2018 November - More discussions, More ideas

As we continue to research venues to exhibit our work, we also continue to expand our portfolio.  New ideas about formats, themes and techniques continue to take shape during our meetings ... it is a never ending process and discussions tend to be very lively.

We will keep you posted as things materialize!

Annette and Hilde did some Show&Tell.

Annette is working on entries for two upcoming SAQA exhibits.  Here are sneak peeks of her two projects:

Hilde created bowls with inserts using the "layering and burning" techniques she learned at our August workshop with Ailie Snow:

October 2018

The October meeting was helpful for planning next years shows and work. Suggestions were made for new venues and the inclusion of additional work was discussed. We also talked about new ways to finish pieces.

Elaine showed us some of the work she has been doing this summer. She started this under the guise of "The 100 Days Project". Her decisions included working exclusively with some hand painted canvases, only using things she already owned, always adding some hand stitching, and experimenting with new types of marks and tools. After each piece, she documented what she had learned and what she might do differently next time. Here are a few of the pieces.

2018 August - Textile Tantrums with Ailie Snow

Two full days with New Zealand visiting textile artist Ailie Snow, what a treat!  We ripped, burned, distorted and hand stitched collages and leaves.  Learned some kiwi expressions and also learned to listen as our group tends to be on the lively side.  All 8 MIX members attended and Melanie who recently moved to Idaho joined us too.

Sometimes pictures speak more than text ... here are some:

Focused and listening to Ailie's (left) introduction of her work and process. 

Two samples of Ailie's work.  The bottom piece is first treated with Potassium Permanganate and then stitched till ... finished.

Our turn!  Burning and distorting polyester.

Looks like we are cooking ... sprinkling Potassium Permanganate on our silk samples.

Making a little collage with our burnt and distorted fabrics.  This is Valri's.

Diane's

Melanie's

Elaine's

The second day started outside with a very stern lecture on safety procedures when using the soldering iron or wood burning tool.  We listened!

Ailie's demo on how to burn your beautiful work.

Ailie's sample leafs ... that's what we are aiming for.

Our work!

And here we are with Ailie in front of Lee Fowler's quilt.  Thank you Ailie for a wonderful workshop and a fun time!

2018 July - Special Exhibit at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Except that our exhibit was indoors!

For a few years in a row we have been invited to exhibit one of our Themes at the gallery in the Sisters Library.  We are always thankful to have the opportunity to exhibit in this space where the white walls allow our work to stand out and ... there is air conditioning!

Many people visited us during this very hot Quilt Show Saturday and we appreciated your walk across town to come see our Reflection and Renewal exhibit.  For those of you who didn't make it, here is a picture of the exhibit and if you'd like to see the pieces individually please visit our portfolio here Portfolio.  Make sure to click on each picture to see them full size.

Reflection and Renewal at the Sisters Library - Oregon

2018 June - and the new Theme is ...

 . . . CIRCLES / CYCLES

We also decided to use the same dimensions as this year. 

30 inches vertical

40 inches horizontal, one or more pieces

The unveiling luncheon will be May 3, 2019, you can follow our progress and get more show details by following this blog.

2018 April - WEATHER exhibit and opening luncheon

Our WEATHER exhibit at the United Methodist Church was very well attended, approximately 150 people.  We always enjoy sharing our vision, inspiration and process with this very engaged crowd.  Thank you all for attending and for making this a special experience, we enjoyed it too.
Proceeds from this luncheon support the United Methodist Women's mission to improve the lives of women, children and youth in the US and programs in more than 58 countries.

Our MIX group is very proud to support this cause every year.

An engaged crowd

A creative Menu adapted to the exhibit's theme

Time for lunch

The MIX table

2018 - March - Ready for our WEATHER exhibit

In choosing this year’s theme, we made a list of possibilities.  When weather was suggested, it seemed at once innocuous and yet so broad and full of possibilities! 

Today it seems that the weather all over our globe is in the news more than ever.  The wild swings in climate, whatever their cause, give us continual headlines:  Flooding, Drought, Monster Storms, etc.  No part of our world has escaped these extremes and when these occurrences affect the food supply, results are of even more consequence, often in the “catastrophic” category.

In the end, instead of asking ourselves “What on earth will I do with this subject?”, it became, “How should I limit my portrayal to deliver the subject with the most punch?”  Living in the northwest brought many thoughts naturally to rain, some for drama and some for it’s soothing and sometimes playful aspect.  Others illustrated consequences of weather occurrences or pondered the often unknowable weather we all live with; even if we listen to the weather report every evening, we are still sometimes caught without our umbrellas!