Contemporary quilts: Spring 2013

The art of the American Southwest is often associated with cactus, the Hopi Indian deity Kokopelli, and other desert and Native American imagery.  At the recent statewide Arizona Quilters' Guild show there were some beautiful examples of southwestern quilts.  However, there also was a wonderful display of contemporary quilts, many by award-winning quilt artists.

Roy G. Biv Pixelated by Ken Casey

Honorable Mention winner in the Scrap Quilts category, Ken says,  [My quilt] Roy G. Biv has been pixelated for years. Made of batik scraps and a border, it took longer on the design wall than it did to piece and quilt!"

Nine Patch Reflections on Golden Pond by Linda Engstrom

Winner of a Judges' Recognition Award, Linda states  "[This quilt is ] an exploration of color with hand-dyed fabric arranged to protray a pond with nine-patch blocks representing reflections."

RC's Night Flight by Cheryl Dolby

Second place winner for Medium Size Pieced Quilts, Cheryl notes, " This quilt was pieced for my husband, Richard, who is a commercial airline pilot. He flies mostly at night, and it represents the night skies and lights below that he sees."

Close up, RC's Night Flight by Cheryl Dolby

 

This beautiful and intricate long-arn  quilting design by Kathy Hunt  looks like thousands of beach pebbles placed side by side gives a fascinating texture to this creation.

Haboob by Frances O Murphy

Frances writes, " Inspired by the intensity and chaos of the haboobs ( Arabic for "strong winds") in Phoenix, Arizona, during the summer of 2011, I used commercial and hand-dyed fibers and fabrics. "

A Study in Red by Jo Van Loo

Jo says, " "Red was not my favorite color, so I challenged myself by using mostly red and yellow for contrast. Once I finished, I found that I enjoyed red."

To The Point by Linda M. Visnaw

Linda writes, "Pieced using traditional machine methods, this quilt is anything but traditional. The use of striped batiks and color values makes for a three-dimensional viewing experience."

Close up, To The Point by Linda M Visnaw

In this close-up, you can see the smaller triangular piecing done within the larger quilt block, as well as the spiral quilting done on a stationary machine. The spiral lines give a lighthearted and eye-pleasing softening look to the  angular, geometric blocks and the dark  batik sashing strips.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.