Dispatches

October 2004

It hardly seems possible that more than two months have passed since QBL 2004! What a great year it was too. Just as a reminder, it is time to send in your registration for QBL 2005 if you have not already done so. If you are new to QBL, please contact QBL at qbl@schweinfurthartcenter.org to request a catalogue for 2005.

If you are new to the QBL website, Dispatches is an online newsletter featuring information about Quilting by the Lake, the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, QBL faculty and QBL participants.

Dispatches is back with much the same format as last year. We will keep you up to date about all of the exciting events at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, including detailed information about the upcoming Quilts=Art=Quilts. The Design Exercises will be back as space allows. Last summer it seemed like everywhere I went at QBL we ended up discussing books. I ended up with a list of more than 50 books recommended by students and faculty alike. I will be passing that list on over the course of the year as part of the Books To Consider feature. I am always happy to add to that list, so send me suggestions.

As always, if you have news to share, please contact me at qblnews@aol.com.

This fall has brought me a lot of time for introspection as I recuperated from shoulder surgery. As is often the case, the reality of being unable to move my dominant arm was much different that what I had anticipated, but it left me lots of time to think and to read. In between revisiting my love of Jane Austen and rehab, my thoughts often strayed to the creative work I do and to the importance that work holds for me. So much of it comes back to QBL and the experiences and creative stimulation I have experienced there over the last 15 years. This year especially I was struck with how wonderful the personal experience is at QBL; the camaraderie, the creative energy and warmth of the interactions between students and teachers alike. Now that I am getting better, I am excited all over again to begin planning for next summer. Those "other 52 weeks" are always so long!

Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time...The wait is simply too long.
Leonard Bernstein


Teachers In The News:

As a "teaser", this edition of Dispatches will provide you with some Internet connections for our 2005 faculty. This is not a comprehensive list, but will get you started. It is exciting to see all they have to offer! Most of the web sites have quilts to look at, biographical information, schedules, descriptions for lectures and workshops and sometimes links to other related sites. You can easily spend a whole day surfing through these sites!

If you are not familiar with Jean Biddick who is new to the QBL faculty in 2005, visit her website at www.jeanbiddick.com. She is also featured on the HGTV web site, for her appearance on the Simply Quilts show where she discussed her award-winning quilt "Peswara".

Cynthia Corbin's work can be seen on her website at www.cynthiacorbin.com.

Sylvia Einstein's website is www.sheinstein.addr.com/.

Those of you familiar with Carol Bryer Fallert are probably also familiar with her website www.bryerpatch.com. You will find lots for sale at The Bryer Patch Studio, as well as complete information about Carol & her quilts.

Natasha Kempers-Cullen has a new website at www.natashakempers-cullen.com. Natasha also has some exciting events coming up this fall, including an open studio weekend November 12 & 13 in conjunction with the Brunswick Area Arts & Cultural Alliance from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00p.m. both days. She also will host open studio days on December 4 & 5 and 11 & 12. These open studios take place at Natasha's home-based studio, 3 Willis Road, Topsham, Maine. She says, "Come enjoy the colors and excitement of the season! Besides displays and sales of my work, my husband John will be selling Christmas trees during December weekends. See and buy art ... and a tree as well. One stop! What fun!"

Sue Nickels also has a great site at www.sue.nickels.com. Take a look!

Web site links can be a wonderful thing, and you can see several of the faculty's work through other sites. Rosalie Dace is featured in the Quilt Surface Design Symposium website at www.qsds.com/goinstructor.php?name=rdace. Patty Hawkins has a wonderful feature on the Janna Graber website at jannagraber.com/patti_hawkins.htm. The Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia handles Emily Richardson's work, and has a lovely website featuring many of her pieces. Visit the Gross McCleaf site at www.grossmccleaf.com/artistpages/richardsonpage.htm. Finally, visit the Nancy Crow website for information on Carol Soderlund at www.nancycrow.com/HTML/barncarolsoderlund.html.

Future editions of Dispatches will have much more information about our 2005 faculty. Until then, happy web surfing!


Books To Consider:

As I mentioned above, I came home with a big long list of books to read this summer. Here are just a few recommended by students and teachers in various informal discussion groups:

Design Exercise:

"The Value of Value"

One of the most crucial elements of design is an understanding of value and the role it plays in an overall design. This exercise encourages you to play with value without concentrating on the picture or product.

Step 1:
Select a black and white picture from a magazine, newspaper, photo etc. The composition of the picture is not important, but look for one that has lights, mediums and deep darks. The exercise will work better with a picture that is at least 5" x 7". A full size (approx. 8 1/2" x 11") page works best.

Step 2:
Tape the picture to cardboard or something similar to give it stability.

Step 3:
Cover the picture with a piece of tracing paper that has been marked lightly with a 1/2" grid.

Step 4:
Look at each section of the picture as it is seen through the tracing paper. With a pencil, shade each segment to match the overall value of the square. Continue shading in the squares until you have completed the "picture".

Step 5:
Attach the completed value study to a white background. Look at the resulting composition.

• Does it still relate to the original picture?
• Can you see design elements created with the different values?
• Were you able to decide quickly what the overall value of each square was?
• Were you able to recreate all the values you saw? The light lights? The deep darks? The subtle differences in the shades of gray?
• What have you learned from this exercise?

What's new at the Schweinfurth?

On November 6th, the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center opened its 23rd annual Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibit. This year's exhibit features traditional & innovative quilts by approximately 90 quilters from around the country. The 2004 jurors, Emily Richardson, Mary Lou Schwinn and Joan Shay, judged almost 200 quilts, choosing 104 for display and awarding 14 prizes. On November 7th, many of this year's prize winners and exhibiting quilters joined us at the Springside Inn for our annual brunch and awards ceremony. Afterwards they were treated to a walk about tour of the exhibit led by Executive Quilt Consultant Eugenia Barnes and quilter Sharon Stroud.

Along with Q=A=Q 2004 the Art Center presented many exciting quilt related programs including our new trunk show series which featured Alice Gant, the Quilts Divas, Nancy Bales and Toni Foster and a special lecture by Raymond Dobard, the co-author of Hidden in Plain View: Secret Stories of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. The Art Center has also led the community wide effort to make Auburn, NY a quilting destination through the project Common Threads: Quilts Past to Present. This fall the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Seward House, Cayuga County Arts Council and Willard Memorial Chapel presented a wide variety of diverse historical and interpretative quilt related exhibits, lectures and programs in conjunction with Quilts=Art=Quilts. For more information on Common Threads please visit www.TourAuburnNY.com.

Quilts=Art=Quilts will be on view through January 9th and is open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm and on Sundays from 1 - 5pm. Admission is $5 for adults. Art Center members and children under 12 are free.

Until next time, Happy Creating, and please remember to send me information!
Kathy
qblnews@aol.com

Past Dispatches
November 2005
June 2005
April 2005
February 2005
October 2004