(Earlville, NY – July 2015) The beauty of a perfectly formed petal and the power of a tall tree reaching for the sky, are just two of the images captured in this season’s Contemporary Art Quilts show with works from across the country and across the pond. The art quilts will be displayed at the Earlville Galleries in conjunction with two other exhibits of quilts from around Central New York. All three quilt exhibits will begin on July 11 with an opening reception scheduled for Saturday, July 18 from noon to 3 p.m. in collaboration with Earlville Community Days. The exhibits are generously sponsored by Sew Nice of Norwich.
Central New York has been known for its fiber arts since before the Civil War. From woven coverlets produced in the Western Catskills, to more utilitarian tied quilts and comforters that were part of the Adirondack logging camp culture, to contemporary art quilts, this region has been home to women (and men) who delighted in the opportunity for art and self-expression that working with fiber can provide. Join us as we celebrate this rich quilting culture in the Earlville Galleries with regional quilters and with quilts from the Mohawk Trail Artisans. Mohawk Trail Artisans (MTA) began a number of years ago as a small group of quilt-artists who met together to share and inspire each other.
Now in its 13th year, the Contemporary Art Quilts exhibition serves to highlight quilters from farther afield—as far afield as England, in this year’s case. Linda Kemshall hails from South Staffordshire, England where she works in her garden studio and also creates instructional videos for her creative online TV channel, DMTV. Her quilts offer a painterly approach to nature; many celebrate the freedom of flight using birds and insects.
Two of this year’s quilters live in Estes Park, Colo.
Patty Hawkins creates quilts rife with aspen trees reimagined as stylized, almost tribal motifs. She describes the delight as she begins each project as “chocolate cake without the calories.”
Linda Beach also uses trees as inspiration for her quilts, though they’re differently interpreted than Hawkins’. Beach’s art is like the Picasso to Hawkins’ Andy Warhol, featuring strikingly angular compositions enriched by the dazzling interplay of the patterned fabrics she uses.
Hailing from Whidbey Island, Wash. Janet Steadman has been known to employ juicy, eye-popping color in her abstract compositions, though her latest works use a more subdued color scheme as they explore elegant interpretations of branch and leaf shapes.
Just north of Sacramento, Karel Hendee employs her landscape architect background in her quilts, which often feature many layers of painted silk. Hendee has a distinctively mystical approach to the tranquility of nature, and her compositions often include luminously colorful sunsets and celestial symbols.
Working from the deserts of New Mexico, Katie Pasquini Masopust’s quilts feature bold, bright colors and splashy shadows. Though much of her work features natural imagery, she’s also created a series of works showing abstract interpretations of Native American ruins.
EOH Galleries are located at 18 East Main Street in Earlville. Gallery hours are Tues-Fri (10am-5pm), Saturday (12-3pm). For more information, call 315-691-3550 or go online at earlvilleoperahouse.com.