Connecting Our Natural Worlds - SAQA Global Quilt Exhibit (Day 3)

The Connecting Our Natural Worlds exhibit by SAQA showcases art quilts that illustrate the natural wonder of habitats around the globe. Through their own unique artistic interpretation, each artist has identified danger to flora and fauna in their own backyards. The selected pieces inspire viewers to get closer to nature and become better stewards for our environment.  We recently visited this outstanding exhibit at the Brigham City Museum in Utah.

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Spring by Aileyn Renli Ecob (Walnut Creek, California)

Spring features a very old, native California oak tree growing on the crest of a hill near where Aileyn Renli Ecob lives. This majestic tree was created with cotton, cheesecloth, tulle, ink, and paint. Aileyn used many different techniques to create the beautiful effects: raw edge applique, machine quilting, thread painting, inking, dying, and fabric painting.

The number and ferocity of forest fires has increased dramatically during the last decade, threatening beautiful old trees like this one.  Ailey notes that saving lives and our forests is worth our efforts. "Experts tell us that nearly all wildfires are caused by human activity.  We need better forest management, power line maintenance, individual care with fires, and control of climate change."

 

Plight of the Monarchs by Kathy Puente (Alamo Heights, Texas)

Contrary to what you may think, this tree is covered with monarch butterflies (not leaves!) Plight of the Monarchs is a tribute to the migrating monarch butterflies that migrate from the U.S. to Mexico for the winter, then make the flight back every spring. The quilt is cleverly made with fabric, paint, and wire, and is hand quilted, thread sketched, and hand sewn. The hand quilted swirls throughout the background bring to mind butterflies dancing on gusts of wind.

Kathy Fuente notes, "In both seasons, hundreds of thousands of monaarch butterflies fill the sky and land in my back yard for a rest and meal, beckoning me to enjoy their beauty."

Monarchs need warmth to survive, and due to the changing climate, their populations are being drastically reduced.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a webpage dedicated to the monarch butterfly with information on how individuals and communities can help.

 Only Three by Cheryl Lipari (Priest River, Idaho)

Cheryl Lipari lives in a beautifully wild temperate rain forest near the Selkirk Mountains of Idaho that has been home to the Woodland Caribou for thousands of years.  This wonderfully realistic landscape pays tribute to the endangered caribou. The quilt is made with hand-dyed and batik fabrics and hand dyed wool, using raw edge fused applique, felting (see the caribou and the clouds), and machine quilting.

The southern end of the Selkirk Mountains was the home of the last naturally-occurring caribou herd in the contiguous United States, which had dwindled to only a few by 2018 due to logging and other activities. The remaining members were relocated to Canada in the hopes of saving the species.

Cheryl Lipari notes that we must protect our precious wilderness areas and the animals that inhabit them for future generations. She urges speaking out against activities that damage our forests, and supporting groups that are devoted to protecting all inhabitants of our planet.

Manzanita by Ruth E. Murayama (Denver, Colorado)

Manzanita is a tribute to this shrubby tree of the same name, which is known for its reddish sculpted trunk and branches.  Ruth E. Murayama says that, having grown up in California, she loves these plants (and so do we). Ruth has managed to perfectly capture the color and intriguing shape of the manzanita, which stands out against the arid hills. This quilt was created with commercial and hand dyed cotton and eco-dyed wool, using fused applique and machine quilting. 

While not officially endangered, the manzanita has been threatened by California wildfires.  Massive clear cutting of  the chaparral and replacing it with weedy grasses destroys the manzanita and contributes to fire risks.  Instead, selective clearing to create strategic fire breaks and defensible space is a more viable approach.

Regeneration (diptych) by Amanda Miller (Eugene, Oregon)

Forests in the northwest have (also) been decimated by deadly wildfires in recent years.  Slowly they begin to grow again, a process that takes years. Regeneration is a striking contemporary art quilt made as a diptych that depicts the transformation from destruction to rebirth after wildfires. Amanda Miller created this piece with commercial and hand dyed cotton.  It is machine pieced and quilted, creating stunning shapes, colors, and textures.

As Amanda Miller explains, "There is no agreement on how to deal with these destructive blazes. Education and increased regulation of forested recreational areas may decrease the number of fires caused by humans.  Controlled fires and new forest management techniques could mitigate their size... also, restricted development in sensitive areas may be a partial solution.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the Brigham City Museum in Utah. As of August 2021, many of the pieces can be purchased at the Connecting Our Natural Worlds web page.

 

Featured artists: Aileyn Renli Ecob and Jean Renli Jurgenson

At the recent Diablo Valley Quilters show, we were excited to see a special exhibit by sisters Aileyn Renli Ecob and Jean Renli Jurgenson.  They are award-winning artists whose work has been featured in national and international shows, galleries, and special exhibits of fiber art.  We were mesmerized by their work, and we hope that our photos convey a sense of their artistry with fabric and thread.

Aileyn Renli Ecob

Globe Thistle, 40 x 22”, by Aileyn Renli Ecob

The colors, luminosity and intricate details drew us to this piece.  Aileyn Ecob says, "My inspiration is usually from nature — either a photograph or an original drawing. The strong colors and bold designs of flowers, fruit, vegetables and trees give me the inspiration for much of my work."  In Globe Thistle, dozens of individual star-shaped flowerets were cut free hand and machine stitched to the background fabric.

Aileyn often uses thread painting to heighten the realism of her work, as shown in the closeup photo below. 

Music of the Spheres, 48 x 24”, by Aileyn Renli Ecob

This is the second in a series of works by Aileyn Ecob using the circle-in-a-square block. In Music of the Spheres,  three large overlapping circles emerge. The restful blue and teal hues and interesting textures are punctuated by magenta squares.  Aileyn's precise hand quilting emphasizes the curves in this piece.

Acorn and Oak Leaves, 25 x 20”, by Aileyn Renli Ecob

Aileyn says, "[This is] one of the first art quilts that I made. I experimented with paint on the background, acorn, and acorn cap. It’s hand quilted (and hand appliqued)."  In the background, trapunto leaves were achieved by dense stippling by hand around the leafy shapes.

On The Oregon Trail, 40 x 55”, by Aileyn Renli Ecob

This dramatic wall quilt was inspired by a photo Aileyn took in Oregon, at a park memorializing the pioneers of the Oregon Trail. With careful fabric selection and needle-turn applique, Aileyn has captured the brilliant color and symmetrical form of the sumac, which is highlighted by the dark backdrop of the forest.  The background is enhanced with hand quilting.

Jean Renli Jurgenson

 

Moving to the right of the exhibit hall, we come to the work of Jean Jurgenson. She says, "I find inspiration in the minutiae of the world around me — the juxtaposition of old and new, an unusual perspective, the color of sunlight after a rain. All these bits of life fill me and make me want to create."

Tangaroa, 47 x 36”, 2011 by Jean Renli Jurgenson

Tangaroa takes us into the scene as we look down the boom of the sailboat, and across the rail to the azure sea.  Jean says, "[This quilt was] inspired by a photo my daughter took from her father-in-law’s sailboat, the Tangaroa, off the coast of Oahu. I loved the perspective she captured of the boom and sail."

The sail is three-dimensional, and the ropes are made of string.  Jean says, "I carved the wooden block-and-tackle from balsa wood."

Imagining Chihuly... at Yerba Buena Gardens, 25 x 58", by Jean Renli Jurgenson

In this stunning piece, Jean used paint on fabric to depict the waterfall fountain at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.  She accented the scene with realistically imagined Chihuly glass globes, which are appliqued to the fountain.  They appear to be floating in the water,  just as they would if they were part of a Chihuly installation.

Best Man, 16 x 28”, by Jean Renli Jurgenson

A really interesting piece in black, white and gray, Best Man focuses on the crisp collar, white pleats, and black tie of the tuxedo. Jean Jurgenson explains,  "My son, Josh, was getting ready for his brother, Jake’s, wedding. I rendered the hands, face, and shirt details with Tsukineko inks on a gradation of gray fabric I painted with Setacolor paint."

Hong Kong Taxi, 60 x 42”, by Jean Jurgenson

Architectural precision must have been required to construct these buildings in fabric, and yet the method of construction is nearly invisible. Jean says,  "This piece was done from a photo taken by my daughter, Lee, from their 14th floor apartment on Hong Kong Island. My granddaughter, who was a toddler, would stand at the window and wait for a red taxi to drive by and call out “taxi!” - thus the title." 

Aileyn Renli Ecob and Jean Renli Jurgenson

Aileyn and Jean are members of Studio Art Quilt Associates.  For more of their work and current exhibits, please visit their website at Fiber on the Wall.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.