Meetings

Gay Lasher | The Digital Thread

“Change is the only constant in life.” That’s what the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus said and what Gay believes.

Change and transformation are the themes that unite most of Gay’s work. She uses digital photography and the magic of Adobe Photoshop to transform ordinary photographs into abstract compositions with intense color. Black thread stitching outlines shapes and helps create a highly textured and sculptural surface.

A Denver “native” since 1969, Gay’s life has zigzagged from initial interests in the classics and biology to art expressions in weaving, batik and art photography to a clinical psychology practice and finally to art quilting in 2003.

Gay’s art quilts have been represented in numerous local and national shows including Quilt National ’11, Art Quilt Elements and Radical Elements. She has had a solo show at aBuzz Gallery in 2013 and is slated for solo shows this year in April at NCAR in Boulder and aBuzz Gallery in September. Her work has appeared in many publications including recently in Textile Art Around the World and Textile Plus magazine.

Patty Hawkins Take a Concept! Matisse it!

Matisse said “Paper cutouts allow me to DRAW in color”

He felt he said all he could in painting. With his illness, his solution was cutting simple shapes from gouache colored papers, he called “improvisations in color and rhythm”.

I invite us to open our eyes to SEE shapes everywhere: contours in nature, trees/tree bark, rock walls, river contours, shadows, reflections in skyscraper windows and water, sidewalk cracks, things in a row, stacks of items, hubcaps, on and on.

I invite us to abstract these FOUND shapes, by simplifying them to basic stylized geometric shapes.

FOCUS on shapes only, NOT the subject.

I also invite us to play with unique colors, COLOR adds emotion.

Be aware of the need to create depth with interesting backgrounds, cutting “focus shapes”, as Matisse did.

When teaching my various classes, I encourage exploring these simple shapes with construction paper exercises, glueing or fusing, to create fun compositions.

Sharing many images, I will show that the sky’s the limit in taking these construction paper collages into fantastic fabric collages.

Thanks to our mentor, Helen Davis, I remind us of the 3 Bears (odd numbers, dark/medium/light. REMEMBER CONTRAST! Also; small, medium and large; using repetition and exaggeration.

Come join me!

One of the original six founders of FRCQ, Patty has been dedicated throughout her career to developing contemporary textile art and artists. She has exhibited widely, including being juried into 3 Quilt Visions and 8 Quilt National exhibits, and has given classes across the country. Patty also has served an Artist Residency in Rocky Mountain National Park. Of particular interest to Patty is the play of light in nature, which she interprets with fabrics of her own creation, often inspired by the surroundings of her home in Estes Park, CO. 

Patty grew up in Louisiana, from 10 years old, after moving 36 times (Dad worked for an oil company, Mom said she slipcovered and draped the United States). Her mother taught her all about sewing; spent 15 years trying to do watercolor, could only do skies; which feeds into her love of loosely dyeing fabrics.

Panel Discussion Healing Arts

June 2015

TBD

Demos and Other Delights

TBD

August 2015

TBD

Deborah Fell

My art is a reaction to my world and my experiences.  I use quilting as elements of art.  Thread is line.    Fabric is shape and paint or dye is color.  Materials include cloth, paint, paper, repurposed found objects and stitching.  Layering, organic mark-making and line are prominent elements in my work. 

I allow myself to listen to the art.  I follow where it takes me and the process of creating continues to teach me to be honest and to have the courage to keep moving forward.

Deborah Fell is a full time studio artist committed to the art quilt medium.  She is a professional member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates and ArtQuilt Network.  Deborah’s art focuses on abstract, organic shapes while using surface treatment such as dyeing and painting fabric.  Deborah has been a professional educator for over 30 years.  Besides teaching at risk high school students in a public high school setting, Deborah has taught various art workshops at national symposiums, community college and continuing education. 

Deborah obtained a Master’s degree from Northern Illinois University as well as graduate work at University of Illinois, University of New Hampshire and a fellowship at Northwestern University.  In 2010 Deborah was asked to assist the host of CBS’s television show, Extreme Home Makeover, in creating the art piece for the master bedroom project for the new house build in the east central Illinois area. The fall of 2011 Deborah received an artist-in-residence at the Mendocino Arts Center in Mendocino, California. 

In 2012 Deborah started teaching art quilt related courses at the University of Illinois through OLLI program. The winter 2012 issue of Art Quilting Studio features Deborah’s work on the front cover.  In 2013 Deborah completed an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Illinois Figure One Gallery in Champaign, Illinois.

October 2015

TBD

November 2015

TBD