Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South is proud to announce
its 2024 Member exhibition of innovative quilts:
ARTQUILTSrenewal
April 3-May 25, 2024
Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, North Carolina
Renewal has many meanings, rebirth, regeneration, rejuvenation, revival, recharge, refresh and many more. The process of renewal is a natural force. We tumble through summer and fall, hibernate in winter, and emerge with new life in spring. Upcycling and mending, and making the old new again result in renewal. As artists, how do we express this? What images, colors or techniques represent the sense of fullness and vigor that renewal brings?
Works for sale are denoted with the sales price within the artist's statement. Please contact the artists directly with sales inquiries.
Congratulations Award Winners!
🏆 Member Choice Award Winner:
I am the Earth: Arbor #2
Leah Cooke
I am the Earth: Arbor #2 (34”x36”)
This is the second in a series of Arbor Quilts. The woman in the arbor has become part of her surroundings. She declares: I am the earth. I am strong and solid, beautiful and vast, rooted and stable, colorful, varied and intricate. I am peaceful. I am giving. I am ever-changing and yet I always remain the same. I provide a home, change seasons and am fragrant with flowers. I grow and expand and renew. I am warm and bright. I touch the sky. $500.
🏆 Gallery Choice Award Winner:
Barberry
Christine Copenhaver
Barberry (42”x36”)
Here is the burst of color found in springtime. This is an interpretation of a painting done by my friend, Susan Albers (permission granted). Many of the silk pieces used were repurposed from discarded home-decor samples, clothing, and fabric remnants.
🏆 Juror’s Choice Award Winner:
Morning Maidens
Maggie Dillon
Morning Maidens (62.5'“x45”)
In the gentle first light of day, friends are recharged through laughter and the joy of each other's company.
Influenced by the nostalgia of old film, my work celebrates seemingly small candid moments. I enjoy bringing magic to the everyday. $8,500.
Pocket Full of Posies
Kathy Johnson
Pocket Full of Posies (35.5"x 24")
Over the years I have been gifted old blue jeans, a box full of old shirts, and upholstery samples. I have saved them for the right quilt. When I heard "Renewal" I thought about quilters of old who reused everything they had to make quilts. The old shirts and clothing were cut up to make the background. Blue jeans became “teacups” and upholstery fabric became “posies”. The batting was pieced together from leftover ends from other quilts. What better way to renew these old, worn clothing and fabrics to reuse and make something new. $300.
Women Rising Together
Valerie Paterson
Women Rising Together (39" x 33")
To girls and women, young and old, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful. Believe in yourself. You deserve every opportunity to pursue and achieve your dreams. Don’t take no for an answer. Claim who you are. Let the world know. And when you are unsure, you are not alone. We women are rising together. We strengthen ourselves by strengthening others. We are able to give grace. Beginning with the innocence of childhood we rise when we hold each other’s hand at every stage of life continuing into old age.
Big Stripes
Sandy Teepen
Big Stripes (47"x46")
Stripes and camouflage and floral and dots in repeating borders offer a sense of renewal the closer you look at this piece. $1,000.
Holding Space
Sharon Carrier
Holding Space (34"x34")
This work depends on the interplay of vivid colors and interlocking geometric shapes. Subtle color shifts connect the curvilinear bands that flow diagonally through a background of supporting forms. The composition relies on color differentiation as well as repeated patterns in both piecing and quilting to evoke a connection with the viewer. For me, Holding Space connotes the resilience of spirit we experience as humans especially when connected with those who support and love us.
Flutterby
Susanne Jones
Flutterby (24"x24")
As Spring arrives, caterpillars munch away on leaves and soon become chrysalises. In one of nature's most remarkable changes, the homely caterpillars emerge as totally new beings: colorful butterflies. They flit from flower to flower, celebrating their renewal and announcing new hope to the world. $850.
Big Arcs
Diane Wold
Big Arcs (44”x64”)
I was challenged to use the large Drunkard's Path blocks. I had to think of the blocks differently than in the kind of pattern formed with the blocks in a traditional Drunkard's Path Quilt. The three blocks hold center stage, with other patterning as background. $1,200.
Arches
Diane Wold
Arches (44"x30")
The arches are based on rows of arches found in some paintings by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. His rows of arches are outlined completely, giving a flat effect, while mine have a black "shadow" on one side giving them a bit of dimension. $750.
Old Stories-New Chapters
Mary Ritter
Old Stories-New Chapters (30"x57")
Old Stories-New Chapters has been renewed from a very large one-piece artwork into a tryptich. The scene is based on a photograph of a street in Honfleur, France where the structures have existed over the centuries and have watched the human element change with the times. The figures in the foreground are an added element and represent a variety of eras and activities of the times - new chapters.
Triangle Jamboree
Diane Wold
Triangle Jamboree (64"x44")
For me, this is a joyous, somewhat raucous assembly of triangle that were leftovers from years of pieced quilts. I sewed them into rows, then sewed the rows of triangle, along with leftover strips of fabric, to long rectangular foundations, in a variation on the string piecing technique. The foundations were then assembled with long thin strips (sashing) between them. $1,000
Monarch and Coneflowers
Julianne Walther
Monarch and Coneflowers (20"x20")
I have always been fascinated with the interdependence of flora and fauna. Each one provides something life-sustaining for the other. Each is also a brilliant work of art on their own, providing amazing color and beauty to our world. Butterflies represent renewal, reminding us that we can emerge from challenges with beauty and grace. Although seemingly delicate, some monarch butterflies can fly 3,000 miles each year to migrate, providing the promise of a new generation. Vibrant coneflowers are known for their strength as well as their healing properties. They symbolize the renewal of health and spirit.
Summer Fades - Autumn Beckons
Mary Ritter
Summer Fades - Autumn Beckons (24”x24”)
The blossoms of summer are gathered and brought indoors. Autumn’s colored leaves and faded grasses lead us into a new season. Renewal. $425.
Renewed Again
Penny Sharp
Renewed Again (24.25'“x15.25”)
The beach and ocean have always had the effect of renewing my balance, energy and inner peace. This photo represents the warm sun, rain, waves and a child playing which all contribute to my joy of living.
The Committee
Marian Zielinski
The Committee (36”x41”)
I thought of vultures as harbingers of death, so I was taken aback when a pair of buzzards landed on the roof of my studio. For a week thereafter, a committee of six gathered daily just outside my door. I was so intrigued, and despite my fear, I photographed them and began researching their status in mythology and folklore only to discover that they are in fact symbolic of rebirth and renewal. At the time, my creative spirit needed cleansing of habitual ways of seeing and thinking. This work celebrates little joys, finding cathartic rejuvenation facing the indignities of aging.
Breakthrough
Marian Zielinski
Breakthrough (40”x30”)
This abstract landscape is an exploration of how as an artist I find revitalization, renewal, and revival of creative energy when sameness is cracked wide open to reveal a new direction for expression. In the warmth and simplicity of colored light passing through a canyon of textured metal and earth, I see differentiation, discernment, and a promise of replenishment and growth.
New Day
Marian Zielinski
New Day (67”x39”)
I find renewal in the dawn of each day, in sacred spaces, in exploration of new places, challenging ideas, and compelling images. In my journey as a photographer, I gather images documenting my experiences. As an artist and quilter, I layer and stitch them together to find even deeper connections to them and between them, and hopefully share this opportunity for reflection and revitalization with viewers of this finished artwork.
Shore Fragments: Winter Morning
Annegret Fauser
Shore Fragments: Winter Morning (16”x16”)
Even on a foggy winter morning, the signs of renewal abound at the Albemarle Shore. With the horizon shrouded in fog, the grasses begin their fresh growth and mark their resilience from the water which—even in the mist—sparkles delightfully. $800.
Looking For Spring
Dawn Widener
Looking For Spring (16.25”x14.25”)
This piece shows a rooster looking out the window of his coop for signs of Spring. It is based on a picture taken by the artist of a rooster from her own flock. Dawn has been a backyard chicken tender for four years and finds a lot of fun and personality in each member of her flock. She has been sewing since 1970 and quilting since 1988 but this is her first attempt at a wall hanging. Dawn has used layering to create this 3 dimensional piece and detailed stitching to give him a unique personality. $275.
Leaf Still Life
Judi Bastion
Leaf Still Life (41”x41”)
A fallen leaf, graceful in its lines and curves warmed by the sun. Resting against the warm gravel the dying leaf becomes a still life. This quilt is part of the “Alchemy” series, a collection of 20 quilts that bring together my photography, quilting and different techniques.
Blue Diva
Judi Bastion
Blue Diva (41”x41”)
Starting with a photo of dead winter leaves, I used the DeepArtEffects app to add color then printed the photo on silk to enrich the composition. Just as plants are renewed each spring and summer, the use of technology brought life to this composition. This quilt is part of the “Alchemy” series, a collection of 20 quilts that bring together my photography, quilting and different techniques.
Rebirth
Joan Rutledge
Rebirth (22”x26”)
Rebirth, is the process of being born again. This piece began as one of my small paintings, which I photographed and digitally enhanced. I had the image printed on fabric and embellished the piece with colorful nature forms before quilting. The plant forms suggest to me budding and new growth and I see them as a form of Water Lilies. The deep blue of the background represents water to nuture the plant forms and the circular motifs suggest the cycle of growth a never-ending process. The texture found in the lighter blue background suggests rain. $600.
Barberry
Christine Copenhaver
Barberry (42”x36”)
Here is the burst of color found in springtime. This is an interpretation of a painting done by my friend, Susan Albers (permission granted). Many of the silk pieces used were repurposed from discarded home-decor samples, clothing, and fabric remnants.
Spring Leaves
Anna Shearer
Spring Leaves (60”x50”)
The spring season evokes renewal in so many ways. Abundant shades of green form leaves of varying shapes and sizes. The colors are a welcome change from the gray dreariness of the winter season.
Kites
Anna Shearer
Kites (33”x56”)
Kites are a symbol of spring. And spring is the season of renewal. Bright sun, warm breezes and colorful kites float through the sky. They entice people of all ages to enjoy the outdoors and look toward the sky. $750.
Out Look
Candace Hackett Shively
Out Look (17.25”x29”)
Both human-built and natural structures intrigue us with openings: ways to see a view of the street, the sky, or even the neighbors. Volcanic rock formations at Djupalonssandur, Iceland frame thoughts of the infinite; apartment windows near Reykjavik frame occupants witnessing their world; a balcony in Arizona geometrically frames the sky and distant mountains. Every opening lures us to an Out Look, a fresh way of seeing the world.
Daybreak
Ellen Fisher
Daybreak (27"x25")
The colors of sunrise and sunset have always amazed me. Every one is different and so many are incredibly beautiful. They can be a dazzling welcome to a new day. $500.
Changing Seasons
Ellen Fisher
Changing Seasons (34"x25")
As the intense colors of Autumn leaves fade, they drop, giving way to the cleansing whiteness of Winter, in preparation for the glorious colors of Spring. $300.
Old Dreams
Barbara Ingersoll
Old Dreams (20"x16")
In the mountains of Virginia there is a simple beautiful place where a forgotten apple orchard once thrived. Now there are many old cars and trucks waiting to be refurbished so they can be useful once again. Old Dreams can be renewed.
Mixed Use Development
Miki Adams
Mixed Use Development (21"x33")
A tailored gentleman’s jacket from the Goodwill was deconstructed and studied. The brown linen was given a new life. This piece shows both inside and outside the sleeves. $500.
Gaia
Roxane Lessa
Gaia (38"x30")
This piece was inspired by aerial views of rice paddies. The patterns and forms were loosely made by cutting and sewing each color in curves. The renewal of the season of growth and the hope that it brings is shown in the colors of earth, plants and water. $4,000.
Jazz Age
Roxane Lessa
Jazz Age (25"x24")
Using mostly straight seams, I used only leftover scraps, carefully curated in a lively color palette. The scraps danced and jived their way into new life. The quilting was inspired by Art Deco motifs from the jazz age. $1,250.
Winter's Echo
Grace Evans
Winter’s Echo (30"x32.5")
On a trip to Paris, in the stillness and bareness of winter I saw the reflection of a nearby tree in a small pond. It took my breath away as it gently moved with the ripples on the surface of the water. The watery vision was topped by little leaves drifting with the tiny waves. It's times like these when I reawaken to the vibrant beauty of winter. $850.
Leafing Out
Jana Lankford
Leafing Out (42.5"x23.5")
I love watching the trees gradually leaf out in the spring. There is no green quite like the fresh bright green of tiny leaflets. It makes my heart sing. $475.
Day Lilies
Vicki Price
Day Lilies (26"x22")
In this part of the world, daylilies announce the return of summer. They burst upon the scene in wild profusion, their bright orange and magenta against varied greens.
My quilting rulers slept through the entire free-wheeling construction of this improvisational wall hanging, inspired by the ephemeral blooms of daylilies in our yard. Once the flowers open, they only last a day or so. That's fitting because this was such a furiously intense make, a burst of free energy. $500.
