Art Quilt Elements 1 -- pieced quilts

I wrote earlier about the first two winners at Art Quilt Elements; now let me tell you about some of the other quilts that struck me at this excellent exhibit.  You know I'm a sucker for piecing, and I was happy to see so many pieced quilts.  Let me show you some of them.

Karen Schulz, Two Eggs, One Basket, 29 x 41"

First off, it's always nice to see Karen Schulz's work (she got best in show at the last Quilt National). I thought the very straight lines were an interesting twist that I don't think I've seen in previous pieces, and I was in love with the lavender/red color juxtaposition in the middle; I have used those two colors together many times myself.

Cher Cartwright, Chutes & Ladders 2, 28 x 40"

I met Cher several years ago at a Nancy Crow workshop and you can see that she has mastered improvisational piecing -- those confident freehand curves show the individuality of the artist's hand in every line of the quilt.  I like the cheerful clear colors, saved from rainbow predictability by that strong black triangle.

Kerri Green, Fun House, 68 x 40"



















I am not familiar with Kerri Green's work but I like this piece a lot and will keep an eye out hoping to see more of her quilts in the future.  The "floor plan" is elegantly, asymmetrically balanced and the red-orange palette is beautifully handled.  Simple machine quilting sets off the architectural lines nicely.

Elizabeth Brandt, Selected Stories, 88 x 89"

Another new name to me, but one that I'm sure I'll be seeing again in the important venues.  The quirky quarter-circle motifs and odd palette give a mid-century vibe to this quilt.  I like the way the large shapes are offset by a few skinny lines and bits for contrast.

This doesn't begin to exhaust the piecing at AQE; more in another post soon.