Virginia A. Spiegel

Correspondence:  Open Lines in situ in the home of collector Irene Peake

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.

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.

Boundary Waters 10

Really, it is a dilemma.  Do I go backwards (against all natural inclination) to go forward or go forward knowing a series still in motion will be unalterably changed?

Let’s start at the beginning.  In 2007, I painted 100 yards of 60″ white cotton fabric during two weeks of my residency at the Great Expectations Creativity Center in Texas.  I had a solo show coming up and, for once in my life, had a plan as time was short.

The series would be based on my experiences in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the palette would be green (from lime to forest), blue (from sky to indigo), orange (from yellow to copper), brown (from tan to chocolate), black, and white.

I loved the fabric I painted.  I was so inspired by it that I whipped out that solo show and just kept going. I’m in the #30s for the Boundary Waters series now and feel I still have a lot to say.

But about a month ago I could see I was running out of favorite fabrics.   I wanted to keep a record of the Boundary Waters’ palette, so I made this swatch book (made, but not yet assembled):

Boundary Waters’ Swatch Book – Front of pages

Boundary Waters’ Swatch Book – Back of pages

Boundary Waters’ Swatchbook – Detail. 

I was surprised how many fabrics were already used up, without even a 3″ square remaining. 

Two weeks ago I made a very “watery” artwork with the last little bits of my favorite screenprinted blue fabrics, then I started two Double Moon artworks with the last big pieces of fabric with any blue in them at all. 

Then it struck me.  This was it.  I have a couple of yards of pink/peach/orange/red, some ghastly muddy browns, two wire baskets full of scraps, and not much else from that original 100 yards.

I have never, ever, gone back and painted fabric to coordinate with a previous fabric “run.”  The act of painting is as much the act of creation for a series for me as sewing. They both involve experimenting; thinking; tentatively, and then more boldly, following threads of narrative.

Even having a plan and a palette, I was able in the painting of the 100 yards to follow with my heart and head where my hand wanted to go.  To go backwards now would be to attempt to recreate a moment that has ceased to exist. 

Or do I go forward and approach painting new fabric as a blank canvas and hope what appears will draw the Boundary Waters series forward in a new and positive way? 

I am working on many other things, but always in the back of my mind is THE question:  Does a series end when the fabric I painted for it runs out? There is no easy answer to this dilemma, but sooner or later I will have to take paint brush in hand and resolve it.

Tulip

What an honor and privilege to serve as a juror with Jeanne Williamson for Journal Quilt Project II.  I thank Karey Bresenhan, Director of International Quilt Festival, for this opportunity.

This was the first time the Journal Quilts have been juried and the first time a theme was stipulated (Elements: Earth, Water, Air and Fire). Members of the online group Quiltart were eligible to enter and many members entered their first juried show.  Congratulations to all entrants for your courage, your hard work and sharing your artwork.

Jeanne and I had 155 entries to consider and chose 48 artworks for the exhibit to premier at International Quilt Festival – Houston in November.   Jeanne has also posted about her experience as a juror on her blog today.

Preliminaries:

We were each sent, by the capable and organized Amanda Schlatre of Quilts, Inc., a CD with entry jpegs, a list of artworks by number and title and the entry forms with all identitifiers deleted.

I went through all the jpegs three times before making even a preliminary ranking.  The first time I just wanted to see the group as a whole.  The second time I read the statements of each work with the artwork on the screen.  The third time I considered the group as a whole, looking at the main jpeg and detail jpeg, keeping the artist statement in mind.

Thoughts for artists:  

Photography.  Hands, faces, furniture, clips.  We saw it all in the photos and it is distracting.  To enter a juried show, you need to submit jpegs that are in focus, of the piece only, the correct size, squared up and straight on. Because this was a first juried show for many, we didn’t eliminate artwork on this aspect alone. But most exhibits will just because of the sheer number of entries.  

Certainly a different selection may have been made if the actual work were in our hands. But this is not the way juried shows work in this digital age. Remember when you see the exhibit in person that the jurors had only two small photos viewed on a computer screen. We are forced to make judgments based purely on what is on the screen. Give jurors the best possible view of your artwork by submitting great photos that are truly representational of your artwork.

Detail shots:  You can make a juror take a second look with a good detail shot.  Show something exciting, unique, beautiful, or surprising in your detail shot.

Artist Statement: Each artist was requested to explain how the entry related to the theme. What an opportunity!  We may have been thinking, How does this fit the theme?  Then the artist would tell us and it would be an AHA moment.

Your artist statment is your opportunity to tell a juror why (not how) you came to create your artwork – what is your theme, what is the driving thought behind your work, what is unique about YOUR viewpoint.  

Tell us a story; tell us something specific; tell us through your statement that you thought about your artwork, did some research, and were inspired by something close to your heart.  

Voting:  Jeanne and I then ranked each piece as Accepted, Maybe, Release (don’t say the R-J-CT word because any two jurors are going to choose a completely different show).  If we both agreed on Accepted or Released, then we took one final look to be sure and moved on.  A surprising small number of works were Accepted or Released at this point.  Then we settled in to discuss over the telephone, over two days, every other piece in detail.

Jurying is an exciting and stimulating process and we, as all jurors, had to adjust to the work before us, compromise when needed and conduct a lively and interesting discussion.  Jurying is a subjective process, but we worked very hard to leave our personal design preferences by the wayside.  

Thoughts for artists:
For me art quilts are all about concept and content.  Materials and techniques are always subservient to these concerns.  That’s why they are ART quilts.

Of course, I did hold in mind that these were art QUILTS and looked to be sure there was stitching, that it was integrated into the piece and that the artwork in some way belonged to our very unique art form. And, of course, good workmanship is a given in any juried competition.

I saw many beautiful displays of technical proficiency that didn’t show me something new. Great technique is not enough; a beautifully constructed image I’ve seen before is not enough. Show me a square inch of a tree, show me trees from space, show me the inside of a tree, show me what a tree looks like through a woodpecker’s eyes.

Convince me that you, as an artist, thought about the theme long and hard. Show me in your artwork that you felt there was something you REALLY, REALLY had to say about the specific part of the theme you chose.  

Show me earth, wind, fire or air as I have never seen them before. Make me laugh, make me sigh, make me mad, make me curious, make me recoil, make me lust after your work. I’ve seen generic; I’ve seen obvious. Show me specific, show me your world, your point of view, your emotion. Use what is in your culture, your location, your space, your experience.  Your artwork will be unique and it will stand out.

Of course, no artwork will stand out from the crowd without good design.  Design principles can tell you that you had a great idea, but didn’t take it far enough.  It can tell you when you had a good idea, but took it too far and added unneeded elements to your composition. 

If you have never thought about some of the basic ways all artists draw attention to a piece, move the viewer’s eye around the artwork, provide coherence or other strategies of good design, take a beginning design course, do a little self-study, and look at artwork outside of the art quilt world. 

Final Thoughts:

If your artwork was released, try again!  In my second year of entering juried exhibitions, my artwork was released eleven (ELEVEN!) times in a row.  

Of course it hurt and it did make me seriously re-think quitting my “real” job, but it made me a better artist and a more careful entrant. I took it as a challenge to improve my artwork, to think more clearly and specifically about my goals and interests in art, and to spend MORE time making art.

Congratulations to ALL the artists and, again, thank you for the opportunity to see your artwork. It was a complete pleasure.

I added a new summer reading list/essay, Hunting and Gathering, to Art, Nature, Creativity, Life yesterday. If you’re a subscriber, I’m always happy to hear your comments.

Hunting and Gathering is an annotated book list with thoughts about being a foodie and why, the cascade effect of reading one good book on a topic, why it’s best sometimes not to read biographies of cultural heroes, my foray into growing heirloom tomatoes this year, and the au courant topic of being a locavore.

Here are some interesting summer websites, not included in the essay, related to Hunting and Gathering:

Where to find local products – Local Harvest

Join the hunt for bees! The Great Sunflower Project

10 Steps to Becoming a Locavore (PBS)

100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change