Virginia A. Spiegel

Liz Berg
Elevation

No technical tips this week, but a FYI that there are only ten ATCs left before the remaining ten are set aside for a drawing for all other accepted artists. You can see all the ATCs here.

Deadline for submission of collage jpegs is April 1. The Call for Artists is here.

On to a sampling of collages received recently:

The collage above is one of ten sent by Liz Berg. Elevation is 8”h x 6”w and includes found paper, new paper, alcohol inks, acrylic paints, inkjet printed image, stamp, and rubber stamping. It is mounted on 10″ x 8″ mat board, signed, dated and ready for framing.

A different medium, a different palette and a different look for Liz. You can visit her website here and her blog here.

Annette Rogers
Springtime Medley
10″h x 8″w
Fabric, paper, cording, beads, thread.
Mounted on 10″x8″ artist canvas panel, signed, dated and
ready for framing.

Annette has captured the freshness of Spring in this collage. You see more of Annette’s artwork on her website.

Jette Clover
Gothic Pages 24
9.5″h x 6.5″w
Cotton, silk, cheese cloth, paper.
Mounted on 10″x8″ Bristol board, signed, dated and
ready for framing.

We continue our streak of international collages with four collages in this series sent by Jette who resides in Belgium. I am a fan of Jette’s artwork in any medium, but especially love the richness of these collages. Visit Jette’s elegant website here.

Melissa Snyder
Flower Girl
8 1/4″h x 7″w
Scan of original ATC, commercial fabrics, embroidery floss, sequins, beads, buttons.
Mounted on 10″x8″ Bristol board board, signed, dated and
ready for framing.

I always like to showcase at least one collage for those artists who may not work in paper exclusively. Melissa’s artwork is colorful, cheerful and check out that perfect binding! Melissa is a member of Fiber Art Traders, a very busy and very generous group.

One hundred collages have been received to date and next week’s preview will include some of those already received as there are just so many that I want to preview. The Collage Mania Preview of ALL the collages will begin April 28.

All the details about how you can acquire great artwork and benefit the American Cancer Society through FFAC’s Collage Mania to be held May 5 and 6 are here.

Folio

I have never seen river birches peel quite so much as this year. I think it must be the cold weather combined with the high winds. A -22 wind chill today.

Con Daily was nice enough to link to me and I wanted to return the favor as she has a great photography blog with an emphasis on nature photography. Go and take a look at her blog and then visit her website also.

It’s Tuesday, so time for an update on The Garbage Day Project.

This year the Invitational Reverse Auction offers you two truly unique items that allow you to show the world your passion for fiberarts. One is meant to be worn and one is equally at home worn or displayed on the wall.

This is so stunning that you could display it as art:

Woad Kimono-Style Jacket by Jay Rich.
One size fits most. Gunma Prefecture silk organza, a specialty silk developed by Yoshiko Wada and produced in Japan specifically for designers. The organza was resisted and scoured, then resisted and dyed with woad. Woad, the main source of indigo blue in Europe during the Middle  Ages, produces a delicate French blue. Sewn with French seams.

Jay Rich is very well-known in the textile world for his travels to Japan, China, Chile, and the United Kingdom to study, at the source, traditional and innovative dyeing techniques, He generously shares these techniques and his own variations in his teaching.

Jay will presenting two seminars at the 2008 Shibori Symposium to be held at The Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota June 4-10, 2008. He helped establish the Contemporary Fiber Artists Collective, a working fiber art studio at Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska and continues to produce and promote innovative fiberart.

Fantasy Garden by Maggie Winfield
Digital photo editing by Gloria Hansen.
Swing coat; fits sizes 8-16. The model here is 5′6″ tall.
Washable taffetta and cottons. Polyester lining. Tinsel and rayon thread and fabric paint. Raw edge applique, free form machine embroidery, free form machine applique, grid quilting.

Maggie Winfield has been making clothing since she was nine, but started making and designing wearable art in 1991. If you have ever met Maggie, you know she is a great model for her own clothes. They are VERY wearable. Maggie has been juried into the American Quilting Society garment show as well as the Road To California show. She has had garments in the Heritage Quilters Show the last 2 years. Maggie was selected to be a first-time Bernina Fashion Show designer in 2007, and will return as a 2008 Bernina designer.

The Invitational Reverse Auction will be held March 10 -13. All proceeds go directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

A Preview will begin one week from today, on February 21, with details about these works and work by eight other invited artists.

You can see four artworks for the Reverse Auction which were previewed previously here.

Marjorie Lee Jin En DeQuincy
The Blue Crow

THIS WEEK’S TECHNICAL TIPS:
1. Collage and copyright. I have added this statement to the Call for Entries:
It is your responsibility to avoid infringing upon the copyright held by others in your collage. Please research and understand the issues involved in copyright and collage; here is a brief overview to begin that process.

I believe the general consensus is that there is no fair use for collage. Use your own photos, drawing and other artwork or copyright-free images.

2. Kudos to everyone who has read the Call for Artists carefully and sent ALL their information in the CORRECT format on the first go. To date, 74 collages have been received; deadline for receipt of jpegs is April 1. I am surprised, gratified and thankful to all who send their jpegs early - thank you!

Here is a sampling of collages received since last week.

The Blue Crow, above, is by Marjorie Lee Jin En DeQuincy. The collage is 5″h x 7″w and constructed ofaper, paint, ink, color pencil, crayon, and fabric. Mounted on 8″x10″ Bristol board, signed, dated and ready for framing. If you like this collage, you will be happy to know she made several in this series. I notice a definite trend this year of bird imagery.

Heather Chalkley
Untitled
10″h x 8″w
Indian Papers, beads, Dorset button, postage stamp mounted on wood and cut into a nine-piece jigsaw.
Mounted on 10″x8″ Bristol board, signed, dated and ready for framing.

Heather continues our streak of international donations. She is from Scotland and a member of Fiber Art Traders. What an interesting concept of the stamp jigsaw.

Lisa Mallette
Bird Study 2
9.5″h x 7.5″w
Handmade paper, mulberry paper, painted cardstock,
manila tags, fabric ribbon, hemp cord, machine stitching, rubber stamping.
Mounted on 10″x8″ Bristol board, signed, dated and ready for framing.

Lisa send this collage and a similar one in a horizontal format. A great matched pair for a lucky patron. This collage proves the point that collage is more than just MORE. A good design can be simple; the key is, well, good design.

Naomi S. Adams
Circles
7″h x 5″w
Batik and cotton fabrics, fabric paint, batting, thread. Mounted on 10″x8″ mat board, signed, dated and ready for framing.

I always like to include one fabric collage to encourage those who don’t work in paper to consider making a collage for Collage Mania. This is a striking example by Naomi of simplicity and interest combined. Naomi sent several other collages, including one using coffee cup sleeves. Another trend I have noticed is the use of recycled materials. Of course, I am all for that. You can read more about Naomi’s artwork on her blog.

Click here for all the details on how you can acquire Collage Mania collages on May 5 and 6 by making a donation to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

Spring is in the Air

Usually in February I have to remind myself that I love winter. I always make sure to pot up some bulbs for forcing in the Fall and then start them out just in time to bloom when I need a little taste of Spring.

Paperwhites are really Narcissus, or daffodils, and one of the easiest bulbs to force. You either love or hate the fragrance. If you look closely at the background you will see, unbelievably enough, a table runner that I hand pieced when I was teaching myself to quilt.

And, of course, there is a new post on The Garbage Day Project blog today with information about the Great Backyard Bird Count.