The Village Gallery in Lumby has mounted a new exhibit for January and February.
Linda Kuraoka has curated a display of artistic quilts designed by the QuArtz group, a sub-group of the Vernon Silver Star quilters. QuArtz is short for Quilting Arts.
The theme of the exhibit at the Village Gallery is QuArtz Does Canada, a celebration of Canada at 150 years. The three parameters stipulated are various techniques, a red element, and something distinctly Canadian in a 20 x 30 format.
The QuArtz group loves to play with fabric, which they manipulate with transforming elements: painting, photography, burning, embellishing, rust painting, and doing anything else that is possible with a fabric substrate. Each project has a new challenge.
Each quilter interprets each new project in their own unique way. Previous projects have included: famous artist postcards, cartographic (map) quilts, emerald quilts, and progressive quilts. Their work has been displayed at the Art Walk in Winfield and at Lumby Days.
The art subgroup of the VSSQ Guild has been active for many years, but with a renewed interest in quilting art, this group has grown to approximately 20 people. Some of them have taken courses and others are self-taught. They are photographers, acrylic and watercolor artists, seamstresses, teachers, etc. sharing their various talents and knowledge.
The members all enjoy quilting; some enjoy the process while others enjoy the finished product. Some work with a defined plan and others let their work evolve. They work through various challenges with workshops, demos, positive critiques, and combing books, magazines and the internet. A most co- operative group, the members encourage, share information and challenge each other.
Though most of the quilts displayed are not for sale, the gallery does sell many other arts and crafts.
The QuArtz group meets the second Tuesday of the month between 9 a.m. and noon at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Vernon. For more information call 778-473-3029. To see more QuArt art quilts, visit vssq.org, subgroups, Quartz group, or quartzcanada.blogspot.ca
Contributed