The Friendship Knot Quilt Guild (in Sarasota, FL) is a group of extremely talented people. From large traditional quilts to small art quilts (and vice versa) I am always uplifted by the show-and-tell portion of our meetings. In addition, we usually have a guest speaker. Last evening our guest was Sharon Schamber, www.sharonschamber.com who is the 2010 best of show winner at the Houston Quilt Fest. Her quilts are intricate in the extreme. Certainly NOT quilts to cozy under with greasy popcorn and a shedding pet while watching TV! All the processes of quilt construction, including the hand dying of fabric, are done by Sharon herself. She can applique the tiniest circles imaginable, and her designs are both dynamic and precise. For us normal quilters, no matter our level of talent, seeing her quilts is an exercise in humility. For me, it was also an opportunity to examine a bit about what it is I want from my art. Anyone who creates gives of him or herself to the chosen medium. But the medium also gives back. Dollars for items sold, prizes and awards, or simply being in the midst of the process. For each of us, the reward needs are different.
If you are wondering about the Pepto-Bismol........., in her talk last evening, Ms Schamber made a comment about there being a fine line between Pepto-Bismol and pink (her award winning quilt is pink, btw. There are many such 'fine lines' in our lives. Lines between self-expression and ego, shyness and introversion, cost vs. reward, insecurity and confidence, etc. It is all about balance - an over-used concept in today's parlance - but nonetheless necessary. I will continue to examine what I give to my art and what my art gives back and see what happens.
I really enjoyed reading this post susan. Thank you for the email as well! i will be catching up with you later, but it sounds good : ) lenna
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