Long Beach International Quilt Festival - Part 2

Here we are on Day 2 of our visit to the Long Beach International Quilt Festival. These quilts were part of an exhibit, "West Coast Wonders", celebrating the landscapes, architecture, and lifestyles of the West Coast of North America.

Rialto Trees - Daytime, app.20 x 20, by Denise Oyama Miller at DeniseOyamaMiller.com

Denise writes, "The inspiration (for this quilt) was from a visit to Rialto Beach on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. The wind blows so strong that the needles and bark have been blown off the trees." One of those quilts in the minimalist style,  this work impressed us by the stark beauty of the branches and the skillful use of contrasting light and dark values. Even though the trees have been battered by the wind, they are still standing tall, straight,  and affirming their presence, which is a very endearing value.

A smaller quilt called Rialto Trees is posted at the SAQA auction page.   A companion piece, "Rialto Trees - Nighttime", was awarded first place in 2010 at the Marin Society of Artists show.

Roses - Sun and Shadow, app. 22 x36, by B. Lynn Tubbe

Lynn states, "Escape into the beauty of California's natural world. I especially enjoy other gardeners' flowers that I find difficult to grow among grazing deer. This quilt uses only fabric and thread for color definition and depth." This original design of Lynn's uses raw-edge fused applique to create a very lovely and life-like depiction of rose blossoms and their shadows against a weathered garden fence.

Wave Rider, app. 32 x 40, by Monika Scola

Monika explains that computer manipulation of the shape of a heart created this vortex ( the swirls or spiral design which leads into the center).  Can you see how she turned the heart shape on its side to resemble an ocean wave to symbolize her love of surfing? We loved the restful monochromatic aqua blue tones in this quilt, which was constructed using pieced fabric, broderie perse, fused applique, hand beading and painting, plus free-motion quilting.

Point Buchon, app. 40 x 40, by Sara Kelly, at Sara Kelly Art Quilts

Sara Kelly's description of her quilt is as lyrical as her design. She notes, "The Point Buchon (California) trail in spring is a symphony of saturated color. Golden poppies carpet the ( green) hillsides, and....spouting whales cruise the sparkling Pacific Ocean, which mirrors clear blue skies. We think that "Point Buchon" is a fabulous use of complementary light and deep values of blue and orange. Sara's impressionistic design style here plays up the fragments of sunlight as they reflect on the flowers and ocean.

Under the Ocean Beach Pier, app. 24 x 24, by Linda Laird

Linda says, "Ocean Beach pier (in San Diego, California) is a wonderful place to go tide pooling and beach combing. All sorts of natural and unnatural treasures can be found." She has created a very unique and original collage quilt of the objects she found in the water underneath the pier. Click on quilt to enlarge it, and you will see shells, a matchbook cover, part of a paintbrush......and what else can you find? It's like a quilted "I Spy" game.