I am always humbled and thrilled to have my artwork acquired by one of my patrons as part of an important celebration. Irene Peake, who recently added Correspondence:  Open Lines to her and her husband’s collection, was kind enough to submit to a Q&A about collecting fiber art.  She offers tips for both collectors of fiber art and fiber artists:

1.  Why are you interested in collecting fiber art?  Do you collect other types of art also or is there something in particular that draws you to  fiber art?
Irene:  Collecting fiber art is a way of staying connected to a tradition of needlework in my family.  My maternal grandmother was a milliner whose specialty was trimming hats.  I grew up watching her create beautiful hatbands decorated with stitching, ribbon rosettes, cockades, feathers and sequins.  My paternal grandmother and her sister crocheted bedspreads and embroidered tablecloths.

2.  What is your criteria for adding fiber art to your collection?  (The artwork’s theme, the artist, the color, the materials, a specific location, an occasion, . . .)
Irene: I am especially attracted to fiber pieces that depict or are related to nature.  Texture is key as is the use of a variety of materials—fabrics, threads and non-traditional items.

3.  Have your tastes in fiber art changed over time and, if so, has that affected your collection?
Irene: Over the years, I’ve learned to enjoy pieces that are more abstract than realistic, so I often look for pieces that are executed in an abstract style.

4.  You added Correspondence: Open Lines to your collection in celebration of a special occasion.  Would you care to share something about the process of choosing this artwork? Its relevance to your celebration? Why/how did you and your husband choose Open Lines?
Irene: My husband and I have a tradition of buying something for our home as an anniversary present.  We are also home renovators, so finishing off a room is cause for celebration.  Once the dining room was completed, I knew I wanted a single piece of fiber art to go on one wall.  I went online and bookmarked several artists’ work to show my husband. He liked several of my selections, so I made a short list.  Then we reviewed our budget to determine what was affordable.  Among the finalists were three of your pieces.  Since we already own several of your pieces, Bob was familiar and comfortable with your work.  Two pieces were the wrong size for the dining room, so it came down to Correspondence: Open Lines.

I selected this piece to show my husband for several reasons.  This piece:
• Utilizes lots of stuff (various fabrics, threads, etc.).  I love stuff!  I make collages and assemblages so I really enjoy artwork that utilizes “bits and pieces.”
• Is colorful…just what we needed to brighten up our dining room.
• Utilizes movement.  Lines sweep across the art to catch your eye and engage you.
• Is complex.  I enjoy looking at the materials and stitching up close.

5.  What advice do you have for other collectors of fiber art? For those just beginning to collect fiber art?
Irene:  Collecting any type of art is an investment of time, energy and education as well as money.  Whatever you are drawn to, learn more about it.  Read; visit museums; go to galleries, exhibits and craft fairs; look at artists’ web sites.

Keep an open mind and look at everything.  Learn what you like and what you don’t.  What’s more important, learn why you like or dislike an art work.  For example, don’t dismiss something as “ugly.”  What specifically bothers you about the piece—color, subject matter, execution?

Beginning collectors can start small.  Many fiber artists make small works—art cards editions and originals (ACEOs), wall hangings, journal quilts, etc.  When deciding upon a purchase, consider:
• Display: Where will the piece be shown?  Does it need to be framed or is it ready to hang?
• Maintenance: What type of cleaning is required?
• Cost

Anyone seriously interested in building a collection should document and insure their collection as well as consider estate planning issues.

6.  What advice do you have for artists who would like their art to be added to a patron’s collection?
Irene:  Artists who want to be added to a patron’s collection should have a web site that displays their work well.  This means easy-to-navigate pages, clear photos (including detail shots) and a price list.  If links are included, check on a regular basis that they work.  If you are represented by a gallery, be sure their web site has samples of your work posted and that the site works properly.

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can all be powerful marketing tools.  Personally, I enjoy reading artists’ blogs.

Artists should also consider creating work for a variety of price points.  Beginning collectors with small budgets often buy smaller “starter” pieces.  Therefore, making small works available is one way to enable collectors to become familiar with your work.  However, don’t skimp on quality when creating less costly pieces.

Also, be responsive to collectors who contact you with questions.  Building a relationship with artists is one of the joys of collecting.

I am very pleased to have Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) juried in to Beneath the Surface, a special exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA from July 22-25 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The exhibit is presented by the Dinner at Eight Artists and sponsored by Moore’s Sewing Centers and Brother International.

Why did I agree to enter this juried invitational?  Two reasons. I liked the theme as it easily fit my current body of work and I respect the professionalism of the Dinner at Eight Artists, including co-curators Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison.

My artist statement for this artwork:

The first time I went to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I saw rock, tree, water, sky. But curiosity and necessity have forced me over the past five years to fill my library shelves with books on the botany, biology, ecology, meteorology, geology, geography, ornithology, and mycology of the Boundary Waters.  Lying beneath the surface knowledge of just this small part of the world is detail built upon detail, layers and layers of knowledge — interwoven, timeless, and infinitely complex.

From the beginning I knew I wanted to do something different for this artwork.  Do you remember this in-progress photo from back in November ‘09?

The  artwork was collaged (by stitching, not fusing) in earth/sky/rock/water fabrics (with a great variety of textures such as velvet, duck cloth, upholstery fabric, etc. – all hand-painted, and/or screen printed by me) and then I heavily stitched over the entire artwork with variegated rayon thread. Then I screwed my courage to the sticking point and went at it with oil paintstiks.  The result:

Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) - Detail.  Photo by Deidre Adams.

It’s definitely the kind of artwork (well, that would be ALL my artwork really) that needs to be seen in person to really appreciate the depth and texture.  I am admittedly in love with it because it is a perfect manifestation of my intent, my message, and my theme.

TWO SPECIAL NOTES:
Now that I think about it, this artwork is, in a way, very similar in technique.

If you need more news, subscribe to my free monthly e-newsletter by sending an e-mail with SUB as the subject line to Virginia(at)VirginiaSpiegel.com
The April edition goes out today with news about a new pair of boots with a purpose.

Selected artwork from the Meet the Artist: SAQA 20th Anniversary Trunk Show have been chosen to be archived in the permanent collection of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. They will be available to researchers and students as a record of the art quilt in 2009.

Each artist was asked to create a piece of artwork for the traveling trunk show that showcased a process, technique, or style that represents her/his artistic voice. Of course, I wanted to show my layering of materials, use of typography, and the Boundary Waters as subject matter.

If you own my book, a detail of this artwork is shown on page 8.

Logo by Jeanelle McCall.

It’s always great fun to talk with Pokey Bolton, media diva.  She has a wide-ranging interview with me today on her blog about life, fabric, the Boundary Waters, Fiberart For A Cause and ToteTuesday.

As a bonus, and sure to make you smile, is the segment I taped for Quilting Arts TV on paper to fabric collage.  Check on the pearls and jacket thing I had going on that day.  It made ME laugh today.

Wild at the Edges:  Inspiration from a Creative Life evolved by keeping in mind the kind of book I like to take to bed with me (maybe with a glass of wine or a mug of hot chocolate) and peruse as the spirit moves me.

You will find encouraging thoughts about life and art, hidden treasures of poems, close-up photos of art and nature and, last, but not least, a very personal view of the driving forces behind my creative life.

Preview Wild at the Edges here.

25% of all profits from this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.  Fiberart For A Cause has donated more than $190,000 to the American Cancer Society.