Art…Art…I want you

Watch this heart warming ode to the artist from Tonya Davis with song written by Andrea Dorfman.  Is this how the artist in you feels?

Have fun creating art while learning about the cultures of your community with Cultural Cloth.

Giving Thanks

Giving thanks is the single most important tradition of our country. We are a nation peopled by others, all wanting something special, a good and prosperous life for our selves and our children. Difficult times have been part of the struggle since the Pilgrims first landed, but we’ve always managed to come together , overcome, and appreciate our collective accomplishments.  As you read this post, and just a few of people I am grateful to have in my life, I hope you’ll consider who and what you appreciate and share your thoughts in the comments section.  I’d love to hear what you are thankful for.

Today, I give thanks for the many friends I have made, especially through the ‘art’ of fiber. It’s been over ten years since I started quilting and the friends I’ve made are so many I can’t count them. Whether it be traditional or artistic, we are a generous group with many gifts to offer. And when I’ve asked…you’ve delivered! THANK YOU!!!

A couple of months ago, I asked members of Quiltart.com to send my grandson’s Adventurer’s group postcards. They were earning their Communications badge, learning about the mail system and people of other parts of America and the world. Boy…did they get a lot of postcards,  traditional and fibers cards too!  And here is a special thank you written by Christian on behalf of his group. Thank you all for being so kind to a group of children eager to learn about the world. THANK YOU!

See the kid on the left in this photo, he is the original Kid from Operation Kid Comfort.  Because of his father’s brave service the idea of providing photo-transfer quilts to children of deployed service members came to be.  It’s been five years since we launched Operation Kid Comfort, and because of you and the support of the Armed Services YMCA we’ve served thousands of America’s Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service members. You’ve sent donations, material and monetary. You’ve offered your talents and created beautiful photo transfer quilts for our OpKids. You’ve made the mission of our men and women overseas a bit easier, knowing that they will not be forgotten by their little ones who curl up with images of Mommy and Daddy each night. THANK YOU!

And to the artists of Fabled Fibers, through your amazing art quilts that celebrate children’s literature, you have brought tremendous attention to Operation Kid Comfort. From Houston to Vermont, your work as enchanted and inspired thousands (me too!). It’s been a joy to work with all of you. THANK YOU!

E Pluribus Unum II: Cultures in Cloth will be launched online in a few weeks. I’m readying the images to show a Quiltart.com now. They are amazing! Each quilt is unique and captures the meaning of America’s motto, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many One), beautifully. I know the world will be thrilled with this online exhibit, and should the venues become available…some live ones too! THANK YOU!

To each and every artist who responded to the last minute call for Woven in the Fray, opening November 28^th at The Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County in Fayetteville, North Carolina, you rose to the challenge. In less than two weeks we put together an amazing timeline of the fiber arts. As the first exclusively textiles exhibit at the facility, Woven in the Fray covers a myriad of stitching techniques. From traditional quilting to surface design and mixed media fiber we expect to not only delight those who love textile arts, but educate the many who are not familiar with the genre. THANK YOU!

To all the kind people who have tested my new workshop, Cultural Cloth: Exploring and Expressing Our

Cultural Cloth: Our Lady of Guadalupe by Roberta Morgan

Cultural Histories, you have given me the gift of a great start! Understanding that this is not just a fiber class, but a diversity workshop that uses fiber collage as a tool for exploration and discussion, you have provided me with wonderful samples and the experience to carry this course to the communities of America. THANK YOU!

And to my family and friends, your never ending support keeps me going. Without Steve, none of this would be possible. Without the encouragement of so many loved ones, friends and fellow quilt artists none of these project would have succeeded. THANK YOU!

I am blessed with the many gifts you all have given me, and will forever be grateful for each one. THANK YOU!

With Love and Appreciation,

Ann Flaherty

Please tell us what you are thankful for through the comment link below.

Not Just Grey Matter

Quilts at Tufts Medical Center

This past September, I had the great privilege of seeing four works from my Not Just Grey Matter series, on permanent display at Tufts University Medical Center of Boston, Massachusetts.  Displayed at the entrance to the Neuro Oncology and Hematology clinic are ‘literally’ my thoughts on the creative process.  Photographing the quilts was difficult.  Across the hall is a bank of windows overlooking Boston’s skyline.  One day, I’ll have someone who has the right equipment photograph the group.  (If you can’t make it out, that’s the Prudential Center and Hancock building reflecting off the glass.)

Back in the Spring of 2005, I became fascinated with scanned images of the brain, specifically of my brain.  While I hope that none of you ever needs to have a brain MRI, I used the opportunity to explore the use of these images in fiber art.

Organic Matters

Not Just Grey Matter is a series of six art quilts that incorporate images of my brain through photo-transfer techniques.  After obtaining a copy of the MRI images on disk, I used various techniques and filters of PhotoShop software to manipulate them.  Two of the quilts included in the Tufts display, Organic Matters and Imagination Matters are shown here.

For Organic Matters, I played a bit with the color and then used a wood cut technique to create the three images on the quilt.   The 11.5″ X 30″ piece includes leaf patterned commercial fabrics and beaded embellishments.

For Imagination Matters, I printed the same image on a soluble stabilizer.  Using the image as a guide, I stitched the an outline of the image and then washed away the printed pattern.  Under the netting, I added some egg shaped beads.

Imagination Matters

The last two quilts in the series, Focus and Montag’s Legacy,  were part of the Professional Art Quilters Alliance -South (PAQA-South) exhibit, ARTQUILTSreflections at the Page Walker Arts & History Center of Cary, NC in September and October, 2008.

Montag's Legacy

Montag’s Legacy, based on the character of Fahrenheit 451, uses a grid of images from my scans in the background.  If you read the book, you may recall the task of memorizing books, and then teaching two others to memorize the same information.  Thus, humanity was saved to rise up another day.

Materials used in the work included hand-dyed and commercial fabric, organza, yarns, fused fabrics, Angelina fibers, threads, and beads.

To view the exhibit in its entirety, please visit: http://web.mac.com/janine_leblanc/ARTQUILTSreflections/Welcome.html