, for winning the TrendTex Challenge with her piece, Tally to Thirty. For those of you who don't (yet) follow Terry's blog...she's written about making this piece HERE.

Tally to Thirty - Terry Aske, 2018

Now...I know that Quilt Canada's National Juried Show has been a showcase for SAQA members' winning art in recent years...so please, more of you!  Brag on yourselves -- or let me do it for you by e-mailing me particulars, photos, links or whatever details you choose to share with your SAQA colleagues.

Remember that this blog is followed by other Canadian SAQA members, and by many colleagues in the U.S. and overseas.  Let's share our successes!

Who's Showing?

The Canadian Quilters' Association (CQA) show -- Quilt Canada -- is in Vancouver, B.C. this year.

I hear tell that at several of SAQA WC's members have just had pieces accepted into the CQA's National Juried Show!

Congratulations to Terry Aske, Diana Barteling, Alison Dean Cowitz, Robin Fischer, Jaynie Himsl, Karen Johnson, Paula Jolly, Judy Leslie, Karlie McChesney, Anne Rayner-Gould, and Susan Selby!**

AND

Terry is to be congratulated as well for having two pieces accepted into SAQA's Juried Exhibit, Dusk to Dawn.

Moonrise - Terry Aske, 2018

Aurora - Terry Aske, 2018

Congratulations to all of you!

In Other Exhibit News...

The Mountain Cabin Quilters' Guild of Canmore, Alberta, opens its Annual Artistic Visions show this weekend at Elevation Place.  This show runs from March 4 through March 20.  Admission is free, and there will be 29 quilts on display.* 

And...B.C. member, Karlie Norrish McChesney has work in the 5th Annual Fibre Arts Show at the Gallery Vertigo in Vernon, B.C.  The exhibit runs from March 6 through March 31, 2018.

The Opening Reception is March 10, 2018 from 7 - 9 p.m.  NOTE: this is a change from the date posted in the advertising photo (below), so if you are planning to attend, please make careful note of this revised information!

*EDITOR'S NOTE: I've written to a contact about the Exhibit for permission to post a photo and to mention SAQA members, but have had no response.  Should I receive word, I will update this post ASAP.  Thank you.

**ED. NOTE II: Thanks to Judy Leslie for helping me up-date the list of SAQA WC members showing at the CQA Nat'l. Juried Show!

If you have exhibit information to share with your SAQA colleagues in Western Canada, across Canada and world-wide (yes, members in other Regions read this blog!), please e-mail blog editor Margaret Blank.

Thank you for your support!

Congratulations, Terry!

Just sharing this for those of you not on Facebook or Instagram...

B.C. member Terry Aske's piece, Rain with a Chance of Sun, has not only been juried in to the SPUN exhibit in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but is also featured on the poster advertising this event!

Congratulations, Terry!

Rain with a Chance of Sun
(C) Terry Aske

And...Surprise!  

If you look at the list of artists on the above clip of the poster, you'll see the name of a former SAQA Western Canada member...Mardell Rampton.  Well done, WC artists!  

Back -- with Exhibit News!

Hello again, SAQA Western Canada members and WC blog readers far and near!  I am delighted to be back editting the SAQA WC blog -- though not in my former capacity as Alberta Co-Rep.  No; that position remains up for grabs -- and Val Wilson will be finishing her tenure in MB/SK very soon so...(hint, hint, hint...)

Jennie working in her studio

First, WELCOME aboard to the new SAQA Co-Rep for B.C., Jennie Johnston of Burnaby.  Watch this space for a bit of a profile on Jennie in the near future.

And now...news of a new exhibit!





archiTEXTURE: Hard Edges in a Soft Medium opens August 7, 2017 in the Community Art Space on the 3rd Floor of the Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia Street, New Westminster, B.C., and runs through October 2, 2017.  Regular gallery hours are Monday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Thursday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The Opening Reception is Friday, August 11 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., in conjunction with the New West Cultural Crawl that runs over that weekend.

Featured Artists: 

• Janet Archibald;
• Terry Aske;
• Mardell Rampton; and
• Judy Villett

Terry, Mardell and Judy are all SAQA members -- those at the first WC Regional Retreat in May will remember Judy's in-depth, informative and fun seminar on colour.  Among other accomplishments, Terry and Mardell both have pieces currently touring with My Corner of the World: Canada.

The title is intriguing...the artists are talented...if you live in or will be visiting the area in August or September, be sure to take in "archiTEXTURE"!

***   ***   ***

A closing note:  if you have news -- your work, an upcoming exhibit, an award for work or and entry accepted into a show, for example --  to share with your colleagues in the Region, across Canada and around the world, please contact your co-rep or contact me directly, and I'll be happy to post it here! -- Margaret Blank, Mirror, AB - Editor, SAQA WC Blog.

2017 Trunk Show -- Samples to Inspire

Over a month ago in this space, we posted about the SAQA Trunk Show and the opportunities it afforded for trying on techniques, for getting exposure for your work, for automatic acceptance (no jury) and for having some fun.

Now, however, The End Deadline is Near!  That's right, colleagues!  If you've been procrastinating about entering this every-three-years opportunity -- you have a mere four days (and a few hours) left.  The deadline for your online entry is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 30 -- which translates to 8:59 p.m. Pacific, 9:59 p.m. Mountain and 10:59 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Soooo...if you're needing a bit more inspiration, here are a few examples from your SAQA WC colleagues who've already submitted their entries...

From B.C., Terry Aske:

Croatian Door (C) 2016
Terry Aske

Terry's statement about her piece:

While visiting Croatia, I took a photo of this small rustic door, tucked under a flight of well-worn stone steps, and set deeply into a rough rock wall. The passage of time can be seen in the shape and surface of the door. I wondered: how old is it; what history has it seen; what might be behind it?

Techniques:  Digital image, computer enhanced, then printed on fabric.  Rock surfaces machine-quilted through one layer of batting.  Grout and door quilted through two layers, resulting in a dimensional trapunto effect.

From Alberta:

Margaret Blank, Mirror:

Autumn Colours (C) 2016
Margaret Blank

Margaret's statement about her piece:

I was inspired by the trees and the sky on the Central Alberta prairies in late September found in the view from my back lane.  Yes, the sky here is really that blue!

Marie McEachern, Calgary:

Off the Grid (C) 2016
Marie McEachern

All Marie would divulge is that she hand-dyed the fabric...


Mary Wilton, Camrose:

Ireland View (C) 2016
Mary Wilton

Mary was a painter before she was a quilter, and when she discovered painting on fabric...she became an art quilter.  She is now developing an entire body of work with painted backgrounds.  Mary took a quilting tour to Ireland last spring, which was the inspiration for this piece.

Okay; now you have your inspiration!   Translate a photo; go abstract; add surface design; paint a background -- it's your turn!

What are you waiting for?!                         

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

This is my last post as Editor of the SAQA WC blog...at least, for the foreseeable future.  I am handing the reins on to Val Wilson, Co-Rep for MB/SK...with my blessing.  Please give her your support, and send her your news to share with your SAQA WC colleagues.  You can reach her at v_wilson@mts.net.

I want to thank each and every one of you, SAQA WC colleagues, for your support, your feedback, and your faithful readership over the past three years as I served you in the Region.  I have no idea what's next for me in the SAQA world, beyond making a modest contribution to the Region's first-ever Regional Retreat in West Kelowna in May...but I welcome whatever comes!

Should one of you in Alberta decide you might be able to manage being Co-Rep here for a couple of years (the term is really only two years; I stayed on one more for a variety of reasons)...please get in touch with either Coleen Adderley (B.C.) or Val (as above)...or with SAQA Reps Coordinator Desiree (Desi) Vaughn. (Please note that my job as blog editor was by choice; it's not a requirement of whoever serves in Alberta! LOL!)

There is Co-Rep training provided as well as a manual and other materials -- and I have a box of goodies to pass on that I'd love to get out of my back room! ;-)

May SAQA continue to excite, educate and inspire you to show your work within the organization and elsewhere.  May you continue to use the opportunities it offers to build your confidence and skills as textile artists...and may you always remember that you whatever you contribute to any organization, you receive in return, many times over.

See you in West Kelowna in May, God willing! 'Bye for now!

At the opening of Western Threads
"Meet the Best of the West" Exhibit
Royal Alberta Museum, April 2014

A SAQA Benefit Auction Dream Collection: "Eclectic"

The start of the Annual SAQA Benefit Auction is less than two weeks away. How'd that happen?!

Darn!  I couldn't generate a good idea for a piece this year, and just realized that I missed the deadline to create a Dream Collection...by a mere four days.  Sigh.  Some years are like that, I guess!

But...I can follow the Auction closely from Diamond Day on September 16 through to the finish...and if I'm fortunate, I can find a piece I really like -- and buy it!  And I can share my own personal 'Dream Collection' with you, SAQA Western Canada colleagues...so here goes...it's an "Eclectic" bunch...

My SAQA Mentor, Bonnie Smith, has donated one of her signature 'swimmer' pieces...





My 15 x 15 Group colleague, Caro Higgs, has made a contribution that's pretty and peaceful...






And another colleague, Chantal Guillermet, has donated a still life in warm tones...






Then there's the piece by former Co-Rep (Atlantic Canada), now SAQA Board member, as well as a colleague and friend, Chris Nielsen...




SAQA Western Canada member, Gloria Daly of B.C., has donated one of her signature pieces as well.










And lovely, eccentric Gunnel, whom I met at the MCOTW opening in Stratford in May....


Then there's my friend Heather Dubreuil of Hudson, Quebec, whom I met at my first SAQA conference in Denver in 2011...and whose pieces remind me of the years I lived in Montreal...


And SAQA WC member from Saskatchewan, Jaynie Himsl -- my travelling companion to MCOTW, a firebrand who created an entire art festival in her home town of Weyburn throughout the summer of 2015...



My long-time friend, Jenny Lyon of California, whom I met at the conference in Santa Fe. She's a whole-cloth quilter extraordinaire; her piece makes me smile.





And Kathie Briggs, formerly of Michigan and now living in North Carolina, whom I also met in Santa Fe, 2013...




What about Lisa Ellis -- our new SAQA President?  I was blessed to enjoy her company at dinner and at brunch in Stratford at the MCOTW opening.  Young and full of energy, as expressed in the vibrancy of her contribution...



Then there's Maggie Vanderweit  (SAQA Central Canada), whose pieces in neutral tones generally make a statement...I met her in Portland at the conference in 2015.

And another fire-brand, SAQA WC member Marie McEachern of Calgary, whom I've known for years as a colleague, since our days together learning from Anna Hergert...Something different from her Calgary city-scapes...



Or maybe veteran textile artist Marianne Williamson, whom I've admired...and finally met at the conference in Portland, OR, in 2015...





What about Sherry Davis Kleinman, my room-mate at the Santa Fe Conference, and a dear friend?  My son got married this summer...maybe there's a gift opportunity there...

If I had a sweet little girl somewhere in my life who had a birthday coming up, I'd look no farther than this delightful piece by the fun and energetic Sue Bleiweiss...




And I can't forget my friend and inspiration, the 'I swear she never sleeps', most prodigious Susan Lenz.  I already have one of her Benefit Auction pieces on my studio wall...why not another?



SAQA WC member Terry Aske of B.C. has contributed this peaceful piece with an oriental feel...





While my friend and fellow student in Elizabeth Barton's Master Class (2015), Wil Opio Oguta, would have me sail away to forget my troubles...

See what I mean?  With the SAQA Benefit Auction it's easy to get carried away.

I trust that if you make art, you also find room to show art in your home.  Share it with friends. Give it as gifts.
What collection would fill your dreams?