Releasing work into the wild

For many years I made quilts, shared them with friends, gave them as gifts or carefully rolled them up and put them under the bed. Then a friend of mine encouraged me to enter a show. It was a leap of faith both scary and intimidating. But the rewards were many. Releasing them into the wild reminds me of how my children grew into independent beings. They take on a life of their own.  I like to imagine a dialog between my art and the viewer. I've always thought it would be fun to install a webcam into a piece to record people's thoughts and reactions. I hope that instead of asking what was she thinking? that the viewer is inspired to ask what does this piece say to me?

Stream of Consequences is currently at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Round and Round It Goes is currently traveling with Quilt National 2013.

Several of my pieces are traveling. The next best thing to being there is to receive a photo of people actually looking at the art. The picture above was taken at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design. The man with the backpack seems to be intrigued by the detail, his feet planted solidly in front of the piece. The other two have their arms folded standing back a bit to give him space? Waiting their turn? or bored? I love that Stream of Consequences is hanging next to Kathy Nida's piece, Wise Choice. The quilts in this show must leave the viewers with lots to think about. Thanks to Annie Helmericks-Louder for sharing this photo.

And what could be better for an artist than to see a pic like the one here of a mother showing a piece to her daughter. Thanks to Lisa Kijak who also has a splendid piece in that show for this pic.

If you see an exhibit snap some pics for the artists. Let us know what a piece meant to you. It energizes our creativity and expands our understanding of the art.

The Earth Stories exhibit will travel into 2017.
Kennedy Gallery at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio  May 23 – September 7, 2015
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles,  San Jose, CA,  November 6, 2015 – February 28, 2016
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, June 25-October 2, 2016
Erie Museum of Art, Erie, NY,  January 20– June 11, 2017

Quilts = Art = Quilts

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY will open the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibition this weekend. Quilts=Art=Quilts 2014 is the Schweinfurth Art Center's 34th annual juried quilt exhibition. The Art Center has long recognized the importance of quilts as a visual medium, and has been presenting quilts in an art gallery setting since 1981. View 77 quilts by 73 artists from around the world including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  

Memory's Playground, Paula Kovarik, 2014

My piece, Memory's Playground, will be there. This is one of those quilts that needs to be seen close up. It was inspired by that game we play identifying cloud shapes as objects. Then morphed into a study on how the brain categorizes images and connections.  If you are in the Auburn, NY area, take a moment or two to see this wonderful exhibition. And let me know your thoughts on the work!

Memory's Playground, detail

In

Happy to announce that my piece Insomnia: His and Hers, has been accepted into Quilt National 2015. Can't post a photo of the finished pieces due to the rules of the show. The piece is made with two vintage pillow shams. It is the same piece that was rejected by Quilt Visions. Goes to show that it all depends on the judges.

Other news: I am proud of my two grandsons, who allowed me to use their incredible drawings to create a piece called Face Value. It recently won second place in the Wall Quilts - Other category at the LaConner Quilt Festival.

Face Value, detail, work-in-progress, Paula Kovarik

Bid high! Bid often! SAQA auction features Polkadot Moon

Today marks the third week of the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates, a non-profit arts organization) online auction. The auction supports SAQA's efforts to provide cutting edge exhibitions, mentorship and marketing support for an international membership of art quilters. My piece, Polkadot Moon is in the lineup this week.The pieces were donated by SAQA members and are all 12" x 12" (see this week's lineup here)

The auction is run in three sections for 6 days each.

• To participate and add to your art quilt collection, choose the artwork (or artworks) you can't live without and complete the online bidding form.
• Each benefit auction piece starts at $750 and only pieces in the section listed will be available for bidding. Each day thereafter, the price is reduced. Don't wait too long or your favorite may disappear!
• You can bid on up to 7 pieces at a time - the first bid on each piece wins.

Set aside some time this week to look at the artwork available and support SAQA's efforts to promote art quilts.

Memory's Playground accepted

Happy to say that my piece, Memory's Playground, has been accepted into the Quilts=Art=Quilts show at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York. It is a lovely gallery in a beautiful setting. I am honored to be part of the show. Opening weekend is November 1 if you are in the area.

It's a hard one to show online because of all the detail. Here is a close up view of the right section. I used a scalloped edge tablecloth as the base. You can see some of my work in progress shots of it here, here, and here

Memory's Playground, detail, Paula Kovarik