I have been working on several pieces recently, and have  made a fair amount of progress. Here is the Red Herring that I put up on the blog a while ago in a paper rendition, with hand stitching. This time, the background is made of fabric, painted fabric, and is machine-stitched. This is mostly complete, and I am about to connect the fish to the background. This time the whole piece will be rendered in fabric, and painted.

I am about half way in to my Red Sky at the Morning project. Currently, I am working on the texture, combining wool roving, cheese cloth and paint. I have painted the background fabric and dyed portions to produce the red coloring.

Experimenting with art quilt, stitching and mounting on canvas. The background fabric was left over from a design class I took some time ago. After purchasing a new sewing machine, I decided to see what it would do. Another  project on my list was to mount a piece of quilt art on canvas. This was the perfect opportunity to put both ideas to the test. Mounting the artwork on canvas is great, but I discovered that the piece must be small like those included below. Here are two sets from my left over design class.

This work will be displayed at the Mel’s Frame Shop at 1007 SW Morrison in downtown Portland, Oregon for the month of March, 2013. Stop in and take a look.

Just thought I would keep you posted on the progress of the joint art quilt project with Ikie. I have taken photos of the very big fish and tried to put them together. The colors are not the same in each section but I put them together anyway. This will give you some idea of the size. The stitching on the fish was a very difficult task but I got it done.

The two pieces of green fabric are ones I sun dyed. On one I put the biker. Ikie painted the border on the biker with paint and pens. On the other piece, Ikie painted a fish. Now they are back in my studio and I will have do do something with them.

We are still experimenting on how do deal with our ideas. We are making progress, so stay tuned.

Big News! Look for items of my Fiber and Quilt Art in my new on-line “shop.”

I recently opened a virtual shop on etsy, featuring some of my fiber and quilt art, so please drop by for a look.

This is the first time I have placed my creations on sale in such a format. It was a very interesting process and took quite a bit of time. However, the on-line support is quite good, and I am hoping that the results will be as well.

Placemats are the center of focus in my new shop, “Shirley MacGregor’s Art”. I enjoy making them and they have generated quite a bit of interest from those who have visited. I have always gotten a lot of positive comments when people are over for dinner.

I don’t make them in sets, so each one is unique. They are all cotton, and can be machine washed over and over without loss of quality. In fact, they seem to get better the older they become.

I have decided on PayPal as the exclusive payment medium. I have found it very easy to use, efficient, and safe for all concerned.

So, do drip by and have a look at my offerings.

The Art collaboration with Ikie continues with some results on the combined process of fabric and printing.

The first tests have been somewhat successful. The fish, which is to be a trout at some point, is just a test case, blending paper with fabric. I used the outline of Ikie’s painting for the fish. More to come on this one.

The red running shoe was our first experiment, and needed some improvements on the technique and ink used in printing. The black running shoe was successful, but we still need to work on the ink.

I would like to introduce my friend Ikie Nolan Kressel, a fellow artist who has proposed a challenge to combine my fiber art and her printing expertise. We both have a great deal to learn from each other, and I will keep you posted on our progress.

It took a trip to Vietnam to meet my neighbor Shirley.  Each of us traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to participate in an international women’s exhibit. We have found some common ground for our work, Shirley as fabric artist and me as printmaker. Brainstorming and collaboration has been inspiring and fun. We are currently working from a series I did for a show at Guardino Gallery (NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR  http://www.guardinogallery.com), the theme of which is, ” What Matters”. Often it’s those simple things, e.g., my Running Shoe, the Biscotti, for my lunch and the Rainbow Trout I painted on a door which hangs on our houseboat.

From those linoleum cuts, Shirley has taken off and done beautiful work, transforming them into fabric art. We’re still in the experimental phase of these works, but will keep you posted as we progress.

Below are three pictures we are working on in different forms. There are two linoleum cuts and a painting.

Linoleum cuts are Biscotti on left and Running Shoe on right. The painting Trout below.

I am fortunate to be able to participate in the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center’s show of Rhythm and Hues from the group High Fiber Diet. This is a show worth seeing along with the coastal area of Tillamook, Oregon.

I am also involved in another show in Salem, Oregon at the Bush Barn Art Center from October 5th through December 1st. This is a lovely center and they are also hosting their Holiday Gift show. Worth a trip to Salem and while you are there visit the State Capital.

Sorry, I have not posted much this summer as I have been very busy with travels and house guests.  Now that summer is almost over I look forward to getting back in the studio. I have many things that have inspired me over the past few months and I look forward to putting those ideas in my artwork. I will be posting the progress on my blog.

Here are some of the women artists at the exhibition Her Presents in Color X, their work, the Farewell party, and just some interesting pictures at the event. The Farewell Party was held at an artists colony Kylong. (http://kylong.com/). I am sorry it is not in English, but the pictures are great, just scroll down to see.

My work at the exhibition

Many of the artists at the farewell party.

View from Artist Colony

Artist Colony and Farewell Party

Artist Colony and Farewell Party

Nice-ending to Farewell Party

Her Presence in Color X was held in June this year in Vietnam, and featured the art of 212 women artists representing 20 different countries. The biennial event was formed in 1993 in Asia, and has grown to include many countries. We were fortunate to host the congregation here in Portland, Oregon, two years ago. To learn more about this organization see the web site.

The theme of the exhibition, “Women’s Art – a New Direction in Global Culture,” which was conceived to reflect the common vision and mission of the women artists and their aspiration for the development of a new global culture. The intent is to focus on the human aspects of life and their concern of women artists for  a sustainable environment. The exhibition was sponsored by International Women Artists Council (INWAC), Conservatory of Fine Arts Association (INWAA-Vietnam) and the Women Artists Club, Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association. The HCMC Fine Arts Museum supported the exhibition by providing a venue for the exhibition. Students from the HCMC Fine Arts University provided fantastic support for the event.

Fine Arts Museum main entrance

The Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts, the venue for the exhibition, is an old French colonial building, and a wonderful place for the show.  Museum officials generously provided two floors of one building, and plenty of space for the exhibition. An adjacent (and virtually identical) building, holds a wonderful collection of contemporary art.

Fine Art Museum show entrance

View of inside the Fine Arts Museum

I was lucky to be able to take part in this event as part of the American faction. There is so much to tell, I will do so in small segments. This first segment is the event itself, and the building where it was held.

Things are happening in my fiber arts world. I am happy to say I have some work that was juried into the Columbia Fiber Arts Guild, Singer Hill Gallery, Infinity Art Gallery, and Pacific West Quilt Show.

The show at the Gallery at Singer Hill Cafe excepted my fiber art work. The art works that were accepted are “Broken Heart” and “Fairy Candles.” They will be shown during the month of May.  Gallery hours are Tues. – Sat. 9:30 am to 2 pm, Late Afternoons & Evenings by Appointment.

The Singer Hill Cafe is an experience in itself. There are beautiful “vertical gardens” inside and out, designed and lovingly tended by the owner. These involve sheets of absorbent material covering the wall surface, with pockets cut to contain the plant material. Quite beautiful!

My work is also being shown on-line at the Infinity Art Gallery  “Paradigm Shift” and “Portland Spirit” are there for viewing. I hope to have this work juried into Infinity’s grand show on June 15.

The Pacific West Quilt Show, to be held August 24-25, 2012, at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Tacoma, WA, has just accepted two of my pieces. “Portland Spirit,” and “Hope in the Desert” will be on display between August 24 and 26.

Take a look and enjoy the links.

The Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure in Portland art quilt is now complete. I am pleased with the outcome and hope you enjoy it also.

This summer has been very busy and my work has slowed to a crawl. But I did finish the “runners” art quilt. I would really like to explore the runner theme more, along with that of the bikers. As to the quilt, the runners are silhouettes and the background is painted and stamped. I took pictures of some of Portland’s unique bridges, and then used Photoshop to modify them. They were then transferred to the fabric. The process really intrigues me.

For the back of the quilt, I used the number placards runners receive when they enter an event. I am now saving more of these (and scrounging some from runners!) as I love the way they work on the back. To protect the paper numbers, and to make them easier to attach, I used gel medium. I am still working on a name for this piece of art.

I look forward to the end of summer so I can get back to work, and develop more projects around this idea and method.

I am excited to say I was juried into the Women’s Caucus for Art/San Diego on line show. It is a nice exhibit so take a look and you will find two of my art quilts. They are Flauna and Paper Plastic, Think About it.

This press release was given to me to use so I am releasing it now. I am very excited about this. This quilt is the one going to Vietnam and is shown in the blog.

Portland Resident is a Finalist in Regional Quilt Competition
Shirley MacGregor of Portland, OR is a finalist in the Pacific West Quilt Show to be presented August 26-28, 2011, at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Tacoma, Washington. The piece titled Paradigm Shift, will compete with 227 quilts and wearable art entries from the 18 US states and Canadian provinces of the Pacific West region: Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, The Northwest Territories, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Yukon. Over $25,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to winners in ten categories.

The producing organization of this contest, the Association of Pacific West Quilters (APWQ), a non-profit organization, was founded in 1992. APWQ is dedicated to promoting the art of quiltmaking throughout the Western US and Canada and, as of 2011, will be presenting this juried and judged quilt exhibition on an annual basis. “We are extremely pleased with the very high standard of the quilts being created in traditional and innovative styles,” says Peggy Sperry, APWQ president. She adds, “From a field of more than 430 entries, 227 were selected. The 2011 Pacific West Quilt Show will be an outstanding exhibition of quilts from our region.”

The Pacific West Quilt Show is open to the public from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. For more information, please visit the website at www.apwq.org.

I enjoyed the most wonderful experience recently, the Studio Arts Quilt Association (SAQA) Visioning Conference in Denver, Colorado. It has been long time since I have attended such an enthusiastic and professional conference. It was well planned and balanced, and extremely inspirational.

There were two days of mini-workshops, panels on a variety of subjects, and a fine list of speakers. Side trips included the city of Golden, for a look at the magnificent SAQA “Sightlines” exhibit, and to Boulder, where we visited a few private studios.

Time and again, I heard remarks on how the conference provided such a shot in the arm to our creativity and professionalism. SAQA is a great organization, with many creative and inspiring individuals.

I finally have this art Celebrating Gloom – The Worst Day of the Year Ride work finished. The title really tells the story, but here is some additional information. The Worst Day of the Year Ride, which takes place in February, and  attracts about 4,000 hardy and adventurous individuals. Participants log about 18 mile, coursing through the streets of  downtown Portland. Food, drinks, and moral support are provided along the way. To get a feel for this unique event, take a look at the bike ride site.

The art quilt that I am doing for Vietnam is ready. I am using our troubled environment to express this theme for Her Presence in Colours X, which will be held in Vietnam in 2012. The theme is Women’s Art – a New Direction in Global Culture.

Paradigm Shift is the title of my art quilt. As we watch our environment degraded with alarming rapidity, and those in charge either unwilling or unable to bring about any meaningful change, it would seem that a woman’s nurturing instincts are needed to avert disaster.

I “recycled” a quilt top provide a base for this piece, added paper towels (used as swabs for a former project), then applied stamps, appliqué and paint.

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