"Townhouses" Cindy Grisdela 2011

I don’t have any new work to show because I’ve spent the last few days going through the list of shows I’d like to enter and going over my inventory of quilts to see what I want to enter where.  It’s surprising how much time all that takes.

The first entry was due this week and I had chosen the quilts I wanted to enter, but when I started to fill out the form, I realized the show had changed its rules since I entered it last year. Now they have a minimum size requirement, which my chosen pieces didn’t meet–Oops! Glad I read the directions. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting rejected from a show because you didn’t follow the rules. I’ve learned to read and reread the call for entry to make certain that I meet the guidelines.

If I haven’t been to a show I’m considering entering, another thing I’ve learned is to research the jurors and if possible try to find photos on the internet of previous shows to see what type of work has been accepted in the past. If that research indicates that representational art is likely to be preferred, for example, I will think again about whether I want to enter my more abstract, contemporary work.  I found last year’s photos from one of the other shows I’m looking at and realized they probably want larger scale pieces than what I have right now in inventory. So I need to decide if I have the time and the desire to create something specifically for that show. Fortunately the entry deadline is late September, so it’s possible if I decide that’s the way I want to go.

Above is “Townhouses” from my 30 Quilts in 30 Days project that’s now on exhibit at the Keller Williams Realty office in McLean. I really like the way the purple glows against the royal blue background it’s mounted on, and the vertical improvisational strip down the center is one of my favorites. I named it “Townhouses” because that’s what the vertical house shapes reminded me of. I had fun with the quilting on this one–I think I say that about all of them! If you right-click on the image you can see the fan shapes and the stacked spirals I used to add texture and interest to the plain areas.

I’m going to have this and many of my other 30 Days pieces at the McLean Artfest on Oct. 2 and the Great Falls Studios Annual Studio Tour on Oct. 15-16, so mark your calendars!