Connecting Our Natural Worlds - SAQA Global Quilt Exhibit (Day 7)

The Connecting Our Natural Worlds exhibit by SAQA showcases art quilts that illustrate the natural wonder of habitats around the globe. Through their own unique artistic interpretation, each artist has identified danger to flora and fauna in their own backyards. The selected pieces inspire viewers to get closer to nature and become better stewards for our environment.  We recently visited this outstanding exhibit at the Brigham City Museum in Utah.

~ P.S.  Check out our eBay shop for great bargains on books, magazines, and collectible items. For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter. 

Desde Mi Ventana (From My Window) by Georgia B. Heller (Arizona)

Georgia B. Heller says, "This is a view of my yard in Scottsdale, Arizona.  The colorful pool and patio invite you to enjoy the outdoors, and the ambiance is accented with several native plants. The saguaro cactus defines the Sonoran Desert and its blossoms are the state flower."

A short drive away from this locale is the Sonoran Desert Preserve, a protected desert and mountain habitat.  Georgia notes, "By keeping large areas safe from human development, we hope to find a balance between preserving their natural beauty and the demands of population growth."

This beautifully rendered, photo-inspired scene was constructed with cotton, acid-free inks and markers. Many of the details were accented with thread painting.  Applique was used to construct the brightly painted Talavera pottery seen on the table, above.

Soon the Summer Sun by Brenda H. Smith (Arizona)

This fantastic art quilt honors the penstemon, which provides valuable nectar for many insects and hummingbirds.  Brenda H. Smith says, "Penstemons are some of my favorite flowers.  We have planted these low-water-use species to add color and augment the native landscaping in our yard [in Flagstaff, Arizona.]  Penstemon species native to Arizona are not endangered, but reducing non-native plants in favor of native species helps preserve local biodiversity in our urban landscapes."

Soon The Summer Sun was constructed with hand dyed and commercial cottons, which were painted, screen-printed, fused, machine appliqued and machine quilted.

Sonoran Monsoon by Debra Kay (Arizona)

People who live in the Sonoran Desert are familiar with the summer monsoons, which bring much-needed rain and spectacular lightning displays to the parched terrain.  Debra Kay says that her journey into art quilting began three years ago with a move to Tucson, Arizona.  She began to depict desert scenes with mountains, washes, and desert flora and fauna.  The jagged outlines of the Catalina Mountains are shown in this piece.

Streaks of lightning can be seen above the mountains, with  the rocks and sand rendered in muted tones of the appliqued batiks. Sonoran Monsoon was constructed with cotton and cheesecloth, using various techniques including batiking and tea dying; applique; free motion stitching; and fabric painting. We were intrigued by the use of a coiled and knotted fabric "rope" to outline the upper edge of the quilt, shown below.

Precious Reserves by Linda Syverson Guild (Maryland)

Amazing in its detail, Precious Reserves pays tribute to the High Plains aquifer, which is critical for the existence of the magnificent Sandhill cranes that live along the Platte River in Nebraska. Linda Syverson Guild says, "Our world exists in a precarious balance with nature.  What lies beneath the surface of the earth is the 'Fort Knox' of our future - the precious reserves."

The High Plains Aquifer is depicted in meticulous geographic detail with applique and embroidery, ranging from Texas to Wyoming and South Dakota. Linda explains that central pivot irrigation has depleted the reserves to the point of crisis, endangering the Sandhill cranes. Many different materials and techniques were used to create this piece, including hand-dyed and commercial fabric, polyester netting, and fabric paint.  The shading, created with black netting, can be seen in the closeup photo below.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum in Utah. As of August 2021, many of the pieces can be purchased at the Connecting Our Natural Worlds web page.

Connecting Our Natural Worlds - SAQA Global Quilt Exhibit (Day 6)

The Connecting Our Natural Worlds exhibit by SAQA showcases art quilts that illustrate the natural wonder of habitats around the globe. Through their own unique artistic interpretation, each artist has identified danger to flora and fauna in their own backyards. The selected pieces inspire viewers to get closer to nature and become better stewards for our environment.  We recently visited this outstanding exhibit at the Brigham City Museum in Utah.

~ P.S.  Check out our eBay shop for great bargains on books, magazines, and collectible items. For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter. 

Sky Islands by Katherine M. Dombrowski (Arizona)

 

 

Katherine writes, "The natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert has always been a source of great inspiration for me as an Arizona native and artist. We have many unique species and natural wonders in this part of the country. One of my favorite areas to explore is the Sky Island region - isolated mountain ranges in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. .....Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten these diverse, complex, and fragile regions. WE can protect them for future generations by supporting responsible land use management and conservation efforts."  In this piece, Katherine has chosen to portray three birds in flights, as might be seen in the wilderness through a birdwatcher's binoculars.

Circular free-motion quilting and thread painting gives the viewer the sensation that these hummingbird are floating along on horizontal puffs of air. To create these beautiful birds, Katherine used cotton and polyester organza, which she raw edged and reverse appliqued. Her fabric is hand painted and hand dyed.

Hillside by Marianne R. Williamson (Alabama)

Marianne notes, "I live in a forest in Alabama. The houses are all on steep hills with driveways that are almost vertical. It always amazes me that someone decided to build on such difficult terrain. The results is that the houses are barely visible from the streets. Driving up and down these hills in between huge oaks, pines, and maples is extraordinary. I feel very blessed that I live surrounded by such beauty every day."

Marianne's use of dappled light and shadow gives her work the effect of a lovely Impressionist painting. Her materials include hand dyed silk, cotton, velvet, stencils, and paint. Her work is raw edge appliqued, free motion quilted, stenciled, and painted.

Autumn Reflections by Donna Deaver (Idaho)

 

 

Donna says, "Welcome to Jordan Pond, located in Maine's Acadia National Park. One of my favorite places to hike, this area is lush and green in spring and summer, and ablaze in gold, yellow, and orange in the fall. On any given day, one can see beaver, loons, salmon, and trout....[plus] many species of trees and plants. 

Autumn Reflections was inspired by a walk around the pond on a glorious October day, with reflections of the foliage appearing in the clear, tranquil water. Our protests need to be louder and more persistent to protect such fragile habitats for generations to come."

 Long waving lines of free motion quilting, along with collage ,convey the realistic movement of  gentle waves on the lake's surface. Donna's elegant work is made of hand-dyed cotton and silk, using artist's drawings and photographs.

2 Pods by Colleen S. Ansbaugh (Wisconsin)

Colleen comments, "Milkweed pods are a common plant material found in native prairie land habitats. In the Midwest, many of these areas have declined due to agricultural and other uses. Monarch butterflies depend on the milkweed plant as a vital source of food. "

Colleen continues, "Monarchs are a critical plant pollinator and function as a food source for animals. We need to be mindful of the relationship between plants and animals."

Colleen uses her excellent sense of perspective to show the pods in an expanded view, in order to emphasize their importance as the enlarged focal point of this piece. She used hand-dyed fabrics, recycled bedsheets, and beads for embellishment. Her intriguing work is hand stitched and machine quilted.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum in Utah. As of August 2021, many of the pieces can be purchased at the Connecting Our Natural Worlds web page.

Connecting Our Natural Worlds - SAQA Global Quilt Exhibit (Day 5)

The Connecting Our Natural Worlds exhibit by SAQA showcases art quilts that illustrate the natural wonder of habitats around the globe. Through their own unique artistic interpretation, each artist has identified danger to flora and fauna in their own backyards. The selected pieces inspire viewers to get closer to nature and become better stewards for our environment.  We recently visited this outstanding exhibit at the Brigham City Museum in Utah.

~ p.s. Check out our eBay shop for great bargains on books, magazines, and collectible items. For free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter. 

Lilies of the Valley by Sarah Ann Smith (Maine)

Sarah Ann Smith used dyed fabrics, fusible applique, and machine quilting to create this masterpiece honoring Lilies of the Valley.  She notes that climate change has impacted many natural events. For example, the majority of the maple syrup is now produced in Canada, having shifted north of the border. "Late every spring, I look for Lilies of the Valley, which are called May Blooms in German.  I wonder, with global warming and climate change, will they become April Blooms?"

Summer Light Brigade by Diane Melms (Alaska)

Here is a stunning tribute to fireflies, created with cotton, hand dyed fabric, tulle, paint, and beads.  Diane Melms has managed to capture the glow of fireflies against the dark forested background.  She says, "On warm summer nights, the flickering glow of fireflies would light up the back yard of my family home. The magical light left me mesmerized as these tiny flying lights blinked their way into my heart."  The hand stitching captures the meandering paths of the fireflies.

Sadly, firefly populations are disappearing due to habitat loss, pollution, and many other factors. "We can conserve firefly populations by protecting biodiversity hotspots that support firefly species, and by prohibiting the harvesting of wild fireflies... we can also turn off our outside lights, reduce our use of toxic chemicals, and create natural firefly habitats."

Texas Wild Rice by Nancy Costea

Texas Wild Rice focuses on this graceful but fragile plant that only survives in a two-mile stretch of the San Marcos River in Hays County, Texas. Its long leaves float under water while its stems rise above when the rice blooms. In this elegant art quilt, Nancy Costea used couched yarn to represent the delicate stems, while hand cut and polished copper pieces depict the grains of rice, shown below. 

Iridescent ribbons were used to accentuate the undulating leaves of the plant. The black background represents the sky and creates a dramatic contrast with the green leaves.  Nancy Costea says that educating the public about this plant, and cordoning off the area where it grows, are steps that could help to preserve this unique species.

In Awe by Ruthann Adams (Utah)

This photo printed quilt depicts a spot on the Anasazi Trail beside Quail Creek in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve in Washington County, Utah. This area is not well known, and probably the best way to preserve it is to keep it that way. Ruthann Adams says, "I call this quilt In Awe, because that is the feeling it evokes." 

Ruthann has captured the ethereal beauty of this desert scene with digital photography, enhanced with quilting and painting.  The colors of the landscape can be seen in these closeup photos.  A small waterfall, cascading into a pool, is shown below.

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum in Utah. As of August 2021, many of the pieces can be purchased at the Connecting Our Natural Worlds web page.