SAQA Santa Fe Spotlight

On the Friday evening of the up-coming SAQA Conference in Santa Fe, there's to be a silent auction fund-raiser for the organization -- an opportunity to share work with one's peers and perhaps take home something special created by someone you admire and have come to know across time and cyber-space, if not in person.

I frequently joke that I have 'more stash than cash', so I'm always happy to step up to the plate when called upon to make something for a SAQA benefit.  Last evening. inspired by a walk late one afternoon recently, I put together 'Prairie Twilight' -- a 6" x 8" wee landscape based on a view at the end of a street near my house.  I was captivated by the sliver of sunset between the snow-full clouds and the snowy horizon, by the narrow band of trees in the distance, and the top of a hay-bale just peeking over the rim of a furrow in the field beyond the road.

Prairie Twilight (C) - 2013

Here it is, trimmed to size.  It's pretty well quilted from edge to edge, so I'll leave the rest raw.All the fabrics are commercial cottons and batiks, except for the slivers of peach and dark peach silk for which, again, I thank my friend arlee and her shop, FyberSpace.  When these pieces get to the curator of the auction/show, Deb Cashatt, she and her team will have them matted with a 4.5" x 6.5" opening, so it'll look sort of like this...but nicer, because what you see here are my worn and weary-looking home-made "L" frames! LOL!

And yes, I got rather hooked on the process of making these little pieces -- perfect for the Lacombe Show! -- so went to Andrea, my framer, today, and arranged for her to cut a dozen matts (I chose the colours --mainly white and black, but one very dark navy, and some deep rusty-brown and butterscotch ones for autumnal pieces) -- 8" x 10" with 5' x 7" openings.  I'll pick 'em up in a few weeks, by which time I should have several pieces finished to show her, and she can make sure I afix them to their respective matts properly.  (Yes, I ordered a roll of special 'stitcher tape' for the purpose, too.)

I love the thought of treating myself with some time to make a miniature or two, in between the larger pieces I'm also doing for the show, and I'm hopeful that these matted pieces will be priced just right for those who attend and buy purely on impulse as a special gift for someone or a treat for themselves.

If you're going to the Conference, perhaps you'll put in a bid?