Virginia A. Spiegel

The First Bluebonnet

Photo by Leslie Jenison

I want to start by, of course, thanking my patron saint, Karey Bresenhan (in the back in pink introducing Carol and me during Open Studio Day).

Karey  has opened her heart and her home and created a place where artists can go to create with the inspiration of nature close at hand.  This was my second residency due to Karey’s generosity and, as for the first, it came at a time when I was out of fabric, out of ideas, out-of-sorts, and looking for a new direction.  I can’t say have settled on a new direction, but I have all this gorgeous fabric to inspire me and all my great memories of this special month to carry me forward in my new adventures.  THANK YOU, KAREY!

Photo by Mary Ann Littlejohn

This is the delightful Carol Moore, my friend and fellow resident for the month.  I met Carol and her dynamo Mom, Ruth, when “Team Toronto” came to Houston for Fiberart For A Cause at the International Quilt Festival.  Her work is sensual, meticulous, and of her place.  

Carol is a fulltime psychotherapist, but one day she will be FREE to be a fulltime artist and we will all benefit by seeing more of her artwork.  The artwork she is standing in front of was juried into the upcoming International Quilt Festivals as part of the “Oh Canada” exhibit. It is created from layers and layers of sheer black fabrics – hard to photograph, but something to see in person!

The guest house where Carol Moore and I stayed is on the left.  It has all the comforts of home and is delightfully decorated.  On the right is the Artist-in-Residence studio where Carol worked.  It is famous for its floor-to-ceiling design wall.  When the sun is shining, the French doors on two sides make it into a beautiful sunroom filled with light.

This is the Creativity Center where I painted. Nirvana.  I can’t think another place I could have tackled that much fabric and had a chance of success. Thanks to Pam Kersh, Property Manager, as well as Hollis, JR, and Dora for setting it up and being so convivial throughout our stay.

Few artists have the time to actually step back and think about the big picture of their art, their place in the art world and life in general.  It is a gift to be able to do so.  I did a lot of thinking here. And wrote some pretty decent haikus.

My daily walks out on the many acres of the “Franch” are as precious to me as the fabric I created. The morning were especially beautiful and quiet. It’s not only that anything that didn’t look like snow and ice in February was a daily miracle to me, but even more that I have fallen in love with the quiet and restful beauty of this particular place.

Open Studio Day 
More than 75 guests came to enjoy Karey’s hospitality, many staying overnight.  It was a gala day with a wonderful lunch catered by one of my fav La Grange restaurants, Fishes and Loaves; tours about the property; and artists talking and sharing. Of course, Carol and I were happy to share our studio work with everyone.  The weather was beautiful, the setting bucolic, and the day a treasure.  

I thank Karey and her staff for making it all happen like magic and everyone who took the time and effort to share the day with us.

Photo by Mary Ann Littlejohn

All 48 of the 2008 Journal Quilts (juried by Jeanne Williamson and me) were displayed in the Creativity Center.  It was a special treat to see them in person and hung as a group.  Vicki Mangum, Manager of Special Exhibits, and  Terri Winsauer, Piece Corps Coordinator and IQM/IQF Volunteer/Staff Assistant Coordinator, from Quilts, Inc. came early and hung the exhibit with technical help from Pam, Hollis, and JR.  Vicki returned for the day of the party and checked everyone in.

 Of course, there were flowers everywhere for the day.  Some were even provided by Mother Nature as bluebonnets and more started to bloom about the property.

Photo by Frances Holliday Alford

Another view, during lunch, of the Journal Quilts and some of the guests. 

Photo by Jamie Fingal

Here’s another view of the party with everyone doing what they do best – talking and sharing. Judy Murrah (in the black and white striped top), Vice President of Education and Administration, as well as Kim DeCoste, Education Manager (in blue shirt at far left end of back table), and Ann Graf, Administrative Assistant, at Quilts, Inc. were all in attendance.

Those who traveled far to attend include Jamie Fingal from California, Iris Karp of New York,  Karen Stiehl Osborn from Nebraska, and Kay Sorensen from Wisconsin.  Many Texans, such as Sylvia Weir and Jeanelle McCall, drove long distances to participate.

Photo by Diane Ferguson
Could I finish my wrap-up without mentioning the cows with their cute-as-a-button calves? I thought not.

Photo by Karen Stiehl Osborn

I will close out Residency Week on my blog with this obviously happy photo.  This photo was taken by Karen Stiehl Osborn who will join me for a month-long residency in March 2010 at the Great Expectations Creativity Center.

Great Expectations Creativity Center – My painting studio. 

Ok, I’ll be honest.  I really didn’t think transforming 200 yards of white fabric would be that much work. Fun, but not too hard to do considering I had the whole month of February. But, really, what WAS I thinking?

Step 1:  Fabric Prep 
I had 200 yards of 60″ wide Kona PFD bleach white cotton fabric shipped directly to Texas.  It came on two rolls:  one 164 yards and one 36 yards.  So I tackled the big roll first.  Just de-rolling it was interesting.  I finally put it on the plastic-covered floor, braced it against a table leg and pulled until my arms were tired.  Then I tore that length off and repeated (ad infinitum).  Then I took each length and tore it down the center to make 30″ wide pieces as that width fit perfectly on my painting table.  This process made so much lint that I took the whole operation outside.  And who wouldn’t want to do it outside with this view?

I covered the little table with plastic, made a pile and measure off an arm’s length, snipped and ripped.  I ended up with approximately 400 one-yard pieces of fabric, all about 30″ wide.  Here is a SMALL portion ready to be painted:

Step 2:  Trained Monkey Phase
I like to put down a base coat of paint before adding additional surface work. Usually I use a brayer about 90% of the time for this layer (fast!) and sponge brushes for the rest.  But either the fabric or paint had technical issues (I’m thinking the paint formulation changed a bit or the paint was exposed to too much cold during shipping) and so brayer painting didn’t work.  Off to the only local shopping venue (a big box we will not name) where I perused the paint department and bought a painting sponge-type thing with a handle. Problem solved.  Here’s a selection of Layer 1 fabric laid out on plastic to dry:

I actually kept quite a few fabrics from this first layer of paint phase as I have so few “solids” to work with usually:

Three multi-colored fabrics, but still Layer 1.

Mostly Layer 1 fabrics with a few notable exceptions.

Unusual for me – very light fabrics.  

Once Layer 1 was done, I repaired to my very spiffy ironing area to heat set the paint.   Pam, the ranch manager, had Hollis and JR move a padded ironing table outside  so I could iron whenever I wanted with lots of fresh air to combat any fumes from heating the paint.  Technically, ironing isn’t required before adding another layer, but I like to see what I have and think about what each piece might need.  

Again, who wouldn’t want to do this outside with this view?  The birds (hawks, bluebirds, mockingbirds, swallows, turkey vultures, chickadees, cardinals, etc.) kept boredom at bay as I ironed away on my 200 yards

Notice primo accessory – cup of java.

Tomorrow:  The Fun Stuff that comes after the Trained Monkey Phase – screenprint, stamp, paint, repeat.
Part 3 on Thursday will be just stacks and stacks of fabric for you to enjoy.  
Then I will wrap up residency week on Friday with some photos of Open Studio Day and the beauty of Texas.

Photo from my residency in 2007.

Karey Bresenhan, Director of International Quilt Festival, Houston, Chicago and Long Beach, is hosting an Open Studio Day on Friday, February 27 near the end of Carol Moore’s and my residencies at the Great Expectations Creativity Center in LaGrange, TX. 

I hope you will be able to join us as it promises to be a day filled with art, conversation, and nature. Click here for all the details and how to RSVP. Arrangements can be made to stay overnight.

I’m thankful for this opportunity to once again be an artist-in-residence for an entire month thanks to the generosity of Karey and Quilts, Inc.  

Waiting for me in Texas are 200 yards of white Kona cotton and several gallons of textile paint.  I am using the entire month to focus on painting and surface design on fabric.

Also an artist-in-residence for the month of February is Carol Moore. Carol is in full-time private practice as a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Her artwork appears in the book Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project edited by Karey Bresenhan and was recently shown at the International Quilt Festivals in Houston, Chicago and Long Beach.  

Carol has also generously donated her artwork to the Invitational Reverse Auction of Fiberart to benefit the American Cancer Society.