Virginia A. Spiegel

Peace by Lynn Krawczyk

Oh, boy!  Collage Mania is going to be great!  

Karen Stiehl Osborn has been working hard and has 27 of the 39 pages finished with ten collages per page.  With ten collages per pages, you will be able to see details, but the pages will load quickly. Karen has been adding links, collage sizes and dedications also.

I can’t thank Karen enough for taking over this part of Collage Mania.  It is a TON of time and work.  Thank you, Karen!

I’ve just started working my way through choosing art to feature here, but I am truly overwhelmed by the generosity of the artists who donated such great art to our cause.

So mark your calendar for the Preview beginning April 29.  You are going to need all the time between then and May 5 to really LOOK at the art and make your SHOPPING list!

The directions on how to participate in Collage Mania are here.  

100% of the proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

The Inspired by Photos project, masterminded by Linda Matthews of Creative Textile and Quilting Arts, is a beautiful free ebook/slideshow in collaboration with the myself and the following quilt artists:  Dena Crain, Claire Fenton, Martha Ginn, Loreen Leedy, Linda Matthews, Christine Predd,  Kim Ritter, Louise Schiele, Emmie Seaman.  

According to Linda, 

The photo hunt begins at the  “Inspired by Photos” Photo Hunt Headquarters and will take you on a journey to visit some very talented quilt artists. Along the way your copyright knowledge will be tested – how much do you really know? And at the end of your journey a wonderful surprise awaits – the free “Inspired by Photos” downloadable ebook/slideshow.

The “Inspired by Photos” ebook/slideshow is a collection of copyright free images donated by 10 leading quilt artists and compiled into a beautiful downloadable pdf ebook with a slideshow option. Together with a short commentary, these quilt artists will introduce you to their amazing world of art quilting and you will catch a glimpse of the inspiration that moves them.

The ebook is a great tool to keep handy on your desktop for times when you need a jolt of inspiration. It can be read like an ordinary ebook, or launch it full screen to enjoy the picture show and be inspired by the beautiful images and thoughts.

And if that’s not enough, the clickable links inside the ebook will take you right to the quilt artist’s website where you can browse around to see the results of their own inspiration.  

And did I mention it’s free? That’s right, each quilt artist has kindly donated a selection of images from their own personal photo collection just for this event.

To find out how you can get a copy of the ebook, visit Inspire!

I was happy to contribute my photos to this copyright-free eBook as Linda’s mission is to educate artists about copyright.  Have fun with the Photo Hunt and enjoy the photos!

Today is the deadline for submission of jpegs for Collage Mania 2009.

Moroccan Mirage by Laura H. Osbun
6×8″ mounted to 8×10″ on 140 lb. watercolor paper 

This beautiful art quilt by Laura H. Osbun is just one of the 166 already donated to Collage Mania.  To be held May 5 – 7, Collage Mania’s goal is to raise $20,000 for the American Cancer Society in just three days.

According to Laura, 

Ever since my art history classes in college many years ago, I’ve been fascinated with Moroccan architecture and its splendid arches. It was those arches, drawing me in, that were the inspiration for my Collage Mania piece.
 
I pulled out my stash of fabrics and picked some that would work as the walls and also an assortment of colorful fabrics that would fit the theme. The fabric I used for the sky was one I painted and I was pleasantly surprised when the light areas worked so well as clouds.
 
The construction of the piece was a sort of reverse applique with the help of an adhesive fusible. The fun part was doing the free motion stitching around the arches and other parts of the buildings and also using watercolor pencils to draw shadows inside the arches to give them depth.

When I first learned about Fiberart For A Cause, I knew it was something I wanted very much to participate in as I had lost my son, Christopher, to leukemia and this would allow me to contribute in my own small way. I made this piece in his memory because the creative process of it brought me enJOYment….joy….something he filled me with during his short yet remarkable life. 

It’s not too late for YOU to participate as an artist donor.  April 1 is the deadline for jpeg submission to Karen(at)KarenStiehlOsborn.com

All proceeds go directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

Nevermore by Linda Teddlie Minton
Acrylic paints and thread painting on cotton fabric.  

Linda Teddlie Minton is a fundraising whirlwind for Fiberart For A Cause.

Noting that Lynda Thompson of the Quiltart list organized a Raven Challenge to honor the 200th birthday celebration of Edgar Allan Poe during January, Linda proposed a subset to the challenge for members of the Quiltart list wanting to donate their raven artwork to Collage Mania 2009. 

The artists are still making a 4×6″ postcard per the challenge rules, but will be mounting it to 8×10″ on Bristol Board to meet the Collage Mania guidelines. 

I am personally interested in ravens as an archetype and also as just a very clever member of the avian family.  One of my favorite books about ravens is Mind of the Raven:  Investigations and Adventures With Wolf-Birds by Bernd Heinrich.

I am always excited about the artwork donated to Collage Mania, but this grouping of raven art is sure to be a stunning, and much sought-after, addition to Collage Mania.

Collage Mania is May 5-7, 2009.  Our goal is to raise $20,000 for the American Cancer Society. Ninety artists have already said they plan to donate artwork.

Won’t you join us? Here is the Call For Artists.

Woman with Two Butterflies by Susan Schrott

This is the page 1, number 1 collage for Collage Mania by Susan Schrott, textile artist.  Susan shares these details: 

I created this small piece with the intention of  inspiring confidence and a sense of openness to all that is good around us. I used my own hand dyed fabrics and two small batik pieces of fabric for the butterflies which I fused. The bottom fringe is made of glass beads and there are Swarovksi crystals on the piece to give it a sense of light and abundance. The woman stretches her arms in an act of trust and hopefulness that she will give and receive love and healing energy. 

Lovely, Susan!  Just the sort of energy we are seeking for this May 2009 fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

It’s not too early to submit YOUR jpegs for Collage Mania 2009.  

The Call for Artists is here.   

The deadline is April 1, 2009, but collages are displayed for patrons to peruse in, more or less, the order in which they are received.  I also will be featuring collages here on my blog right up to April 29, the beginning of Preview Week.

Let Karen (Karen(at)KarenStiehlOsborn.com) know you are planning to participating this year and she will add your name to the growing list – over 75 artists already!

Our goal is to raise $20,000 for the American Cancer Society in three days. Last year we raised over $13,000 with more than 200 collages, so we will obviously want to open Collage Mania on May 5 with more than 200 collages.  Of course, quality is always more important than quantity.

Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you in advance for your support of this Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.