SAQA OPEN SPACE VISITORS CENTER EXHIBIT

I highly recommend anyone who did not get to the Open Space Visitors Center Exhibit, to do so.  The exhibit will be closing December 30, 2012 so there is still time to see it!  Our last Regional Meeting coincided with the opening reception on November 10th.  There was a great turn out from all over the Region... Southern NM, Arizona and a wonderful entry in the exhibit from an Oklahoma City member.

Our (the membership's) thanks go out to Betty Busby for all her great organizational skills and hard work making it happen.  Also, appreciated are the efforts of Nora Beebe and Gale Oppenheim and all the other contributing helpers to make this event and the reception a success.

SEPTEMBER FEATURED ARTIST

SEPTEMBER FEATURED ARTIST

SUSAN SZAJER

Welcome to the September SAQA New Mexico Featured Artist. This month we are featuring Susan Szajer of Silver City. Susan will be part of the Red Dot Studio Tour in Silver City from October 5-8. I'm sure some of you will want to go and see her studio during the tour after reading about her and seeing her pictures! You may find out more about Red Dot Studio Tour at www. silvercitygalleries.com. The site has a map and brochure available for download. 

Here is what Susan has to say about herself.

What is your art background?

I have been a professional artist for twenty five years.  I was fortunate enough to grow up with a father who is an artist.  Early in his career, he taught at the Art Institue in Chicago and I was able to attend Saturday classes as a child.  While completing my degree in Communicative Disorders at Northwestern University, I had an interest in art, but it took a while for me to find my focus.  I was adept with a sewing machine, and in the early 70’s when quilting made a resurgence, I explored my options to create quilts as art.  I learned to dye my own fabric and developed a style of piecing a landscape background, using my machine to free motion embroider trees or grasses upon this background, and matting and framing the completed piece under glass.  I traveled for many years presenting this type of work at art shows on the east coast and experienced success.  When we moved to New Mexico, I opened a gallery in town to show my work. After four years, I closed the gallery and returned to the studio full time so I could spend more time creating.

What inspires you?

Color is my greatest inspiration. I feel very comfortable with combining colors using my own instincts.  A vivid red orange or a subtle grey can trigger an image of a completed piece or at least get me started in the right direction.  Much of my abstract work is monochromatic, although black seems to creep into most of my quilts.

What is your most significant art-related achievement?

As an artist, I believe art related achievements are significant based on the time line of a career.  Early on, my first solo show in a gallery was most significant.  While I was doing art shows, acceptance into the Designer Showcase in Manhattan was a triumph.  Mid-carrer, mastering the techniques to create art allowed me to focus on the result without obstacles impeding my progress and is of great significance now and for the future.  At this time, I feel I have achieved a commitment to daily studio time and the ability to discuss my process with visitors to my studio.  Their enthusiasm and appreciation for not only the completed piece, but also the techniques used to create it, gives me great pleasure.  I have achieved the goal of sharing and educating in a place where people feel comfortable and always leave with a smile on their face.

What do you love most about your medium?

Flexibilty!  As the traditional “rules” of quilting are fading in importance, many new surface design techniques are being explored and translated from paper or canvas to cloth.  The definition of a quilt has broadened allowing all of us to present our work in a variety of ways that were unheard of thirty years ago.

What’s on the horizon?

Since closing the gallery, I have devoted the past two years to experimentation in the studio.  I’ve worked with dyes, resists, paints, screen prints and photo transfers. My current work focuses on using a very neutral pallette to emcompass a small splash of vibrant color.  My studio will remain open to visitors and I will continue to participate in the Red Dot Studio Tour in Silver City.  This year the tour is Oct. 5-8, and I hope to reveal my new “neutral” series at this event.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Susan and seeing her work as much as I did. You may see more of her work by visiting her blog at www.www.studio18art.com.

Debbie McNeill

Feature Artist Editor

CONSTRUCTION

INTROSPECTION

LET'S TAKE A BREAK

LINES GREAT AND SMALL

OUTSIDE INFLUENCES

URBAN TOTEM

SUE'S STUDIO

FEATURED ARTIST JERI BEITEL

Welcome to the first Featured Artist article.  This is the place to get to know your fellow-artists in New Mexico. I send an artist a series of five questions which they answer and then send back to me along with pictures of their work and themselves.

Our Featured Artist is Jeri Beitel.

Jeri lives in Santa Fe and here is what she has to say about herself and her art.

What is your art background?

I have a degree in Art and Interior Design and a Master's in Interior Design from Cal. State U. Long Beach. I also have a Master's in Art History from Cal State U. Fullerton. I taught Interior Design and other related Design subjects at Fullerton Community College for 30 years.

What inspires you?

My inspiration comes from modern art, architecture and people. Shapes and forms are the first thing that comes to my mind when creating my art. I like the element of strong color and that is always a consideration. Much of my art has an underlying meaning. I think this developed over time and was formed by themes that were required when entering and showing in art and quilt exhibits.

What is your most significant art-related achievement?

As a Fiber Artist and Art Quilt creator I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to show my quilts in states such as Hawaii, California and New Mexico. In New Mexico I have found the opportunities to show to be diverse and many. My latest achievement was a one-man show at the Las Chivas Coffee Shop in El Dorado which drew many positive comments. In the past I have also been able to show in such venues as the Capitol Building in Santa Fe as well as the new Community Center there. All of this great exposure is an incentive to continue to create and improve the quality of my work.

What do you love most about your medium?

What I love most about Art Quilts is that it allows me to create in a medium that is related to design, all the  while using the art elements in a diverse and different way. The creation of Art Quilts opens up so many possibilities in the use of any medium that you might ever want to explore.

What’s on the horizon?

After the next few local exhibit opportunities I would like to focus on trying my hand at some of the national exhibits. In doing that, I will have to focus more on the sewing skills that are needed to be successful in that endeavor.

Here are pictures of Jeri's studio and her art for your enjoyment. Thanks Jeri for taking the time to share yourself with us. You may see more of Jeri's work at her website www.colorway-design.com.
Debbie McNeill, Feature Artist Editor