Artist Profile: Hope Wilmarth

Hope Wilmarth

Houston, TX 

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you? The design of graffiti on cloth as well as technique implementation was a challenge.

2. Describe your studio space? I have two studio spaces: one is a large bedroom, Studio A, dedicated to domestic machine, fabric, design wall, sewing/cutting table, ironing board, books and tools. Studio B is a large room in the house which is over a double car garage and houses a large work table for mixed media processes, a sink and a long arm machine which is mostly used to quilt charity quilts for homeless children. 

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months? 
1. Sacred Threads, Floris UMC, Herndon, VA, July 7-23  
2. Contemporary Art Quilts 2017, Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, MA, Aug 5-Sept 1. 3. Threads of Resistance, New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA. 
4. Texas Quilts: Art in Stitch SAQA regional show,  Center for Contemporary Arts, Abelene, TX, Sept 20- Nov. 10, then Texas Tech University Museum.
5. Dinner@Eight, World of Beauty, Hands All Around, Houston Quilt Festival, IQA, Houston, TX. Nov 2-5. 
6. Under the Western Sun, SAQA regional NM: Rocky Mt. Quilt Museum April 24 - July 22, then Macy Center, NM July 21-Sept 11.

4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist? Yes, I work in a series and have several series in my art quilt collection. The benefit is that the work builds on itself. The challenge is to make a new and interesting art while adhering to the original design elements in the series.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy? I love attending local SAQA meetings and conferences to meet other artists as well as  attending art quilt openings. I also find entering calls for entry a creative challenge. Much of my creative energy comes from the work itself as it evolves.

Accepted Artists for "Personal Iconography: Graffiti on Cloth

Dinner at Eight Artists presents: Personal Iconography: Graffiti on Cloth

An artistic expression based on personal style

An underlying social message

A story that is told through lines, shapes and imagery

A graphic landscape that conveys a story

A mark, an object, an idea

40" x 40" Square 

Congratulations to all of the artists!

Self Portrait - Frances Holliday Alford

Perception of Life - Linda Anderson

Work in Progress - Sue Bleiweiss

Rising Resting - Deborah Boschert 

Wonky Square Dance - Gerrie Congdon

Green Dog with Orange Ball - Cindy Cooksey 

Transformation 1 - Jane Dunnewold

Luna Moth - Terry Grant
Seshat's Garden - Robbi Joy Eklow

Icon in Blue - Suzan Engler

Tatoo - Virginia Greaves

Dialect - Lyric M. Kinard

My Mothers Flower Garden - Susan F. King

Sampler Reimagined - Sherry Davis Kleinman

Purple Girl - Susan Brubaker Knapp

Precious Threads - Karol Kusmaul

Leftovers 2: The Path to Home - Kristin LaFlamme

Spiraled - Sherri Lipman McCauley

Outside the Lines - Susie Monday
Frame of Mind - Jeannie P. Moore

Goatherd - Rachel K. Parris

Polychromatic Predilection - Judy Coates Perez (pictured)

Wild Thing! (tuning fork #36) - Heather Pregger 

Change - Annie Smith

Boundary Waters - Virginia Spiegel
Jean Michel Basquiat Revisited - Valerie White

Be Someone - Hope Wilmarth

A Time to Sew (tern, tern, tern) - Martha Wolfe

Floating in a Sea of Symbols - Kathy York
Hop, Skip, Jump - Jamie Fingal
Aerial Geometry 2: Home & Place - Leslie Tucker Jenison

Quilting Arts Magazine

We are happy to report that our exhibit “Patterns” is featured in the gallery section of the Dec/Jan issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.  Susan Brubaker Knapp's quilt from this exhibit is on the cover!

Artists work in the gallery section:
“Crystalline” Susan Brubaker Knapp

“The Content of the Light” Wen Redmond

“Blossoming” Diane Rusin Doran

“Tiles” Cathie Hoover

“Moon Connection” Gayle Simpson

“Kaleidoscope 1” Julie Schlueter

“Umbelliferous/Queen’s Anne’s Lace, No. 1” Sarah Ann Smith

“Wild Life: Green Heron” Martha Wolfe

“Krackle Eins (Krackle One)” Cheryl Sleboda

Dinner at Eight Artists - Market & Festival 2016

Dinner at Eight Artists presents "Patterns" which was shown at the International Quilt Market and Festival in Oct/Nov 2016.  Our exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Yvonne Porcella.  See link on right column about how to buy our book "Patterns."

The front of our exhibit was on Main Street. Linda Anderson, Kathy York and Sue Bleiweiss

Sarah Ann Smith, Barb Forrister, Martha Wolfe, Cynthia St. Charles, Suzan Engler

Cathie Hoover, Deborah Boschert, Sarah Ann Smith

Terry Grant, Valerie C. White, Lauretta Crites, and Cathie Hoover

Cheryl Sleboda, Linda T. Minton, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, and Diane R. Doran

Wen Redmond, Gayle Simpson, Karol Kusmaul, Sherry Kleinman

Cindy Cooksey, Susan Fletcher King,  Sherri Lipman McCauley, Susan Brubaker Knapp

Lyric Kinard, Julie Schueter, Terry Stegmiller

Loris Bogue, Stacy Hurt and Lyric Kinard

The Quilt & Textile Patchwork Professional

This is so exciting to have Dinner at Eight Artists be featured in this German publication!  We are so honored!  Beyond thrilled!  Click here if you are interested in purchasing a copy of this publication

Table of Contents

The start of our Q&A - Leslie's work on the left - Amsterdam Alley

Talking about Dinner at Eight Artists, and pictured are quilts that we have made for d@8

and a selection of works by artists in our exhibitions. Top Left to Right - Sarah Ann Smith (Affinity), Cynthia St. Charles (Affinity), Loris Bogue (Beneath the Surface, Cathie Hoover (Patterns). Lower Left to Right - Lyric Kinard (Reflections), Cindy Cooksey (Reflections), Susan Brubaker Knapp (Rituals), Kathy York (Beneath the Surface), Susan Fletcher King (Patterns)

Artist Profile: Suzan Engler

Suzan Engler

Panorama Village, Texas

www.suzanengler.com

1. How do you describe yourself?  I am a digital and fiber artist, nurturer of plants and people, lover of chocolate.
 

2. What is your creative process? I often start with a photo or an idea and challenge myself to discover the various ways that I could portray the subject matter in the photo. I prototype on the computer because it gives a fast way to generate and explore variations. For my Dinner@8 Patterns entry, once I settled on using a fractal as the basis of a pattern, I generated at least 40 different fractals in a variety of fractal types, styles, colors, and textures.  This lead to settling on one for Dinner@8, but the exploration has lead to several other projects as well.

3. Describe your studio space.  First, let me say I love my label maker.  My studio is small but highly organized into well-labeled boxes and drawers.  I hate wasting time looking for things. 

4. What's your signature style? How long did it take you to find your style when you first started making art quilts?  I first started making art quilts in 2010 after seeing an exhibit at IQF Houston.  I have a background as a computer analyst and an architectural designer so designing on the computer seemed only natural for me. I continue to investigate ways to digitally create artwork.

5. Are there artistic endeavors you are yet to do?  I want to explore 3D and encaustic as it relates to fiber art. 

6. Do you keep a sketchbook and/or journal?  I take photos and notes on my phone since it is always with me.  In turn, those go into a folder on my computer for inspiration.  My computer background is a slideshow of those images.

7. Being published is important to artists, so do you have any instructional dvd's, author of books, YouTube channel, have a website with other artists for collaborative projects?  While I have done collaborative work with other artists, there is no website to document this work. 

8. Do you teach?  I do not have a regular teaching schedule but I occasionally lecture on principles of design and using the computer as a design tool.

9. Having your work in juried, invitationals, and solo shows is a great way to get your name out there. Where can people see your work? In addition to the Dinner@8 exhibit in Houston, my work is on display at IQF Houston World of Beauty, Houston Texas, SAQA Tranquility debuting at IQF Houston, and Quilts=Art=Quilts at Schweinfurt Art Center, Albany, New York.  

10. How many years have you had your work in d@8 exhibits, or is this your first time?  This is my second year to have work in Dinner@8, I am so thrilled be included!

Do you have a special memory about Yvonne Porcella that you would like to share with us?  I never met Yvonne in person but felt that I knew her warm and creative essence through her many interviews.  Her book, Six Color World, was one of the first art quilting books that I purchased. 

Artist Profile: Lauretta Crites

Lauretta Crites

Glendora, California

www.LaurettaCrites.com

1. How do you describe yourself? I'm a maker, a creator, a problem solver. I get turned on by creating things, to me it doesn't matter so much the end "what", it could be an art quilt, it could be a tote bag or a garden or a tile backsplash. I love working and playing with my hands, I enjoy solving the puzzle of each challenge and then I like knowing this object this something is in the world because I was here.

 

2. What is your creative process?  These days in order to focus and have the structure to complete an art quilt I need a deadline and a theme so, I go for challenges. With the challenge's parameters for size or theme or starting fabric to guide me, I then move on to an artistic goal, something I want to explore... like achieving a particular sense of lighting or for this years piece working with visual scale and alternative materials. Then I start experimenting. 

3. Describe your studio space.  I am blessed with a 2 car garage size fully finished studio space with tons of natural light. My cutting table is 4' x 8' and was built to my specifications with seating area on one side and elfa racks with drawers for my fabrics underneath. It's hard to see the walls as they are nearly covered with Quilts, UFO's, ribbons and cork boards layered thick with photos and cards and clippings of things that make me happy.

4. What's your signature style?  My work is representational, but I'm not sure I've got a signature style as of yet. I still like exploring. 

 

5. Are there artistic endeavors you are yet to do?  Of course!

 

6. Do you keep a sketchbook and/or journal?  I do both, off and on. Most days my journaling is limited to notations in my planner but I do much better on vacations and when I'm away from home. I'm taking part in a 30 day journaling challenge next month which I'm hoping will get me in the habit of journaling daily.

 

7. Being published is important to artists, so do you have any instructional dvd's, author of books, YouTube channel, have a website with other artists for collaborative projects?  I have my own "Lauretta Crites Designs" pattern line and I sell my patterns and other products at quilt shows the booth, which I co-own with quilter Cindy Myers, is named "A Couple Of Old Broads". I also sell my patterns online at my website LaurettaCrites.com.

 

8. Do you teach? I do most of my teaching in the summer when the Quilt shows slow down. I do have one class in that time period. Feb 12, 2017 Visioning on Fabric, Flying Geese Quilters Guild, Irvine, CA

 

9. Having your work in juried, invitationals, and solo shows is a great way to get your name out there. Where can people see your work?

Nov 3-6, 2016 "White Lace on Red Velvet" d@8 exhibit, "Patterns". IQA Festival, Houston

I'll be vending at the following shows as "A Couple of Old Broads"

Oct 6-8, 2016 Quiltfest, Palm Springs, CA

Oct 13-15, 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival, Santa Clara, CA

Jan 19-22, 2017 Road to California, Ontario, CA

Feb 17-19, 2017 Tucson Quilters Guild, Tucson, AZ

Mar 24-25, 2017 Quilt Arizona, Mesa, AZ

 

10. How many years have you had your work in d@8 exhibits, or is this your first time?  This is the 2nd year I've been fortunate enough to be invited to participate. It's been a thrill to have my work accepted into this exhibit and to be included in such an amazing group of talented women. 

 

Do you have a special memory about Yvonne Porcella that you would like to share with us?  I met Yvonne for the 1st time at Festival in 2014 she was a featured artist that year with a large display of quilts she re-created just for the exhibit, but I didn't know that. I was drawn to her as a fellow survivor. Her battle was clear by her beanie but her spirit is what drew me to her like a magnet. Yvonne radiated joy and an iron will beneath the frail exterior. We were granted a miraculous bubble of time during that show to get to know each other and I am so grateful for the opportunity get to bask in her beautiful spirit.