Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Athena LaTocha

Remember back when I went to the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans with friends from the BRMQG? I wrote about Sherri Lynn Wood's work and then last week I finally introduced Beili Liu. 

There was another artist whose work I thoroughly enjoyed. She is Athena LaTocha and her work on heavy paper is stunning. I find the pieces to be moving, especially considering that she want to make an impactful statement how humans affect the environment through waste.  

Do these not make you stop for a moment and consider just how much waste is created? How that waste destroys our world?

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: {artist} Beili Liu

I was looking through photos from the artist-in-residence open house at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. I realized that there were a few artists that I wanted to introduce to you. One of those is Beili Liu. Her work speaks to me through color, shape and theory. It helps that her grandmother's crocheted bed spread (and hundreds of needles) are part of one of her exhibits. 

 You can't see it in this photo, though I did try to get relatively close, but every thread hanging from this tar-covered piece holds a needle. I did not even see the needles until someone pointed them out. But once I did, my brain kicked into gear. I walked away wondering how many needles a quilter threads. 

How many in the case of my grandmother, who hand-pieced and hand-quilted exclusive of machines? How many did for the women before her generation, who had large families? who needed several quilts on every bed. who had many beds? Oh so many needles! And I want little more than to thread a needle and pull it through layers of fabric and fiber.

 I'm not quite sure what to make of these pieces. The indigo color was all I needed to be drawn to them. The second piece is a series of six inch squares each dyed using some form of blueprint coloring that is activated in the sun. The shapes are of objects that the artist recovered from one particular area.

A Quilty Jaunt -- more of CFAL in Baton Rouge

Lucy Landry -- Life's Journey-Marathon

Since I didn't get to process all of my pictures for the first post of the Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana (CFAL) exhibit at the Louisiana State Archives building, I thought I'd get to work and try to show you the rest. None are in any particular order. I started out trying to systematically take pictures, but well, I'm more ADD than systematic. 

Yvonne Bayham -- Here Kitty Kitty

This one really tickled Richard! He kept going back to it to look for the 3D effects and to giggle at the pure joy of it.

Vicky Thompson -- Flight of Fancy

Bebe Tulley -- Walking Home from School, Uganda

Sally Gordon -- Bird on a Wire

Lisa Ducote -- Guardian of the Forgotten

Melanie Borne -- Jerusalem

Donna LaFleur -- Lightness

Did you notice the little feather in the bottom right corner? Not me! I saw it while working on the pictures.

Vicki Thompson -- A Light in the Woods

Suzi Stone --
Spirit-- Through the Stars to Mars

Suzi Stone --  Gorden's Musical Journey

Melanie Borne -- Losing Ground

Melanie Borne -- Leaves

BeBe Tulley -- St. Mark's Church Door, Philadelpha, PA

I can't say I have a favorite, but Susan Broussard's Sigh (below) certainly makes my heart happy. It's just so realistic-looking yet has a sense of mystery to it. I couldn't help but to take a closer look. Even with a close-up, there's no way a photograph can do it justice.

Susan Broussard -- Sigh

Of course, it isn't just this last one that deserves to be seen in person! Is it just me or aren't they amazing?  Fiber artists for certain. Which one really speaks to you? Or has you thinking of home? (That's what Sigh does for me. That cypress could be in my back yard.)

A Quilty Jaunt -- CFAL exhibit in Baton Rouge

Photo from Secretary of State website

On Thursday Richard and I took a little jaunt to see some quilts. We were off to see the Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana (CFAL) exhibit at the Louisiana State Archives building. 

Having the exhibit here is a brilliant idea since the

state archives' job "is mandated to identify, to collect, to preserve, to maintain and to make available those records and artifacts that enhance our endeavors to understand the dynamics and nuances of our state's remarkable history." 

The Archives building has its own collection of artwork, which was a wonderful surprise. I'll show those pieces in another post later. 

Lucy Landry -- Life's Journey-Sprint

This post is about the CFAL exhibit, but these are only about half of the photos that I took. It's going to take a few days at home to finish. 

Nancy Hinds -- Winding Roads

Lucy Landry -- Stingray City Sandbox

Melanie Borne -- Into the Unknown

Lucy Landry

Tracy Gallagher --
The Pathway of the Little Blue Hummer

 Kathleen Callaghan --
Journey of a POW--from War to a Prison Camp to Home 

Suzi Stone -- Journey to the Sea

Lisa Ducote -- Memos

Richard and I had the luxury of time and solitude while we were there. Imagine being able to wander through, go back, take pictures. Go back again, look closely. No, closer. Go back and take a few more pictures. 

Donna LaFleur -- Provence in Bloom

Wendy Starn -- Into the Woods

Wendy Starn -- Fatsia Fantasy

Nancy Hinds -- Found Objects

Before closing I want to point out this last piece from my friend Glen. I've mentioned her a few times in other posts. She's the blogger behind Quilts and Dogs, and I admire her work more than she could know. 

Glen Parks -- One Road Through Town

Fons and Burns: Catch up now!

Mary Fons (Google Images)

For those of you who do not know, I have kind of an infatuation with Mary Fons. She is a fabulous writer and a cute little thing to boot. With any luck, I'll have an opportunity to shake her hand.

I read her blog, PaperGirl, in fits and starts. I may skip her posts for a month or so, but then I have to catch up with her again. That's when I go back to where I left off and read every article posted in the meantime. It may be that I'm obsessed.

Ken Burns (Google Images)

On my last binge read, I discovered that she had interviewed Ken Burns, a well-known movie director and quilt collector. Part of his now-famous collection was on exhibit at the Quilt House, the exhibition hall of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Unfortunately, the exhibit closed on May 14. However, a free Quiltfolk article on the exhibit and Mary Fons' interview can both be found here:  https://www.quiltfolk.com/wp-content/uploads/quiltfolk-ken-burns-exclusive.pdf

Paducah Quilt Week -- 2 -- plus a giveaway game

Good grief! This stomach virus is a miserable, miserable way to spend three days. I thought the first round was bad, but nothing about that compares to this. I recommend that you do your best to avoid getting it. Especially the second time.

Anyway, I've recovered somewhat. Well, enough to walk out to the studio to prepare my Cotton Robin block for the mail. It should have gone out last week while I was in Paducah. (That didn't happen.) Then the virus, which Richard was fighting when I returned, found my system. Again. 

I don't know today's date, but I'm certain that I'm a week late getting the first block out--not a good way to begin. One indication would be the fact that the block for the next round was already sitting on the worktable. I was a good Robineer and did not open the second until the first was packaged, addressed, and sealed. 

The pictures that I'm posting tonight are from a quaint little moonshine brewery. It's a fun little place that Beth and I happened upon. A small group of quilters were rocking on the front stoop and told us that the bar was giving free taste-testings. We decided to drop in. 

I tried the peach flavor and Beth the chocolate. The peach was delicious, but then I heard about the pecan. Shoot! Oh well. When Beth decided that she wasn't crazy about her cup, I gave it a go. Yum! It was difficult to walk out without a bottle of the good stuff. Other pictures are from antique shops, a hotel, and a flea market. Beth is an antique hound! She stepped into every antiquey place she could find. It's fun to dip into places on a whim. 

The bottom left picture in the collage is of an apple masher. I'd never seen one before, so I had to take pictures to show Richard. A little part of me wanted to bring it home, but that was silly because there was no space for such a large piece.

Front view (the side from which you'd be working)

Edge view (looking at
the machine components)

Instead I had to settle for this little item which attaches to a table using a C-clamp. Rich and I tested it and it works! Do you know what it is? Here's a hint: it's a sewing item but doesn't sew. 

Let's play a game! The first one to answer or guess correctly (post your answer in the comments) will get a couple of fat quarters from the small stash that I purchased in Paducah. I hate doing this but I'll have to limit mailing to USA only. Postage is crazy expensive.  

I haven't shown you the things that I bought yet, so I suppose it's time for a reveal. Come back soon to see the yummy colors!