The Art of Fabric Exhibition

Yesterday I flew to Wellington.  Today, the lovely Chris Kenna and I judged the Wellington Quilters exhibition.  Phew!  What a day!

We started ed at 10am and were finished by about 3.30pm with a bit of a break for lunch.  It was pretty smooth sailing, with a well organised exhibition, straightforward categories and judges who were in good agreement on the top contenders in each category.  But it's still hard work, not only because you are walking back and forth, back and forth, but because you know you are dealing with people's precious hard work, and you have to be very secure in your final choices.

I'd like to say a big thank you to the Wellington Quilters and Fyvie Murray, the president, for entrusting me with this responsibility.  It's a big charge and I take it seriously.  I've entered plenty of shows and had plenty of judges look at my quilts, and now that I'm on the other end of it, it's good to know how seriously judges take the job.

I'm not going to list the winners here as I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, and to be honest I don't have a full list with me!  I'm pretty sure Wellington Quilters will have the winners up soon on their webpage or facebook, so I've put those addresses below for you.

I've really enjoyed being in Wellington. It was my home 20 odd years ago and I loved seeing so many familiar buildings along with the new.  It also made me smile to see the steep narrow streets, the houses that have a very particular 'Wellington' look to them, and to hear and feel the familiar wind (Wellington is famous for it!) I enjoyed a walk this afternoon and saw a Kaka (endangered species of native parrot) flying overhead from the predator proof bird sanctuary that is right next to the city.

But I'm home again tomorrow on an early flight,.

Goodbye Wellington, thanks for having me!

the art of fabric 
Fri 5 - Sun 14 Oct 2018

NZ Academy of Fine Art

1 Queens Wharf, Wellington, 

Tickets $7 Concession $5

www.wellingtonquilters.org.nz
www.facebook.com/wellingtonquilters

Jenny Bacon Quilt Judge on The NZ Quilt Show

I was lucky enough to attend the recent Aotearoa Quilters education seminar in Wellington, New Zealand, to attend a three day intensive workshop titled ‘Judging at Quilt Shows’.  The tutor was well-known quilter, teacher and quilt judge, Jenny Bacon, who graciously made time during the weekend for an interview with me.

AQ Seminar attendees with Jenny in the middle in blue.

Jenny Bacon has been making quilts since the 1970’s when she took a class with the Embroidery Guild and learned to make a silk pincushion.  

Jenny makes traditional quilts, describing needle-turn applique and hand quilting as favourite techniques, but she also makes art quilts, where she uses traditional techniques in non-traditional ways.  She has won many awards and accolades for both styles of quilts.  

Jenny is also a certified judge with the Quilters Guild of the British Isles and has travelled widely to judge quilt shows, including in the UK and the US, as well as New Zealand and her homeland Australia. Jenny is also an accomplished exhibition curator, being heavily involved in the biennial Golden Textures quilt exhibition.  Jenny lives in Maryborough on the East Coast of Australia.  

Fyvie and Paula practicing their jurying skills on the Wonders of the World International Challenge quilts.

Thanks Jenny!  I learnt so much during the weekend and during the interview, and had a great time to boot!

Maree and I feeling proud with our certificates!

You can find more of Jenny on her website here, on Facebook here, and on Instagram here.

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Interview with Brenda Gael Smith on The New Zealand Quilt Show

Brenda Gael Smith is an award winning artist who designs and creates contemporary textile art in her home studio in Copacabana, NSW Australia.  Born in New Zealand, she made her first traditional quilt in 1984, but it took until the turn of the century before Brenda returned to quiltmaking, which has since developed into a compelling and rewarding avocation.

Brenda is also an experienced curator, having curated and managed several themed textile art exhibitions that have travelled internationally to great acclaim.  Brenda also teaches, judges, writes and exhibits her own work widely.

I got to speak to Brenda in person at the Christchurch Quilt Symposium where Brenda was teaching, lecturing, accompanying the exhibition ‘A Matter of Time’ (one of her curated travelling textile art exhibitions) and last, but definitely not least, was the chief judge for the symposium exhibition.

Brenda and I have a wide ranging discussion covering topics such as her journey into becoming an artist, how she became an exhibition judge and curator and her upcoming solo exhibition (Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia, January 13th till February 14th 2018). 

We also discuss what influence her role as one of the 'twelves' - the international 12 x 12 textile art challenge - has had in developing her voice and her series work.  We also learn how Brenda has recently completed another regular creative practice project, completing 52 weekly textile sketches , abstracting the natural world she sees on her daily walks around her home town.

Week 49 Cochrone Lagoon

Brenda and I talk about her role as head judge of the National Quilt Symposium, including how the process worked for her and the other two judges, Philip Trusttum and Marianne Hargreaves and what made the best in show winner, Fly by Donna Ward, stand out from the crowd.

The final exhibition of A Matter of Time will be at The International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas, from 28th October till 5th November 2018 with floor talks with Brenda at 11am and 2pm Thursday 2nd till Sunday 5th with one at 5.30pm on Saturday 4th.

Thanks for chatting with me Brenda!

Where to find out more about Brenda or to get in touch with her:

http://www.brendagaelsmith.com

http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/blog/

https://www.instagram.com/brendagaelsmith/

https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityPatchworkQuilting/

Thank you to everyone who supports this podcast and helps me tell the stories of our quiltmakers, artists and professionals.  If you would like to support me, head over to iTunes and leave a five star review, pop over to my podbean hosting site and leave a donation, or consider advertising your business by sponsoring an episode.  Email me at theslightlymadquiltlady@gmail.com  Cheers!

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