What Matters

Virtual show selected by Joan Sowada

Beauty of our fragile earth

Place, memory, loss

Contribution of trees

Injustice response

Historical preservation

Spiritual path

Helping others

These are the things that our members named when they entered their art quilts into the virtual show What Matters. It isn’t easy to put into words those things that we create visually. Well done to all of you!

I have selected Quad ll to receive the juror’s choice award. I found this aerial map view of a mountain to be interesting and engaging. It did communicate the idea that our world is fragile and threatened. Even a mountain looks small.  –Joan

 

Marianne Williamson – Winter Light

Trees Matter to me as I am surrounded by huge oaks and pines. My house is in a forest at the base of the Appelatians in Alabama, on top of a hill. In summer they shield me from the hot sun, and in winter they are a fairy land of shapes and twisted branches. They attract hawks, squirrels,chipmunks, and all kinds of birds. I love to sit and listen to the wind and watch these tall giants sway in the wind. This is a very special place that most people don’t know about. It is secluded, and still wild.and I think it is paradise.

Sue Lewis – Face It; Even a Mountain of Tears

“Face-It” is an art quilt inspired by a quote by James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced”. This resonated with me because of social injustice. Racial bias permeates our society to a horrifying degree and we must acknowledge this in order for social justice to prevail. I often turn to my creative side in order to heal my feelings of sadness and despair.  Making tangible art allows me to express so many dark thoughts that I feel helpless to overcome otherwise. It matters to me that people realize that all human lives matter. 

“Even a Mountain of Tears” was created after the shooting in King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado. Ten lives were taken by gun violence, which was shocking and overwhelming to me.  I tend to express emotions that can’t be spoken to the victims by creating heartfelt artwork. I have found that keeping my hands and mind busy in a creative way offers me the time to heal and process what has happened.  I was able to donate 2 quilts that were given to victim’s families as a way to show sympathy to them for their loss.  It matters to me that this quilt calls for a ban of assault weapons to stop senseless deaths.

Judith Ahlborn – Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheater still in existence today despite being built in the first century. Without its preservation the history of this monumental structure would exist only in print and be lost to our physical experience forever.

Elaine Hoffman – Maui Sunset

I love to travel and capture those trips via photographs and, eventually, re-discover them through my textile art. My mother passed away in 2015 and on a trip later that year to Hawaii, I scattered some of her ashes in a place she loved. I could almost hear her say in my mind “Here, stop here. This will create a great memory” when I saw the twisted tree and the sun going down behind it. 

Maui Sunset is a reminder of loss and hope and family all in one artwork. Adapted from my photo of a twisted tree in silhouette against a setting sun on the island of Maui in Hawaii on a trip to scatter my mother’s ashes, this is a celebration of her life and art intertwined with my own. Composed of pieced individual 1″ squares of cotton batik stitched together, overlaid with a raw-edged applique of a stylized tree, then machine quilted and framed. It only measures 12″ x 12″ but reminds me of a person and place near and dear to my heart. 

Lolly Gold – Seeds of Change

What matters deeply to me is my spiritual path because it is the foundation for all I do in life. Seeds of Change expresses the notion that everything is in a state of change, whether easily noticeable or subtle. This is the challenge of my spiritual path, which gives life to everything I do. 

Anne Severn – Quad II; In the Beginning

The beauty of the physical earth is what I think about and where my creative path takes me. My pieces are all representations of the colors, textures and shapes which form our fragile home.

Joan Sowada – Helping

I spend much of my time supporting and helping others. Babysitting, feeding people, garden tending, and encouraging friends and family are things that bring me joy and what matter. 

 

 

Enjoy viewing “What Matters!”

(Click on any image to scroll through and see the overall images)

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Dates: Every third Monday, January through November.

Location: All meetings are available on-line via Zoom with the link included in our monthly newsletter.  Several times per year, we hold hybrid in-person/zoom meetings. The location may vary, so please refer to the MEETINGS page on our website for information as to which meetings are in person and where they will be held.

Time: On-Line meetings run from 7:00-9:00 pm.  In-person meetings have social time which starts at 6:30 pm and the meeting from 7:00-9:00 pm.