Wide Horizons IV : the Jury has decided

Works by the following artists were chosen for the exhibition Wide Horizons IV.

Geneviève Attinger (France)

Khurshid Bamboat (UK)

Edith Bieri (Switzerland)

Jette Clover (Belgium)

Helen Conway (UK)

Daniela Dancelli (Italy)

Eti David (Israel)

Yael David-Cohen (UK)

Christa Ebert (Germany)

Katrina Flensburg (Sweden)

Sophie Furbeyre (France)

Cecilia González Desedamas (Spain)

Sue Hotchkis (UK)

Wietske Kluck (Netherlands)

Brigitte Kopp (Germany)

Barbara Lange (Germany)

Yemima Lavan (Israel)

Hildegard Mueller (Germany)

Karin Oestergaard (Denmark)

Sue Payne (UK)

Mirjam Pet-Jacobs (Netherlands)

Hilde van Schaardenburg (Netherlands)

Frauke Schramm (Germany)

Christine Seager (UK)

Sandy Snowden (UK)

Elly van Steenbek (Netherlands)

Tiziana Tateo (Italy)

Grietje van der Veen (Switzerland)

Cherry Vernon-Harcourt (UK)

Erica Waaser  (Germany)

Isabelle Wiessler (Germany)

Ita Ziv (Israel)

Helen Conway, Graffiti

Curator: Alicia Merrett (UK)

Elly van Steenbeck, Thoughts

The jury:

Elsbeth Nusser-Lampe (Germany)

Christine Restall (UK)

Charlotte Yde (Denmark)

Erica Waaser, Reflection

Statistics: Participants per country

Belgium                            1

Denmark                           1

France                              2

Germany                          7         

Israel                                3         

Italy                                 2

Netherlands                      4

Spain                                 1

Sweden                             1

Switzerland                       2

UK                                  8

SAQA WIDE HORIZONS IV will be shown at the European Patchwork Meeting, Ste Marie aux Mines, Alsace, France, 18^th to 21^st September, and touring afterwards.

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: Switzerland

Cäcilia Arnold

Growing up in rural Switzerland in a family and environment where politics have been discussed from an early age has made nature, social and political issues vital to my work as an art quilter. The possiblity of expressing concerns and feelings that art quilting offers, as well as taking a stand, has led me to this form of art. I enjoy  the tactility and versatility of the materials and the warmth of textiles.

Gräser (Reeds)

I have a background as a textile craft teacher , which is very helpful for me to be able to perform this art, both on a technical level and in this variety. 

Maroni, Brot der Armen (Edible chestnuts, bread of the poor)

Lately I have also gone back to doing more  traditonal craft like knitting and crochet, as well as felting and embrodery. The meditative quality of working in these techniques does have an effect of slowing down - becoming calm. Which is a quality of life I explore more often nowadays with clients in my day job as occupational therapist.

Porto Lampedusa

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: Switzerland

Maryline Collioud-Robert

My name is Maryline Collioud-Robert and I live in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

I studied Humanities at University of Neuchâtel, but I’ve always been attracted to textiles. I discovered quilts when I went to California for a year when I was 18, as an exchange student. As soon as I got back, I started experimenting by myself, no one was making patchwork at that time.

In 1982, I went back to the States for a quilt study trip. I travelled across the country, meeting artists, and visiting museums.

My quilts are contemporary, but quite traditional in their shape. Square or rectangular, quilted, and made only with commercial fabrics. I find dyeing very boring, but perhaps in another life I shall make some experiment in that field!

I’m fascinated by colors, and use as many as possible. I sometimes start with subdued colors, but as the days go by, I remove them, and replace them by more vivid shades. Although, I did manage to make an almost grey quilt this Spring. It was accepted to Quilt Visions, and I was very proud!

I mostly appliqué my fabrics, using fusing material, or making reverse appliqué. I like dense textures and surfaces, and I’m looking for a strong graphic impact. I have no sociological or political messages to deliver through my quilts.

I’m involved in different groups, I’m teaching, writing, translating, jurying, travelling, and sometimes I feel like I spend too little time in my studio.

I enjoy writing posts several times a week on my blog, and I have met incredible creative people through this channel.

My other hobbies are photography, origami and spending way too much money on marvelous books!

www.marylinecollioudrobert.com

Http://maryandpatch.blogspot.com

Inviation from Martha Sielman for FoQ Birmingham

Please join me at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK on August 8 & 9. I'll be showing visitors through the "People and Portraits" exhibition and lecturing each day at 2:00 PM: http://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/Content/The-Festival-Theatre

Maria Elkins, Windblown 

Maryline Collioud-Robert, Stamps 2

Friday's lecture is an in-depth look at the artists in "People and Portraits".Saturday's lecture is an exploration of where quilt artists find inspiration to fire up their creative juices.
Hope to see you there!

Martha Sielman
Executive DirectorStudio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.http://www.SAQA.com

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: Switzerland

Marlis Egger

I was born and raised in Zurich, but have lived for the past 26 years in Lugano/Ticino (Italian part of Switzerland) where I share my life with my husband and a cat (soon to be two).

I’m a fiber artist and the founder and organizer of TexArtAcademy, an international meeting point for textile artists here in Ticino. I have also served as Art Director at QuiltArtLugano, Switzerland’s first Quilt Festival.

Le Fil Rouge #4 (2008), part of a series of 5 quilts,
12x12 cm, matted

Le Fil Rouge #8 (2014), 30x30 cm

About 25 years ago, I discovered patchwork and quilting. Back then, at least here in Ticino, it was all about traditional quilts, “little flower” fabrics and quilts made from patterns. I found it boring to know in advance how my quilt would look like once it was finished. But I started anyway to learn the basics of patchwork.

Lines and Circles (2013, 73 x 71 cm

A trip to California changed everything and a completely new world opened up for me. I came back with a bag full of books, fabrics and ideas and started to work without templates, just out of my gut.

Only recently, after many colorful years (I loved to work with strong colors), I finally discovered what makes me really happy: to use color sparingly. I love neutrals, different shades of white, gray and black. I often use red as accent color. These are the colors I am surrounded with directly and every day: clothing, furniture, home decor … and yes, also the cats are gray ;-). These colors not only have a physical and emotional effect, but really influence my color perception and the way I use color in my art.

My work usually starts with white cloth which I then alter using dye and paint. I also work with new technologies, for example digital photography, photo processing software and inkjet printing. They give me the opportunity to combine my love for photography and textiles. The result is unique pieces of art.

Scribble & Splat #1+2 Diptych (2014), 44x38 cm + 44x31 cm

These original designs are also a starting point to create abstract fiber art. I incorporate different materials, mostly a variety of fabrics, painted canvas, sometimes even paper.

My motto is “less is more” – in color and in design. A simple and well balanced piece is a piece that speaks from my soul.

My website and blog: http://marlisegger.com

The TexArtAcademy website: http://texartacademy.com. 

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: Switzerland

Ramona Conconi

I’m living in the south part of Switzerland, the italian speaking part, about 40 minutes from Milan in a old house from 1905 with high walls. Therefore I love working on big pieces, with my fabrics in solid colors that I dye myself with procion. My works are graphically, played on forms and colors and with my signs. During a visit in a exhibition of wooden toys made from swiss designers, I discovered a box with cubes. On every face there was a line or a curve designed, or both. This toy was produced from  Naef Switzerland and was called Ikono. It was created in 1978 from the designer Georghe Bauer and it was impossible to find it, so I decided to produce it myself with lines and curves that are possible to sew. This was the birth of my serie “Signs” wich one I work since about 5 years growing up with them. I can create the project of sign of the work with my box so I can play with colors and values creating forms having yet the design.

I work every day at least one hour, and if I don’a have a big project ongoing , I work on my mini series, little works 15 x 15 cm that I put in a frame and decorate with little characters of the model railway. This keeps on my creativity.

La quadratura del cerchio

176 x 177 cm

2011

I work improvisationally, the only project I do is playing with my box and in the last six month I dye the fabrics for the work I’m doing so I can have the most variations on values for the colors I decidet to work with. The result is very good and now I’m doing exerience with this way of working.

When I’m not with my sewing machine in my atelier unther the rooftop, I work as nurse and I visit a lot of art exhibitions, I love contemporary art and photos, it is phantastic to live near Milan so full of museum and galeries. Now also in Lugano, the nearest city from my house there are a lot of news galeries and the cultural life is very hot. I love to travel and my husband too, so we often go on citytrips visiting museums.

Flower power, 50 x 70 cm, 2013

Now I work on three projects, one with big pieces for a special traveling exhibition, one on the mini series for a  little galerie and with my group “Happy Fingers” I work for the next exhibition in 2015 with pieces in the format 50x70 cm.

Omaggio ad Aoi Huber-Kono50 x 70 cm2013

Web: www.ramonaconconi.wordpress.com

Email: ramonaconconi@gmail.com

Call for Proposals by SAQA Special Events Committee for the 2015 Conference in Portland, OR.

The Special Events Committee is accepting proposals for the following at the Fiberlandia Conference in Portland, Oregon:

Four Breakout Sessions (1.5 hours).  The presenter will present the session twice on Friday, May 1, 2015, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.

We would like to see proposals on a variety of topics, including the business of art, social media marketing, principles of design and composition, understanding the jury process, and other topics you think might be of interest to the SAQA membership. 

Your proposal should contain:

·         Title of the session

·         Short outline of your subject

·         Audio visual needs (if any)

·         Short Biography

Compensation is as follows:

·         $600 honorarium ($300 X2 session presentations)

·         Up to $500 travel allowance

·         Half a hotel room cost for 2 nights

·         25% discount on conference registration

Breakout Session proposals should be sent to Cindy Grisdela at cpgrisdela@gmail.com.

Two Post-Conference Workshops (4 hours). The workshops will be offered on Sunday, May 3, 2015, 1-5pm.

Workshops could be hands-on technique classes, critiques, photography, marketing, voice and other topics of interest to the SAQA membership. 

Your proposal should contain:

·         Title of the session

·         Short outline of your subject

·         Room requirements

·         Audio visual needs (if any)

·         Short Biography

·         Compensation requirements

Post-Conference Workshop proposals should be sent to Susanne Jones atb_lee_ver@verizon.net

General Information

We are on a very condensed timeline and the deadline to receive proposals is July 18, 2014. We plan to have the decisions made by mid-August. 

The location of the conference is DoubleTree by Hilton Portland, 1000 NE Multnomah St, Portland, OR 97232

The dates of the conference are April 30-May 3, 2015. 

Feel free to forward this message to people you think would make great presenters.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Susanne, Cindy or me.  We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Regards,

SAQA Special Events Committee

This is SAQA Europe/Middle East: Switzerland

Edith Bieri

My name is Edith Bieri, born and raised in Switzerland. Until my marriage I worked as a secretary in a spinning and weaving factory. Now I’m living in Neftenbach near Winterthur and work at the city police of Winterthur in the Finance/controlling department.

Since more than 30 years I’m an enthusiastic quilter. I took several workshops with quilting artists and learned from books and magazines. With all these experience I’m looking for my own way.

Patchwork /Quilts are fascinating because of its variety of the fabrics, forms, shapes and colours. I love to work with my sewing machine. I belong to 3 quilting groups where I’m an active member. From 2003 – 2011 I‘ve been also engaged in the board of the Swiss Quilter’s Association (patCHquilt) as president. Some of my quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally, e.g. Festival of Quilts Birmingham, AQS Paducah, World Quilt Carneval in Nagoya Tokio, EXNA Neuchâtel etc.

Schalttafel (Circuit Board), 127 x 62 cm

I love to work on big quilts which is a real challenge as well as on smaller quilts on which I use a lot of threads in decorative stitching and other techniques I’m trying out. One of my aim is to work with this threadplayings as I call them, also in big quilts.

Fadenspielerei II, (Playing with threads II),
40 x 60 cm

A report on my most recent solo exhibition can be seen here.

To see more of my work visit my website and blog:

Blog: www.quiltsundmehr.blogspot.com

Webseite: www.quiltsundmehr.ch