One day left before Diamond Day

 As every year for a dozen or so years now I have contributed a donation to the SAQA Benefit Auction.

With all the things going on in my life I did not have time to get going about putting out a post "Bid on Me!", as SAQA offers for all donators every year. Nor did I have time early on to publish my Dream Collection, as many other contributors have done and I used to do in other years.

Only today did I take initiative to do so. And found myself in trouble, because how to choose from more than 460 artworks...? At first I thought I might try to find a topic, as I have done before, but that didn't work out for me. Then I thought I might take all members from 20 Perspectives who have donated. But there are more than six of us who have donated, and Dream Collections are supposed to be only six pieces. Of course, this being a different format altogether I could have jumped that regulation, but then I decided to abide by those rules and took six pieces from friends of mine. (Note that, amongst 464 pieces, there are many more from people whom I know personally and admire their work, so the choice to limit myself to six was even harder with the 'friends' category than the 20 Perspectives category. I hope nobody complains about the choice, it is absolutle no indication of the degree of sympathy I feel for the people.)

Here is my 2024 Dream Collection "Works from Some Friends of Mine":

Anne Bellas, Souleil Couchant

Linda Colsh, Narrow Days

Judith Content, One Winter Walk

Dolores Miller, Venice Vessels

Claire Passmore, Neon Upccyle II

Shoshi Rhimer, Reflection

Of course, there is the temptation to include one's own piece in the Dream Collection, but as jurors are not usually allowed to enter a piece in the show they are jurying yet may show one piece of their own, I will add, as a repeat showing, my piece as well.

Uta Lenk, Small Study in Yellow and Blue, p.C.

Diamond Day is tomorrow - any piece may be bought at the initial starting bid of $1000, after that the 464 pieces go up for reverse price bidding in three sections. Do take a look - it is a wonderful way of acquiring a piece of original textile art and supporting SAQA at the same time.

California bye bye....

(This post was started while I was still in Sacramento, California, just before I had to start thinking about packing my suitcase. However, putting in the pictures and even more importantly the headings under them proved to be so tedious on the small devices I had with me that it did not get published before I left, and then the coming back etc. Here it is - and will be continued, as promised below.)

My vacation in California is drawing to an end. Only a few hours remain before I have to be at the airport, and I am a bag of mixed feelings after two wonderful weeks, having to go back to a cold and grey country where some issues remain to be solved.

I loved my visit to Joshua Tree National Park, where I had gone right after Quiltfestival. I stayed in a motel just outside the park, between two entrances to the park. I drove through various sections of the park and went on an almost extensive hike. Steep up and down, and I did feel my muscles the next day.

The desert environment of Joshua Tree National Park was fascinating.

Sunset after a hike

From Joshua Tree I drove over to the coast, down memory lane when I stopped in Santa Barbara where I had lived for a short time in the middle of the Nineties of the last century. I can tell you, a lot of emotions caught up with me while I was there!

Near Santa Barbara harbor towards the end of the day.

Courthouse of Santa Barbara

Driving up the coast along Highway No.1 I stopped at various bays 

and lookouts and elelphant seal beaches 

before taking the detour due to closure of the road south of Big Sur. Which meant I had to drive south again from Pacific Grove because I DID want to see the coastline along that part.

A visit in Palo Alto with Judith Content followed, whom I had interviewed for the German Guild's magazine last year. We spent a wonderful afternoon talking about art, making, collecting, and Judith and I went on a walk to the park just around the corner, where she did a small installation for me.

Judith Content with some of her sculptures in front of her interesting and artistic house.

The next day included a meeting with Dolores Miller and visit to the San José Museum of Quilts and Textiles, where Excellence in Fibers is on display right now. 

Ruth Shafer, SlipCover, 2022, find more information here

Next door to the quilt museum is the Institute of Contemporary Art San José where an interesting exhibition by Adia Millett was enriched by four quilts from the Eli Leon collection of quilts, now at the BAMPFA . One of these four quilts, for me, jumped right up to the rank of second most favorite quilt I have ever seen.

Untitled, pieced by Fiora Ates (1907?-1997?)

I was absolutely thrilled to see this, and to be able to go up close and look at details, freedom of interpretation and liberty of execution.

To be continued...