As I See It
2021
In an attempt to give each artist as much creative “room” as possible, we
chose a very general theme which is open to personal interpretation: “As I
See It”. The size stipulation was 18” wide by 40” long, but otherwise, the
subject matter was up to the artist, and boy did we have fun with this one!
Log Cabin by Lynn Anderson
To Dye For by Kathy Blondell
Who's Watching by Valri Chiappetta
My Fall Maple by Diane Losli-Britt
As I See Lincoln City by Annette McFarlane
Rhetoric...A Ripple Effect by Elaine Millar
2020 As I See it by Hilde Morin
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL
2020
MIX chose “Text” as the subject for our 2020 Show. This choice and nearly all the work done on our pieces occurred before Covid-19 became the center of everyone’s life in the spring of 2020. Even without consideration of the impact of the virus, “text” is an interesting choice for a quilt group.
Does the meaning of the text itself receive the major emphasis, or is it more a celebration of various kinds of calligraphy and ways of representing language? And because letters in their curvy, varied, gorgeous shapes do not lend themselves to piecing, what method does each artist choose to get the text into her work?
There is everything from precisely cut out shapes to printed words to hand-lettered bits, showing strong links to each artist’s way of expression.
Does the meaning of the text itself receive the major emphasis, or is it more a celebration of various kinds of calligraphy and ways of representing language? And because letters in their curvy, varied, gorgeous shapes do not lend themselves to piecing, what method does each artist choose to get the text into her work?
There is everything from precisely cut out shapes to printed words to hand-lettered bits, showing strong links to each artist’s way of expression.
Enjoy the show!
DISAGREE AGREEABLY by Lynn Anderson |
WE by Kathy Blondell |
THE CITY SPEAKS by Valri Chiappetta |
BROKEN/FRACTURED; HEALING/MENDING by Betty Daggett |
OPEN THE DOORS OF OUR WORLD by Diane Losli-Britt |
RED STATE BLUE STATE by Annette McFarlane |
A JOYFUL NOISE JOY COMES WITH THE MORNING JOY IT SEEMS by Elaine Millar |
PLEASE REMOVE BOOTS AND GUNS by Hilde Morin |
WHAT GOES AROUND ...
2019
Circles and Cycles! Our lives are full of these two things from marbles to polka dots to peas to the seasons and even a life itself. Our group decided to take on these two concepts and “What goes Around…” was born.
It was decided that either or both ideas could be used, and so there is a piece about the moon which can be round at one point in its phase, or many other shapes throughout its cycle. And then there is a tongue-in-cheek bicycle because after all, you can’t cycle if you don’t have circles! Some abstracted tulips show their life cycle with dramatic changes of color, and tiny soap bubbles become something else entirely when enlarged. And that’s just the beginning. We hope you enjoy this theme and the ways we have chosen to express it.
Blowing Bubbles
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Moon Cycles
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Gear Up
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Round Pegs - Square Hole
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Seeing Red
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Merry Go Round
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Graffitti
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Tulip Envy
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WEATHER
2018
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, gives 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 the 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.
Wind and Water #1 and 2
Lynn Anderson
Rain for Dry Land
Kathy Blondell
T Time
Valri Chiappetta
Convergence
Betty Davis Daggett
Rainbows of Rain #1 and 2
Diane Losli-Britt
Storm Watching at the Beach
Annette McFarlane
Rain and Shine
Elaine Millar
Snow and Ash
Hilde Morin
REFLECTION AND RENEWAL
2017
Portland’s Japanese
Garden, created in 1967, completed an
expansion and renewal project in April 2017.
Our MIX group was excited and intrigued by this endeavor to add what is
primarily an architectural space to what has been mostly a serene garden of
lovingly tended plants.
As usual with our
group, we established a few working parameters:
A primary piece measuring 24” square
A smaller piece (to be hung on either side, top or
bottom), measuring 24” x 10”
The possibility of adding another small piece
We did not specify the
use of a particular color, nor did we say that concentration had to be on the
new structures or the garden. That was
left that up to the artist.
As we discovered with
last year’s show, “Urban PDX”, our affection for Portland is strong, and we
enjoyed the whole process from time spent in the garden getting inspirational
photos to wrestling with some new techniques.
We hope these pieces show our wonder at this beautiful spiritual
sanctuary.
"The Spaces in Between" Kathy Blondell |
"Japanese Pathway" (top) "Garden Pathway" (bottom) Annette McFarlane |
"The Garden's Silent Welcome" (top) "Sticks and Stones" (bottom) Betty Daggett |
"Pathways" (right) Diane Losli-Britt |
"Peace and Reconciliation" (top) "Strolling Pond Denizens" (bottom) Valri Chiappetta |
"Tranquility" (right) Elaine Millar |
"Under The Maple Tree" Hilde Morin |
URBAN PDX
2016
Enjoy our work and do leave a comment if you wish. Feel free to join our mailing list. You can do so on the right hand side of the home page either by a direct email feed or the RSS reader of your choice.
And/Or
Kathy Blondell
How Dense is Dense Enough?
Valri Chiappetta
Condemned
Betty Daggett
The Pearl
Melanie Grant
Go by Train
Diane Losli-Britt
Tillicum Crossing
Annette McFarlane
An Urban Conversation
Elaine Millar
Busy Day at the Portland Mercado
Hilde Morin
A SENSE OF PLACE: THE ALLISON
2015
In our search for a theme this year, our MIX group thought it would be interesting to see how our individual interpretations of one place, known to us all, might vary or coincide. We chose the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, Oregon and had a couple of field trips together and sometimes separately to obtain photos. These photos were intended as jumping off points for our pieces since we also undertook some studies of abstraction earlier in the year.
Some artists chose to lean closer to the representational aspect in their portrayal, while others moved toward abstraction. We each hoped to create one “Hardscape” piece and one “Softscape” piece. Hardscape inspiration was likely to come from either the architecture of the building itself, or some of the rigid lines surrounding it such as the stonework or sculpture. The Softscapes might be related to the lush gardens, surrounding bounty of Willamette Valley agriculture or the more organic sculptures the Allison has scattered about its grounds. While we did get together to show progress throughout our designing season, seeing the show as a whole has delighted and surprised us. We hope viewers who know the Allison will see some of what they have enjoyed there in our interpretations, and those who do not will feel inspired to go and see it for themselves.
All pieces in this Exhibit measure 24"W x 30"H
Some artists chose to lean closer to the representational aspect in their portrayal, while others moved toward abstraction. We each hoped to create one “Hardscape” piece and one “Softscape” piece. Hardscape inspiration was likely to come from either the architecture of the building itself, or some of the rigid lines surrounding it such as the stonework or sculpture. The Softscapes might be related to the lush gardens, surrounding bounty of Willamette Valley agriculture or the more organic sculptures the Allison has scattered about its grounds. While we did get together to show progress throughout our designing season, seeing the show as a whole has delighted and surprised us. We hope viewers who know the Allison will see some of what they have enjoyed there in our interpretations, and those who do not will feel inspired to go and see it for themselves.
All pieces in this Exhibit measure 24"W x 30"H
Standing Tall Shadow Play
Kathy Blondell
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The Lost Weekend The High Life
Valri Chiappetta
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Elephant Ears Hold No Secrets Spa Secrets
Betty Daggett
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Vessels Architectural Elements
Melanie Grant
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Bowl Follow a Path
Diane Losli-Britt
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Stacked Allison Stacked Grapes
Annette McFarlane
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Arbor Vitae Micro Rhythms
Elaine Millar
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Where to Stay Where to Go
Hilde Morin
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LOCALLY GROWN
2013
People are becoming increasingly interested in the health of the food they eat. Farmer's markets are growing in popularity. Restaurants proudly announce that their food is purchased locally. Barbara Kingsolver wrote in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle the story of her family's desire and subsequent trial to eat only what they could grow themselves. The quilts for this exhibit were inspired by these and other personal experiences with "locally grown."
Compost Bin
one 12x12 piece made by each artist
one 12x12 piece made by each artist
Betty Daggett
Kathy Blondell
Hilde Morin
Looks like you guys are having great fun! Thanks for letting us take a peek.
ReplyDeleteand thanks for visiting Val!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful pieces! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am still interested in talking with Kathy Blondell about buying her IT'S NOT ALL BLACK AND WHITE piece that I saw in Sisters Library in July 2015. Could she email me?
ReplyDelete@gmail.com