PAQA-S 2022 Exhibit Part 2

The PAQA-S 2022 Exhibit was at the Sertoma Arts Center in Raleigh, NC last month. PAQA-S is the Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South that promotes innovative art quilts, art cloth, and art garments. Last week I shared some of the quilts I saw there. You can read that post here. This week is Part 2, sharing more quilts from the exhibit.

The theme of the exhibit is ArtQuiults Emerge.

Some of the quilts represent emergence from the restrictions of the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, much of life was put on hold. Daily life took on new restrictions. But during this time, we re-created. We filtered out and held on to what was important and emerged a little better than before.  PAQA-South members created works of fiber art to express the new ways of looking at our lives.

The Quilts

Barb used cottons, silk fusion, cheesecloth, paint, dyes and pastels to create this quilt. The quilting creates depth and perspective. I love when quilting has a big contribution to the success of a quilt!

Susan says, ” I see beauty in imperfections…….I rip, unravel, and layer new and reclaimed fabric and paper; I stitch and sew by hand and machine; I print, drip, and scrape acrylic paint. I cherish imperfections in my work that emerge through accident, intuition, and improvisation.”

Marion created this quilt using a digital composition from an original photograph printed on cotton and free motion quilted. I enjoyed how she used the techniques called ghost quilting to create the illusion of shape and trees and leaves.

Joan used an original paining bursting with energy and a riot of color. She printed it on fabric and enhanced the work with additional paint and stitching.

Diane says, “The design reminds me of how each segment of a Christmas Cactus emerges from the last.”

Roxanne was exploring improvisational curved piecing with this quilt. She found the technique to be challenging and fun and kept her sane during the pandemic.

Playing with dimensions

This unusual quilt is 4.25 inches x 39 inches! Penny created the quilt in response to a reader’s challenge in Quilting Arts magazine. She was very excited to have this quilt published in the December 2021 issue! Penny used scraps, beads, buttons, charms and flowers.

Gwen used an un-quilted finished quilt top to “mine” parts and pieces to create Phoenix. Like the legendary creature this quilt emerged from the dust of its former self.

Marian says, “In this work, I question and redefine edges. Suggesting that the borders or boundaries that help define what something is, or is not, are constantly shifting. This work looks for a way to embrace the inevitability of change.”

Candice sees the world of the pandemic as black and white. Can you see the “creatures” peeking out from isolation? We were all eager to escape the elements of isolation that wedged us in and expand those bright spots!

Do you ever watch the Sunday Morning television show on show CBS?  They have that great Sun logo. And they share various “sun” art from artists from around the world. Peggy decided to create a sun using scraps from the masks she was sewing during the pandemic. As you can see, the sun itself is wearing a mask.

Knowledge is power

Kacey depicts the light of knowledge penetrating the darkness of the unknown we experienced during the pandemic. The bold lines of the quilting emphasize the hope that someday knowledge will emerge victorious.

Hope you enjoyed seeing these quilts. Did you quilt during isolation? Please share your work in the comments! And don’t forget to Quilt Everyday!

by Mary Beth Krapil