While quilters can display their work at quilt shows, fiber artists don’t have such go-to exhibition spots. Luckily St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio, has an art gallery that often displays work by local art quilters and fiber artists.
The current show features three artists, two of whom could be called fiber artists. One also works in fiberglass screening, with other elements attached. The screening imparts a moire effect that changes as you look at the pieces from different angles.
My Asian Sun by Ted Maringer
Detail of My Asian Sun
I’m going to focus on the work of Carole Pollard, who is an art quilter in my book. Apparently she plunged into art quilting upon retirement and has had local and regional exhibits of her work.
Awakening features paper piecing and some gauzy loose pieces towards the bottom. It stuck me as a combination of a butterfly and a bird.
The Crucible is the second of what appears to be a trilogy. The show had almost no annotation about the artists’ intentions. Again, Pollard used paper piecing and what looks to me like a piecing/applique technique similar to that used by Vicki Pignatelli. I have no idea how she mounts the tops of these pieces – hooks? wires? I didn’t think the church staff would take kindly to my standing on a chair to investigate.
Triumph is the least rectangular of Pollard’s pieces, and many of the “feathers” are attached only at one end. I think it’s the third of the trilogy.
Starkly Odd shows a different aspect of Pollard’s work. The bottom right block is cut out between the inner circle and the surrounding square.
Talisman also has three dimensional effects. I like the squiggly pieced curves that radiate from the central motif.
Talisman detail.
As always, I’m fascinated to see how others interpret their visions in fabric. The cut outs in Pollard’s “square” pieces have been added to my accumulations of ideas for a hole-y quilt. I don’t think I’d ever construct a gauntlet from silver lame, but it broadens my realm of possibilities to see it realized.
