I'm in the WINDOW! Or rather, my quilt is! This the Bakersfield Art Center, home to two large lighted galleries and a busy classroom. it is the hub of the Bakersfield Art Association, which was formed by a group of artists over 60 years ago to support each other and further the role of art in the community.
I got to know some of the history after getting involved in the creation of a PSA (public service announcement) for the Art Center. My friend, Todd, who I used to work with in TV and radio for advertising, asked me if I would help and I jumped right in. It was an enjoyable and rewarding project. I got to know what goes on behind the scenes to keep the Art Center thriving, how much time and effort artist members give. Each artist who has a space in the gallery works two days a month, along with volunteering at First Fridays and other community events where artist members show and sell their work. Along with getting to know long-time members who are now holding positions on the board, I also became more familiar with different artists' work. We spent one day shooting every piece of art in the galleries, in case we decided to use it. What a variety! There's everything from oils, acrylics and watercolors to big free-standing sculptures to ceramics, hand-painted scarves and unique jewelry (that I am trying to resist!) Currently I am the only art quilter in the midst, although there are a couple of other artists who use textiles in their work.
First Series: Film Strip - This little quilt marked the beginning of my first series. For now, the "First Series" part of the name is a placeholder until I come up with something better...! It sat on my wall for a long time before I quilted it. I was ready to move from my "artsy" style of free motion quilting (think spirals, circles, meandering, flames and of course, feathers) to the straight line quilting I had been admiring for some time.
It was great to be back in the studio again – and promoting art! At this point we have finished production of the TV PSA and all that's left is to get back in the booth, do the voice-over, and then Todd will edit it with the music for the radio PSA.