Materials: Hard & Soft Acceptance

I am very excited to announce that Sumac has been selected by juror Marilyn da Silva to be included in Materials: Hard & Soft , an exhibit sponsored by the Greater Denton Arts Council in Denton, Texas.
To quote their website: "This annual competition and exhibition of contemporary crafts was started in 1987 and is now in its 21st year. Recognized nationally, Materials: Hard & Soft attracts hundreds of entries from every state in the union. Nationally recognized jurors select the show from slides and then award $5,000 in prize money. The juror has always selected the winning pieces on-site. A catalog is printed. Many of the artists seen in the Materials exhibitions have been featured in national publications such as American Crafts." The exhibit runs from January 31 - March 29, 2009

This quilt was inspired by the display the wild sumac puts on each fall in the cul-de-sac at the end of my neighborhood. I wanted to capture the glow it has when the slanting fall sunlight hits it. The center panel is a heliographic print on cotton, and it is bordered with silks and velveteen that add a lot of textural richness. Aside from the texture and the highlights of the beadwork, I kept the design rather restrained, which I think is effective in not diluting the impact of the image. It's one of my personal favorites, and I'm honored it is receiving this recognition.