MONTROSE QUILT SHOW
You Know You Are a Quilter When…
The only time you do laundry is when you come back from the Black Canyon Quilt Show and you have a whole pile of new cottons to pre-wash. – From the July issue of San Juan Snippets, the newsletter of the San Juan Quilters Guild
Quilters are a passionate bunch, and their numbers in this region are growing. This Friday through Sunday, July 13-15, they host the 16th annual Black Canyon Quilt Show at the Montrose Pavilion. The quilt show was started by a small number of women in Montrose in 1996, and originally took up just the lobby of the Pavilion. Today the gathering is hosted by the three guilds in this area – Columbine Quilters, Friendship Quilters of Western Colorado, and the San Juan Quilters – and takes up most of the building.
Each year’s quilt show has a theme, and this year’s sounds simple enough: “Honoring America.” But in fact, the execution of one of America’s key motifs – the star –- though common in quilting, is incredibly difficult to get just right, says Carolyn Ray, who is in charge of this year’s judging. To make matters worse, mistakes involving stars can be glaring. “Anything with a star on it catches your attention, and all the points on the star are a challenge,” Ray says. All the points must be precise, and the points must end precisely at the edge of each block of fabric, neither early or late. Judy Martin, the author of Stellar Quilts – Stars That Stand Out, has made mastering the star her specialty, and will give a lecture on the topic Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. This year’s raffle quilt is loaded with perfect examples of the design, and is entitled “Starburst Lilies.”
As always, technical acumen will be judged at this year’s quilt show as well as beauty. Last year, the quilt that took second place in the “pieced” group (meaning a quilt assembled of pieces of fabric sewn together, instead of being appliquéd on top of another piece of fabric) displayed both; the intricate design recalled a Navajo rug known as an Eye Dazzler. Ray, who has been quilting since 1981, is impressed not only with the beauty of the designs her fellow guild-members come up with, but by the women themselves: “When I moved here from Dallas, I was amazed and elated,” not only at the number of quilters in this area, but how so many made her feel welcome. “It made the transition much easier. They’re there when you need support, and they become your close friends.” The show is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3.
RIDGWAY LIBRARY ART SHOW
On Saturday afternoon, the Ridgway Library hosts a reception for two artists, old friends who only recently discovered they both make art. Kellie Day, who works in mixed media, will display her work alongside the found-metal objects of fellow ice-and-mountain climber Sven Krebs. When Day and Krebs, who hadn’t seen each other for years, ran into each other at last year’s Ah Haa School auction, they realized they had more than crampons in common. Day had a show booked at the Ridgway library, and invited Krebs to join her. The two took a trip to Denver, combing the galleries along Santa Fe Drive for inspiration which, in the end, they found in their own backyards, almost literally. For Krebs, who lives two blocks away from Recla Metals in Montrose, it came in the form of what others discard. “You’re still allowed to search the scrap piles out there,” he says. “I’m a welder. I started using neodymium magnets to put metal pieces all together. Once I discovered how well everything sticks, I realized I could make the pieces interactive, so the owner of each piece can totally change the work.” Though Day works in mixed media, she shares Krebs’ love of “these whimsical, strange” pieces of metal. Her work at the Library, though, centers around this summer’s wildfires and local waters, specifically her captivation by the koi pond at Ouray Hot Springs, and the San Miguel River. “I live by the river,” she says. “I painted an eight-foot-long stretch of it – my favorite little spot.” Rusted mining remnants combine with water not only in the rivers around here, but in the artists’ work. The artists’ reception is from 4-7 p.m.
AH HAA AUCTION
Speaking of the Ah Haa School’s auction, it’s time for the 20th annual rendition next Friday, July 20, beginning at 6 p.m. The live and silent sale will feature works donated by local, regional and international artists, all of whom are affiliated with the School, and will include everything from painting and photography to jewelry, works in mixed media, an unreleased Michael Ward Beatles print, a custom Derek Tuohy electric guitar, hand-painted by artist Danielle DeRoberts, even a Cirque d’Ah Haa-themed trip to Las Vegas. “Friday night is a great party, but there’s so much going on,” says marketing manager Lauren Metzger, that the School will host a special, more-intimate gathering of five artists, and an opportunity to bid, on the evening of Thursday, July 19. There, painter Corinne Scheman and sculptor Michelle Montague, among others, will discuss their works and processes. An art show featuring all the artwork in the silent auction opened July 5 at the school’s gallery; there is no admission charge. “Each year,” Metzger says, “artists give so much to the community. This is a way to showcase their talent.” For more on the Thursday and Friday night auctions, visit ahhaa.org.
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