Monday, June 23, 2014

I'm looking back today - "Connections #3" - art quilt

Connections #3 - 50" x 24"
hand dyed cotton by artist, hand embellished with embroidery thread, machine-pieced, machine quilted
Jana Van Wyk copyright 2014

My current focus is painting; however, for many years I hand-dyed cotton and created art quilts.  I was an active member of  PAQA-South, the Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South  and helped coordinate the 2006 PAQA-South Conference.

I entered Connections #3 into this juried show:

2007 ARTQUILTSmarkings

April 27 – May 30, 2007  Page Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, North Carolina
Connection #3 was not accepted into this show; my "markings" were the hand embellished markings that I created using embroidery floss.  Looking back and doing a self-critique, I believe one of the reasons it was not accepted is because my markings do not stand out in a photograph.  Remember curators and jurists are only looking a photographs that are usually projected to a screen.
Of course I was disappointed to be rejected. What did I learn from this? 
1) Not getting into shows is simply part of being an artist, get used to it, and move on. 
2) This art quilt now hangs happily in a focal spot between my sunroom and family room.  Visitors see this art as they enter our kitchen.  I displayed it on a wall with a medium dark neutral color and often my friends will say "those colors really pop against that wall".  So simply enjoy your work if it doesn't sell and show.  Maybe this one is meant to stay with me for now.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Looking to the Right - 20x24 - oil on canvas
I was driving north towards Abiqiui, New Mexico in early evening and happened to look right.  What I saw made me pull over the car and take photos.  I painted this based on the photos I took that day.  See the adobe on the far right?

For sale on my online store http://www.janavanwyk.etsy.com

Saturday, June 14, 2014

I've updated my etsy store! www.janavanwyk.etsy.com

Hi everyone!    I've updated my etsy store and it's all stocked up with over 15 paintings!


Over the next few days I'll be posting even more paintings;  the new ones will be BIG ones so stay tuned.  Jana

Purple Hills 11x14 oil painted on location in New Mexico