Is It Really August Already?

Five MIXers enjoyed a glorious morning in Betty's garden. As always, the discussion was lively.

Work continues for the Chessman Gallery show which begins in October. Several ladies showed 3D pieces that will be on display during the show. They include bowls, vessels and free form leaves. All are beautifully rendered.

July 2016 - Showing our work in Sisters

During the month of the Quilters Affair in Sisters and the Outdoor Quilt Show we had the opportunity to exhibit our collection from A Sense of Place - The Allison Inn.  We took turns sitting the show and were able to talk to many of the visitors.  It is always entertaining to listen to what people see in our work...and it is always fun to talk about our inspiration and process.

Work for our next exhibit at Chessman Gallery in Lincoln City continued.  We decided to mount several of our small pieces on black canvas.  Here we are "watching the paint dry"

June 2016 - Goodbye and Welcome

Melanie saddened us with news that she would be leaving the group. Personal commitments and the desire to spend her small amount of studio time on her series work were the reasons cited. She will be missed and so we decided to make her an honorary member.

We discussed and decided to keep the group at 8 for ease of meeting and decision making. We will approach Lynn Anderson to join us.

Ideas regarding our next theme continued to flow and we settled on something inspired by the Japanese Garden. This is not necessarily a Japanese quilt, merely inspiration from the garden. One possible theme derivative is the concept of renewal, since the garden is renewing itself. Another was reflection.

We will make two quilts: one will be a 24" square, the other will be 10”x24” that could be hung
next to the larger piece, either on the side or top or bottom. The orientation of these two pieces does not have to be uniform within the group. Each artist will plan this as it fits with her interpretation of the theme. Both pieces will be mounted on canvas.

We continue to fine tune details of our upcoming show at the Chessman gallery in Lincoln City...stay tuned.

May 2016 - After a successful exhibit ... back to work

We are very satisfied with the way our Urban - PDX exhibit turned out.  The opening luncheon was very well attended and it was a pleasure to talk to so many attendees about our process, our group and our inspiration.  Thank you all for coming!

Now onto the Chessman Gallery exhibit in Lincoln City later this year.  We are working on the details of the exhibit and the logistics of the show.  Stay tuned...

Also, it is time to start thinking about a theme for our next body of work.  Discussions are starting and we may come to an agreement soon.  Stay tuned ...

April 2016 - Announcing our upcoming exhibit - URBAN PDX

For this year’s project, we brought our focus in from the rural aspect of the Allison Inn in Newberg to the teeming center of Portland.  Our city has had a new explosion of growth as the Recession of 2008 recedes, but with our Urban Boundary constraints and a drive for density to support mass transit, Portland finds itself facing the same dichotomy of old vs. new that is bedeviling so many cities.  Our group decided to speak to this struggle between the old and new in the current evolution of Portland.  Some illustrated a single aspect of our city’s growth and personality.  Others dialed out for a broader focus, showing some old buildings with some new, or the best-loved highlights of this wonderful city. There are head-on views, a bird’s eye view and some angled views, with all pieces measuring 30” x 40”.

We experimented with the use of a unifying factor this year by saying that each piece had to contain some use of the yellow that is found on the ubiquitous #2 pencil.  Who knew there are so many yellows on #2 pencils?  When did that become de-standardized?  It was an exciting discovery and people solved this in different ways, in greater and lesser amounts.

We each also made a small piece, 8” x 20”.  Initially, these were supposed to be distortions of an aspect of our large piece, a “stretched out” segment, but this idea grew into several different things and it is entertaining to see how each artist decided to miniaturize.


Above all, the show is an expression of great affection for the place we all call Home, and it felt as though we had barely scratched the surface!

March 2016 - URBAN PDX exhibit pieces are done...almost!

Today we discussed the final touches of our upcoming URBAN PDX exhibit.  Eight large pieces measuring 30"W x 40"H with 8 accompanying small pieces measuring 8"W x 20"H are about ready. Here is a sampling of our small pieces and our Urban PDX exhibit board.

An Exhibit invitation will be posted in the next few days...

January 2016 - Our Urban landscapes are taking shape

Our Portland urban pieces are starting to take shape.  Here are a few works in progress ...

Annette's

Betty's

Hilde's

Kathy's

Melanie's