OK Call for Entry: Fiberworks 2013

Although most of you may know already, Fiberworks 2013 is coming up.  It's a juried show for all types of fiber art, and is open to all Oklahoma artists.

Work is to be dropped of for jurying July 7-8 so there's still time.  For more information and the prospectus check out:

http://www.fiberartistsok.org/fiberworks/

Featured Artist Debbie Ross

Happy Monday everyone.  Today I'm pleased to feature the lovely work of Debbie Ross.  She blogs at http://debsbitspieces.blogspot.com/ and can also be found on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/debr33/.  I was initially drawn to her use of color and line in pieces such as "Brush Strokes", and am thrilled to share more of her work with you guys.  As always, e-mail me if you're interested in being featured here.  We're excited to share work by both established and emerging artists!

1. Who are you and where do you live?

My name is Debbie Ross.  I was born in Tulsa, lived in St. Louis for 30 years and moved back to Tulsa in 2005.

2. Tell us a little bit about your artistic journey and how you got started?

 I started sewing as a small child.  I am self taught in sewing, quilting, crocheting and knitting.  I love all forms of Fiber Art.  I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t working on a project.  I started seriously quilting in 1999.

Debbie Ross, Sedona Red Rocks

Debbie Ross, Sedona Red Rocks, Detail

3. How do you describe your work?

My work for the most part is colorful and a lot of geometric shapes, I am starting to embrace more abstract art and this is starting to influence my work more and more.

Debbie Ross, Reflections

4. Do you have any favorite techniques or approaches?

My favorite techniques right now are fusing, foundation type flip and sew techniques, and a lot of hand embellishments.  I am using a lot of decorative stitching and I have taught classes using this creative stitching and embellishing with hand stitching and beading. I am starting to use my own hand dyed fabrics and solid fabrics in my work.

5. What do you want to communicate with your work?

I see my work as pulling the viewer in because of the use of color.  I also think once the viewer is close they see so much more with stitching and subtle design elements. 

Debbie Ross, Brushstrokes

6. What methods, or lifestyle tips, or time management tips do you find helpful to producing work?

 I was once told by a quilt artist to treat my art as a job.  What she meant is set a time that is yours to create uninterrupted.  I let friends and family know that I check for messages at lunch and after 4:00 on most days.  This lets me get into a creative mode and work on my art. I also carry a sketchbook everywhere I go.

Debbie Ross, Composition

7. Which artists, other individuals or subjects currently inspire you?

The artists that currently inspire me are Sue Benner, Katie Pasquini Masopust, Jean Wells Keenan, and Lisa Call.  I am inspired by the colors of nature. 


Thanks so much Debbie for sharing with us!

Featured Artist: Charlotte Hickman

Hi All, and welcome to our first featured artist profile.   I'd love to feature you and your art here, so just comment here or send me an e-mail if you're interested.

Today we have Charlotte Hickman, who was the first art quilter I met in Oklahoma.  I was privileged to get to talk to her a little bit more at the recent SAQA conference and then to see a sampling of her award-winning work at the recent MQS show in Wichita.

1. Who are you and where do you live?
Hello, my name is Charlotte Hickman and I live on the northwest side of Oklahoma City.


2. Tell us a little bit about your artistic journey and how you got started?
Designing, sewing and knitting garments have always been a part of my life.  However, after buying a Bernina 180 embroidery machine in 1998, I have become totally addicted to the world of art quilting.  Presently I sew, free-motion embroidery and quilt on my Bernina 820 and 830 machines.

 3. How do you describe your work?
I have an interest in the many ways that fabric can be interpreted in quilt art by designing and using bold colors of nature.

4. Do you have any favorite techniques or approaches?
Both piecing and appliqueing are used in my show quilts and in the patterns I make featuring flora and fauna subjects.

5. What do you want to communicate with your work?
I want people to see and fell my love of nature's colors which are visually evident in my design work, free motion embroidery and quilting.

6. What methods, or lifestyle tips, or time management tips do you find helpful to producing work?
I create art quilts, design patterns, teach many classes and workshops, and lecture at guilds.  When I am home, I am always working on my design wall and sewing on my Bernina domestic machines.  Thus the congenial ambiance of the physical arrangement in my home is suitable for my creative interest.

7. Which artists, other individuals or subjects currently inspire you?
The generous spriti and enormous artisitic talent of fiber artists whose workshiops have inspired me include Ruth McDowell, Hollis Chatelain, Velda Newman, Jane Sassaman, Ricky Tims, and most recently Cathy Wiggins.

Thanks so much for sharing your work with us Charlotte, and I hope all of you in blogland have enjoyed seeing it!

Welcome!

Hi all and welcome to the regional blog for SAQA Kansas/Missouri/Oklahoma.  I hope this can become a place where we share our art and all the things associated with it that are going on in our region.  To get an e-mail whenever new blog posts are up, you can sign up using the box in the right sidebar.  You can also follow the blog via bloglovin' if you choose.

For more information about our region, you can e-mail our regional co-reps Ada and Charlotte whose information is in the left sidebar.  If you have any questions about the blog or are interested in participating in it (as I hope some of you are), just send me (Shannon) an e-mail, or comment on any of the blog posts.

To start the getting-to-know-you process, we'll be featuring one artist every week, so if you're interested in participating, just let me know as I don't know very many of you yet to ask.  In addition, if you have a blog or website you'd like me to link to just e-mail me the info.

I'm also looking for people willing to gather and submit information for posting on calls for entry in the Kansas and Missouri areas.  I'll be posting info on the Oklahoma area, but need someone to help with the other stuff.

Finally, any time you have something to share, such as a relevant gallery show, class/workshop, artistic achievement, or any other piece of news that might be of interest to the art quilt community, just let me know and I'll see that it get's posted.

With your help, the blog can become a great resource for our SAQA region.  I hope you enjoy it!