Two Gallery Exhibits Opening in January

I have three pieces in two gallery shows opening this month! Gallery 114 is in the Pearl in Portland, Oregon.  The Collective Visions Gallery is in Bremerton, Washington.  Red Lightning will make its debut there. Please stop by if you're near to either area.  I would love to see you at the openings.

Gallery 114 Winter 2016 Juried Exhibit
January 7 - 30, 2016
Opening Reception January 7, 2016, 6 - 9pm (First Thursday Art Walk)
Gallery 114

1100 NW Glisan, Portland, OR. 97209 Phone: 503-243-3356

Gallery Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 12-6pm

Bramble by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

Early Bloomer: Skunk Cabbage by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

Ninth Annual Collective Visions Gallery Show 2016
January 23, 2016 - February 27, 2016
Collective Visions Gallery
331 Pacific Avenue
Bremerton, WA 98337
Gallery Hours 11am - 6pm Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat; Noon - 4pm Sunday
Juror's Lecture, Awards Ceremony and Reception for Artists, 5pm - 10pm,
Saturday, January 23, 2016 5 - 7:30pm at the Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Avenue, Bremerton WA 98337, with a post event at the gallery 7:30 - 10pm ($20)
Peoples Choice Award and Guest Lecture, Friday, February 26, 2016, 7pm

Red Lightning by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

Last Chance to View "What's Blue to You?"

High Fiber Diet's What's Blue to You? exhibit is on display at the Hillsboro Library through December 29, 2015.  This is the last venue for this exhibit.  Stop by.  It's a very nice space.  The entire exhibit is on display.

Main Library Hours
Monday-Friday 10 am-8 pm
 Saturday 10 am-6 pm
Sunday 12 pm-6 pm

 2850 NE Brookwood Pkwy Hillsboro, OR 97124 

Juror's Choice Award at Finding Our Place

Canopy by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

I'm pleased to tell you that Canopy was chosen for a Juror's Choice award at Finding Our Place: The Geography of Art at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Dowell, Maryland.  There were three juror's choice awards and mine was chosen for "the best work representing the literal meaning of place." I must say I'm surprised to be chosen as representing the literal meaning of anything! The juror was Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. I'm honored.

Quilts = Art = Quilts Slide Show

There is a slide show available of the Quilts = Art = Quilts exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center.  It looks like a wonderful exhibit.  Sorry I won't be able to see the exhibit in person, but I am pleased that my quilt Bridge Controversy is part of it!

Bridge Controversy by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

New Purses for Sale

Here are a few bags recently added to the Purses for Sale page where you will find more photos, information, and prices.

 PTT55

PTT54

 PTZ69

 PTZ72

PTZ73

My Quilts on Display

Canopy by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

Bonnie Bucknam's piece Canopy is part of the exhibit "Finding Our Place: The Geography of Art" now showing at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Art Center in Dowell, Maryland.  The exhibit will hang through January 3, 2016.  There are numerous activities and exhibits at the Garden.  Stop by if you are in the Washington, DC area.

Bridge Controversy by Bonnie Bucknam

Photo by Mark Frey

Bonnie's quilt Bridge Controversy is part of the 35th Quilts = Art = Quilts at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York.  The show hangs from October 31, 2015 to January 3, 2016.  An opening reception will be held Friday, October 30, 4-6pm, admission $10.

Next Shipment of Quilts to Mayan Families

I'm working on a shipment of quilts for Mayan Families in Guatemala.  The quilts should be ready to ship next week. Here are some of them.  The first is by Chris from the Loose Threads group in Vancouver.

 Block Party

These next four are from Pat B. in Idaho.

Gardenias

Africa Dance

 

Sampler Blocks

Red Star

 These next two are from Linda in Palm Desert.

Blue Twist

Delft

These two beautiful color studies are from Kimberly in Oregon City.

Autumn at the Lake

 Starry Night

Here's one that Pat from Anchorage and I collaborated on.

 Sunset at Lake Atitlan

 And here is another of my alphabet quilts.

Little Letters

These should make some kids in Panajachel happy!

Pattern-Free Quilts: Riffs on the Rail Fence Block by Kathleen Loomis

If you’ve never designed a quilt on your own but are tired of using patterns devised by others, a new book by Kathleen Loomis, Pattern-Free Quilts: Riffs on the Rail Fence, is for you.  Kathleen was a journalist before she “retired” to become a full-time fiber artist.  That background holds her in good stead.  She has an easy, conversational writing style which incorporates her sense of humor.  Her book is an easy read.

But don’t let that fool you.  This book is packed with helpful hints and fresh ideas on making the rail fence block, which Kathleen defines very loosely, your own.  She takes you step-by-step through the decisions needed to come up with your own unique and successful quilt design.  From choosing the block and the layout to fabric choices – Kathleen has good advice each step of the way.  She gives you a guide to continuing on after making your first pattern-free quilt – how to keep growing and changing.

The quilt gallery at the end of the book shows a myriad of possibilities with simple or more complex variations rail fence block. Each photo is accompanied by a helpful description of the rails, block, arrangement, and color plan. It's a good place to study the effects of choices made with regard to color, layout, and complexity. 

These are quilts you could whip up quickly for gifts and charity work.  In fact, Kathleen whipped up two of them herself (one shown on page 69 of the book), which she donated to my Guatemala Bound project!  Or you could adapt the basic pattern to a more sophisticated style for a stunning art piece.  The choice is yours.  Whatever you choose, you'll be making something unique.

So check it out.  You can’t go wrong following Kathleen’s advice.

For ordering information see Kathy's blog, Art With A Needle, or CreateSpace.com

Corvallis Exhibit Now Open

Here are a few photos from yesterday at The Arts Center in Corvallis, Oregon.  The noontime brown bag lunch was well-attended.  Curator Hester Coucke asked some challenging questions which Linda McLaughlin and I answered as best we could.  The audience participated, and we had a lively discussion about art, craft, quilting, sewing, influences, and dreams. It was quite fun!

Linda's work, all black and white circles in various permutations, and mine, colorful shapes and patterns, compliment each other perfectly.  It is an interesting and effective juxtaposition in a gorgeous gallery space.

There were quite a few attending the evening opening, with great food provided by the local art quilt group.  Thanks to all the staff and volunteers that made the exhibit possible.

Quilts at The Arts Center, Corvallis

Bonnie Bucknam and Linda McLaughlin: Contemporary Art Quilts opens at The Arts Center in Corvallis Oregon on August 27.  There will be an informal Brown Bag Art Talk at noon, followed by a reception from 5:30 - 7:30pm.  The gallery is located at 700 SW Madison Avenue, Corvallis, Oregon 97333.  Regular hours at The Arts Center at Tuesday through Saturday 12 - 5pm.  The Center will also be open on Thursday, September 17 from 4 - 8pm in conjunction with the Corvallis Arts Walk.  The exhibit in on display through October 3, 2015.  Please stop by!

Slalom Course

Bonnie Bucknam

2015

Photo by Mark Frey

Check Out My PDX Quilts on STQRY

Have you tried the STQRY app on your smart phone? STQRY is a guide to art and cultural venues.  Many venues around the world post their exhibits and visitor destinations on STQRY. Download the app to your smart phone.  Your phone will use its gps to find art and cultural sites near you, wherever you happen to be.

So, if you are near Portland, check out the Portland International Airport info.  Open your STQRY app. Select Portland International Airport, select Stories, select Site-Specific Installations, select Caverns, and there I am!  You can see photos of the airport quilts, read about me, and link to my website.  And when you are done with me, there are 23 more stories at the Portland airport.  Enjoy!

Mostly Blue Totes

This set of totes is mostly blue.  I had five interesting blue fabrics that I loved and got carried away by all the possibilities for combining the fabrics in different ways.  Here are the five fabrics I started out with.

The first is a noren, Japanese door curtain, that I bought in Sapporo long ago.  It's a beautiful shibori dye.

 

This next was a recent purchase from a vendor at the LaConner StashFest.  She said the fabric was a hand-woven cotton from a Miao ethnic minority village in Southwest China, Guizhou Province. The stripe pattern is simple but very elegant.

 

This is a piece I picked up in Thailand, but I don't remember exactly where I purchased it.  I don't know the fabric content, but it has a slightly rough weave.  The design looks to be a wax resist with an indigo dye.

 

This is a piece of hand-woven cotton ikat that I purchased in a little village on the south shore of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

 

 

 

And the last is a woman's skirt of hand-woven ikat cotton fabric.  I bought this one from a street vendor in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

On a couple of bags, I used pieces of this embroidery to embellish the front pockets.  My friend Sally bought this piece for me when she visited Kaross, an embroidery workshop in Pretoria, South Africa.  I had purchased pieces there a couple of years before.  When I learned that she planned to visit the same shop, I asked her to be on the lookout for me.  This was a large piece, but parts of it had already been cut away, I presume to make pillows or some smaller items. I wouldn't have had the heart to cut it up had it been in one piece.

 

Also, the beautiful bird embroidery on the first purse below is by my friend Francisca who lives in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

 

So here are the totes. See the Purses for Sale page for additional information and photos on each purse.

PTT44

 

PTT46

 

PTT47

 

PTT48

 

PTT49

 

PTT50

 

PTT51

 

PTT53

 

And I actually made two new totes that are not blue.

 

PTT45

 

PTT52