tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post3295911047000029108..comments2024-03-28T03:17:28.911-04:00Comments on Art With a Needle: Q = A = Q 9 -- a trend toward abstraction?Kathleen Loomishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05930922068379938756noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-69772209295699607762014-12-04T13:59:09.545-05:002014-12-04T13:59:09.545-05:00I'm having some difficulty with the 'resou...I'm having some difficulty with the 'resource book' some folks are talking about. In the context of original art it seems counter-productive to the argument when at any time one is allowed to use a public domain photo as a reference. Is this not the very same thing people are gnashing teeth about? <br /><br />SuzKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11546159113360545109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-84299415242411751622014-12-04T05:01:31.697-05:002014-12-04T05:01:31.697-05:00Spot on - thoughtful as ever.Spot on - thoughtful as ever.Alison Schwabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07929118812159014248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-60950784184056467192014-11-23T08:59:37.095-05:002014-11-23T08:59:37.095-05:00I actually believe that shows like Quilt National,...I actually believe that shows like Quilt National, Quilt Visions, etc. continue in a "quilt" rut. I do not believe that just because it is fabric it must be presented in a certain way and I certainly do not believe it must be pieced. Art is a continual exploration. I think quilters get stuck in their preconceived ideas of the traditions from which the form originated. I would love to see more expansion of different approaches. It would bend and intrigue the mind. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-49788558920679712682014-11-22T22:36:15.063-05:002014-11-22T22:36:15.063-05:00Kathy, Thank you for this rare insight into the mi...Kathy, Thank you for this rare insight into the mind of a juror. These posts about Q=A=Q are invaluable access to process, which we would be fools to not learn from. Unfortunately, until people who work with cloth escape “crafting” and enter the realm of “craft” their work will continue to be relegated to the wall behind the couch or to the foot of the bed. There seems to be a lack of understanding as to the kind of textile work that deems worthy of a museum or high end gallery showing, regardless of it being “representational” or “abstract” or “conceptual” or “technically masterful” or “naive” or “outsider.” In the NYT, Maureen Dowd recently wrote: “Art is meant to explore all the unattractive inner realities as well as to recommend glittering ideals. It is not meant to provide uplift or confirm people’s prior ideological assumptions. Art says, ‘Think,’ not ‘You’re right.’” While I love the idea of a supportive industry as much as the next person, this isn’t reality in the world of art and design; it seems, however to be a given the world of “quilters.” And this is the painful line. This is where we push. And it’s uncomfortable and it’s not for everyone. An artist has to ask why he/she is compelled to explore a specific subject and medium. And if we aren’t asking ourselves WHY we are working with cloth and in the quilt form — What is the narrative pulse? What is the compulsive heft? — then it isn’t craft. It is crafting. Be willing to critique and be critiqued. Be willing to push and then push harder. And if you don’t know what this means, then read and read more. Find your peers. And then work and get rejected and question yourself, your impulses, and then work again, often for no other reason than you Can’t. Not. Do. This. Work. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02944324794973327645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-84534253410092289192014-11-22T14:20:52.864-05:002014-11-22T14:20:52.864-05:00Okay so does that mean that artists that paint squ...Okay so does that mean that artists that paint squares or geometric forms of any kind should be sewing? I think that quilters have a very narrow view of what seems to be "art" or "acceptable" to them. Why not paint fabric? Canvass is after all a fabric. I do agree that a piece should have some kind of narrative and not just be pretty or sofa art, but how the artist chooses to interpret this narrative should not be judged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-83820620535734092882014-11-22T07:42:33.267-05:002014-11-22T07:42:33.267-05:00Well said- I haven't seen Q=A=Q this year but...Well said- I haven't seen Q=A=Q this year but from the press and seeing photos online I LOVE your choices! The 'thing' is that this show has veered away from the quilty-ness of quilts and well into being a first class art show that just happens to be of fabric. And because of the show's excellent reputation for showing the best out there, the applicants are also the best out there- those artists expressing their ideas by pushing boundaries and not to be confused with a 'quilt show'. Art today IS abstraction, as artists express new ways of seeing things in this current age. Rarely does another photorealistic oil painting hold my interest other than to draw my jaw at the perfection--and move on. This show is right up there with Visions, QN, and Elements as the most interesting and important shows to get to. Congrats, Kathy- great post.Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04286461271083389001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-80417826141471730012014-11-21T17:02:04.150-05:002014-11-21T17:02:04.150-05:00I agree with all that you said and feel the same w...I agree with all that you said and feel the same way. <br /><br />I also think that if the photo is just printed on fabric with some stitching around it, why not just use photo as the artwork itself instead of putting it on fabric?Lisa Flowers Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03255748017497273887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-31238242044825618482014-11-21T16:02:38.882-05:002014-11-21T16:02:38.882-05:00You are one of the first I have read who put my th...You are one of the first I have read who put my thoughts into words. I noticed too that often some of the top prize winners are too representation in that they have little or no content and are purely decorative. "just too cutsy" I really applaud your comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-72833366857466822082014-11-21T08:17:08.376-05:002014-11-21T08:17:08.376-05:00I think that this post and the other ones you have...I think that this post and the other ones you have written about quilts=art=quilts are very valuable for all of us who use the quilt as an art medium. Thank you very much for taking the time to be so thorough in your coverage of the exhibition.Judy Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00619951031502775381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-65633521081341325172014-11-21T07:56:46.580-05:002014-11-21T07:56:46.580-05:00I've always thought "It's pretty"...I've always thought "It's pretty" was sufficient justification for a thing's existence BUT people have such wildly differing definitions of "pretty" that it's no use in defining art.<br /><br />Mary Anne in Kentucky<br />solarityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03606487180967915130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-588118538433483895.post-52965151822271121442014-11-21T07:41:49.061-05:002014-11-21T07:41:49.061-05:00I agree with you that abstraction is more suitable...I agree with you that abstraction is more suitable to the medium of fabric. Many artists do push the boundaries beautifully, and you have shown some examples. However, this seems to be trying to make fabric something else, such as paintings or collages or printmaking. These all can work, but I ask -why?-fabric itself has a grain, and its great characteristic is color. I prefer to work with that but then, others beautifully make it into something it is not. I guesss this is art.pam in sw floridahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03913110832531591664noreply@blogger.com