In September I will be the Artist Guild of Santa Ynez Valley's "Artist of the Month" at Gallery Los Olivos in Los Olivos, CA.  I will announce the date and time of my Artist's Reception when the details are finalized.  I have been working on a series drawn from the colors and abstract images of harvest time here in wine country.  This image detail is from a piece called "Les Raisins" (Grapes) and is 42" X 16".  The first piece I completed in this series is a large 42" X 50" work entitled "La Vendange" (Grape Harvest), and it is bound for a November Fibervision exhibit at C Gallery in Los Alamos, CA.  The companion pieces will be for Gallery Los Olivos.  I am having a lot of fun with these pieces because I love the predominately purple and gold colors, and I have been creating my own stencils and screens for the abstract images.                

Quilts on the Wall, a fiber artists' group in Orange County, CA, has assembled an exhibit for the Glendale Quilt Guild show in Pasadena, entitled "Appearances".  This is a small detail section of my submission called "Eyes See You".  There is the potential for this exhibit to go on to new venues.  I will post a photo of the entire piece at a later date. The set of eyes in this detail is that of my husband, Robert.  My eyes are also in the piece, as are those of some of our friends.

"Ruins II" is 24" X 24", slightly larger than the original "Ruins".  It incorporates images from some of the same structures as "Ruins", but mostly different views.  I include it in the Celebration Series for the same reason cited in my earlier post, because it contains the streamers and ribbon-like patterns that symbolize that series.  While I really enjoy the free-form structure of the Ruins pieces, I have been working on a separate series that I am expanding with additional pieces.  I have not yet shown them anywhere, but have committed them to exhibits this year, hence I am not posting photos of any of them as yet.  I may post a detail of one of them in an upcoming post to provide a flavor for the color and theme of that series. Just a hint:  the colors are those that I see in the Santa Ynez Valley vineyards at harvest time.

"Ruins", 17" X 17", while in my Celebration Series, takes a slightly different approach.  Instead of screened images, which appear on the earlier Celebration pieces, I have incorporated photos taken in France and Italy of churches, monasteries and remains of historical structures.  The piece does have the suggestions of streamers or confetti that distinguish the Celebration works. This piece was in Fibervision's Cabrillo Art Pavilion exhibit in Santa Barbara, summer of 2013. I have just completed "Ruins II", which will be in an exhibit or two in 2014.

The Pacific International Quilt Festival is opening in Santa Clara on October 17, and will run through the weekend. "Valley of Fire" will be included in the Fibervision exhibit, Transformation.  This is a small detail inset of the overall piece which measures 42 X 42 inches. The artists in Fibervision will have some beautiful and thought-provoking work on display.  PIQF will also have Carol Larson's "Tall Girl" series, which I am anxious to see in person. Check out her website and blog for more on her upcoming exhibits.  If you are in the Santa Clara area next month, don't miss the opportunity to see the wonderful contemporary art quilts in the non-traditional section of the PIQF quilt show.

Today I received my SAQA Benefit Auction purchase--a piece by Judith Trager called "Regeneration".  It is so lovely, far beyond what can be seen on the internet.  The tree leaves are a gold metallic scrim, and the thread variations add immensely to the piece.  I can't wait to hang it alongside my small, but growing 12" X 12" collection.

My 2013 SAQA Benefit Auction donation was this piece, "Agapanthas in Winter".  It was purchased by Wil Opio Oguta.  The proceeds of the auction are used to promote quilt art as a medium, and to support the fiber and textile artists who express themselves through art quilting.  SAQA sponsors exhibitions, and provides forums for information exchange and discussion at regional meetings and annual conferences.  Watch for SAQA sponsored exhibits at your local venues for art and quilting.