Virginia A. Spiegel

Knowing (Boundary Waters 52) Photo by Deidre Adams.
48×36″
White cotton fabric, acrylic paint, felt, cheesecloth, upholstery fabric, black duck cloth, polyester fabric, silk fabric, recycled pieces from artist’s art quilts, oil paintstiks, thread. Hand-painted, stamped, screen printed, burned, hand-dyed, hand and machine stitched.

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.

If you would have told me that I would EVER, ever, put a binding on any of my art quilts again, I would have laughed.  And here I am sewing fourteen feet of double-fold binding on Boundary Waters 52.  It just goes to show that you really shouldn’t say never.

I finished BW 52 (at least I think it is done – I painted a little bit on it since finishing stitching it and it may need just a touch more. See below!), squared it up and contemplated the multi-texture edge of the art quilt.  There were single layers, double layers, triple layers of painted and dyed cotton fabric fabric; velvet; polyester; shredding duck cloth, . . . .  Need I say more?

I taught myself quilt making by making 50+/- traditional quilts.  I never followed a pattern, but I always put a double-fold binding on them.  It is binding that will last and last and gives a very sturdy edge. But when I started painting my own fabric and making art quilts, I became committed to doing only that which fulfilled my vision.  So bindings, why?

I like a fuzzy, wild edge.  It’s FABRIC!  I like to show that this is a medium that’s vibrant, textured, alive.  I sometimes put a note in with one of my more shaggy art quilts going to a non-textile gallery:  ”Shredding and shedding are good.”  I imagine that causes some eyebrows to be raised.

But I had to come down on the side of doing what I needed to do with Boundary Waters 52.  If an edge is a distraction or will lead to the piece disintegrating or hanging incorrectly, then it just is not the right edge.

So I looked up the right width to cut fabric for a double-fold binding, cut some lovely blue-dyed fabric, seamed it, pressed it, sewed it on the front of the quilt, and miterrf those corners ever so beautifully.  Then I very happily sat on my Blue Moo and stitched away by hand.

SPECIAL NOTES:  Sorry I can’t show more of this artwork, but it is an entry that can’t be shown quite yet. Since I wrote this, I spent a lot of time and a lot of oil paint sticks covering just about every surface.  Everything you see in the detail photo above is basically gone.

A reminder that I won’t be posting too often for a bit as I return (post-ToteTuesday) to my studio.  If you want to know every month what I am up to in and out of the studio, send an e-mail to Virginia(at) VirginiaSpiegel.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.  You will receive my free monthly e-newsletter.)

Logo by Jeanelle McCall

Let the shopping begin!  Well, OK, not until 11 a.m. CST today.  But you can go and see all the fiber-related themed totes now here and the auction will take place on the very same page.

For the big ToteTuesday finale we have 16 themed totes and five individual art works.  Of course, everything is one-of-a-kind and, of course, it’s a fundraiser with 100% donated directly to the American Cancer Society.

What more could you ask for?   WELL, I refuse to list retail value for every tote, but here are a few examples of how generous the sponsor/donors have been:

Art Cloth Extravaganza:  A Dream Tote sponsored by the well-known Art Cloth Studios of San Antonio have donated over $450 of art cloth and surface design supplies. The opening bid will be $275 AND if the winning bid for their tote is the highest bid of the day, the generous artists will send the winner ANOTHER $500 in art cloth.  (See other bidding bonuses here.)

Fancy Ladies sponsored by Karey Bresenhan and the International Quilt Festival Team has an opening bid of $99 and includes a highly embellished tote by Judy Murrah. Everything in this tote was hand-selected by Karey herself AND includes a small artwork by Pamela Allen.

To the Studio sponsored by Peggy Schroder.  You will just have to zip on over to the auction page to believe what Peggy has stuffed in to the tote by Eleanor Levie.  Books, CDs, art supplies, art work by Beth Wheeler.  Opening bid: $179.  Last time I checked with Peggy, she was over $450 in retail value.

We also have several totes with opening bids in the $59 – $99 range, again due to the generosity of sponsor and donors.  Can you tell that we want YOU to join in the fun of fundraising for the American Cancer Society?

See you today at 11 a.m. CST and thank you for your support of this Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Logo by Jeanelle McCall

The first ToteTuesday was great fun and raised an amazing $1518 for the American Cancer Society.  Thank you for your support!

An even bigger and more exciting ToteTuesday is planned for Tuesday, February 9.

1.  Expect MANY more totes up for bid.  More totes=More variety=More donations for the American Cancer Society.

2.  Stop by Monday, February 8 for a full preview of the totes that will be up for bid.

Please note that the Preview and actual sale will now be held on my website. The urls will be posted here on my blog Monday.  Trying to showcase 12+ totes and three individual artworks on a blog would lead to massive carpal tunnel outbreaks from scrolling.

The opening bids won’t be shown only because that sometimes sets off a premature bidding war which is never a pretty thing.  You can check out the mini-previews of the more than 40 themed totes donated by generous artists and fiber-related businesses to ToteTuesday now.

Journey By Water by Laura Osborn (tote and accessories) and I.  I named this collection Journey By Water because of this poem by the same name in my book:
Listen to the waves, the trees,
The cries of the loons.
Hear the stillness;
Reflect and discover
The currents within you.

3.  Here is a checklist so you can be ready to bid on Tuesday, February 9.

Questions?  Suggestions?  Please leave a comment or e-mail me, Virginia(At)VirginiaSpiegel.com

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.