DAFA awards two 2015 Scholarships

University of North Texas undergraduate Laura Tietjen and graduate student Sarah Westrup are DAFA’s 2015 Scholarship winners. The two accepted their $500 scholarships at DAFA’s May meeting from community services chair Brenda McKinney. Laura and Sarah also gave slide presentations showing their extensive fiber art works.

The students’ applications for scholarships came with high recommendations from Amie Adelman and Lesli Robertson, faculty members in the UNT Fibers program. We congratulate these fine young artists! And we are happy to present just a few pictures here of their very impressive work.

Sarah Westrup (left) and Laura Tietjen (right) pose with community services chair Brenda McKinney. Photo on the right shows one of Laura’s works, a multi-layer transperse-dye piece.

Left: Laura’s slide showing her twined wax linen piece “Heart.” Right: Laura’s slide showing her large pieces on linen, “Sirens.”

Left: Laura’s slide showing one of her “Sirens” pieces in progress on the work table. Right: Laura accepting her scholarship from Brenda.

Left: Sarah Westrup’s slide showing her woven linen rock installation with Texas-Mexico Border imagery. Right: Sarah’s woven waxed linen piece with eggs and cactus needles, “Huevos Rancheros.”

Left: Sarah’s slide showing her weaving with cactus pads and waxed linen, “Cactus Corner.” Right: Sarah's slide showing steps in her collaboration with past DAFA scholarship winner Analise Minjarez. They are pictured working along the Rio Grande River and in the gallery on a large installation titled “El Norte.”

Left: Sarah’s slide showing her gallery installation “Citizenship en el Cielo.” Center: Sarah speaking to the DAFA audience. Right:  Another of Sarah’s weavings, this one incorporating ear candles.

The May meeting included the installation of new officers for 2015-16. During the mini-workshop period Beth Swider led members in an Artist Trading Card Exchange. A few of the small works of art are shown here.

Posted by Carolyn Skei

Members celebrate conclusion of 2015 Exhibition

With wonderful refreshments and lots of guests to heighten the excitement, DAFA members gathered on Monday, April 27, for the Reception and Awards Ceremony celebrating the guild’s 2015 Member Exhibition, FOCUS: Fiber. Show chair Sherrie Tootle presided over the awarding of prizes and introduced the show’s juror/judge, Metroplex-area artist Julio Suarez. Suarez explained his approach to jurying and judging the works and emphasized the importance of good photography to show the high quality of entries.

Winner of the Best of Show Award was Brenda McKinney for her mandala-styled piece “Lotto.” Debbie Snider won the Juror’s Choice Award for her complex, basket-structured piece “Split Personality.” Heather Pregger took First Place for her art quilt “Subdivision #9.” They and other winners are shown below.

Carol Kovacs and JoAnn Musso, who co-chaired the 2015 Member Challenge, presented awards to the winning entrants in the exhibit titled Dreaming Wildly in a Primary Color. DAFA’s honored, long-time member Ruth Anderson was the challenge judge. Those winning pieces are also shown below.

 

Members and guests fill the hallway gallery at The Point. Petit fours grace the reception table arranged by vice president Patsi Davila.

Juror Julio Suarez (left center) chats at the punch table with Deborah Boschert, one of the exhibitors, as Vet concentrates on announcements. Next to the fruit platters, the yummiest colors at the show could be seen on president JoAnn Musso and her whimsical paper ball gown.

Refreshments beckon, and tables full of guests enjoy the reception. Show chair Sherrie Tootle and juror Julio Suarez begin the awards with an honorable mention to Gay Young (center).

Best of Show winner Brenda McKinney with "Lotto.’"Juror’s Pick winner Debbie Snider with "Split Personality." First-place winner Heather Pregger with "Subdivision #9."

Second place winner Diana Pemberton with her "Hooded Scarf." Third-place winner Natalie Friedman with her mixed-media piece “RAVELations." Vet with her honorable mention piece "Unraveled."

Gay Young and her honorable mention winner "Solar Panels." Lisa Covert and her felted tea set, "Duet," another honorable mention winner.

2015 Challenge winners: Lu Peters for "Red, Read, Red," best interpretation of the theme; Carol Kovacs with "The Owl and the Pussycat," best use of materials, and Katina Hronas with "You Are What You Eat,” most imaginative.

To wrap up an exciting evening, DAFA members posed for a new group picture, circa 2015.

--Carolyn Skei and Patsi Davila

Deborah Boschert presents her “Signature Style”

Emerging artist Deborah Boschert, one of DAFA’s own, spoke at the guild’s March meeting, presenting her new slide talk, “Stitching, Symbols, Signature Style,” and showing several of her award-winning art quilts. She shared many of her favorite techniques, materials and themes and traced the ways in which collaborations and moves around the country have influenced her work.

Deborah will lead a weekend workshop for DAFA on Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3. Find details about Dynamic Guided Designs for Fabric Collage on the DAFA website.

Patsi Davila, an avowed “trash makeover artist,” led the March mini-workshop, “Fun, Fabulous Recycled Fabric Beads.”

LEFT TO RIGHT: Deborah Boschert talks with Sherrie Tootle (holding small quilt) about some of the symbols in her work. A slide showing samples of hand stitching techniques favored by Deborah. Deborah enjoys a question from the audience.

LEFT TO RIGHT: A slide showing a closeup of one of Deborah’s house quilts, “Green House Mantra.” Members and guests get a close look at Deborah’s colorful quilts.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Patsi Davila (standing) discusses bead-making methods with Lynne Weinberger. A view of Patsi’s shared recycled treasures.  Beth Swider, mini-workshop chair, visits with some of the bead makers.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Beads and bracelets produced by participants in Patsi’s recycled fabric beads mini-workshop. Photos by Patsi Davila.

-- Posted by Carolyn Skei

January meeting: “Into the Real Woods”

Guest presenters Tory Padden and Barbara Kirksey spoke at DAFA’s January 2015 meeting about the design processes involved in theatre costuming. The two showed slides of their individual and collaborative projects in a program they called “Into the Real Woods: A Journey into the World of Costuming.”

Tory is an award-winning costume designer working in a variety of theaters around the Metroplex. Barbara, a DAFA member, has worked in a number of productions at Mainstage/Irving-Las Colinas and Northlake College.

The evening also included a session of “fiber trafficking” – a swap of art-related items that enabled members to honor their New Year’s resolutions to shed some unwanted pounds of “fiber fat.” President JoAnn Musso also led the guild in honoring Deborah Boschert, who coordinated DAFA’s participation in the recent VECCO rug challenge. DAFA members’ efforts in the competition netted $7,500 in prize monies for the guild treasury.

Left: Chuck Baber and Mary Masal consider other members’ cast-offs during the “Fiber Diet” session preceding the program. Right: President JoAnn Musso presents Deborah Boschert with roses in appreciation for her leadership in the VECCO project.

Left: One of the costumes on exhibit at the meeting. Center: Barbara Kirksey (on the left) and Tory Padden entertain the crowd with stories of their adventures as costume designers. Right: A slide showing a panto (holiday comedy) chicken costume.

Slides of the designers’ costume creations for productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (left) and Tartuffe.

December 2014: Holiday Potluck and Silent Auction

DAFA members ended the year 2014 with the guild’s traditional Holiday Potluck and Silent Auction – bringing good food for fellow guild members to enjoy and handmade art for colleagues to buy. Thanks to VP Patsi Davila for organizing both events!

Left to right: Hungry guests help themselves to potluck fare. Shoppers examine the handmade art of fellow DAFA members and record their bids. Gay Young celebrates her win of the highest-dollar item, a birdhouse made by Traci Hutton.

"Signed, Sealed and Delivered"

Led by DAFA program chair VET, a panel of members presented “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” at the November 24 meeting. Gay Young, Patricia Dillingham and Linda Disosway shared their tips for successfully finishing show entries, shipping them safely and presenting them as part of a thriving art business. During the mini-workshop hour, Beth Swider taught participants several forms of Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping gifts and other items with cloth.

Left to right: The panelists, Gay Young, Patricia Dillingham and Linda Disosway smile for the camera. Assisted by Patricia, Linda, who works for UPS, explains proper labeling and shipping processes. At the end of the meeting, Gay shows Mary Masal and JoAnn Musso the finished edges of several of her quilts.

Left to right: Beth Swider explains intricate Furoshiki wraps that often begin with square knots. A bandana wrap conceals a book. Beth’s shoes demonstrate that virtually anything can be wrapped in cloth!

Left to right: Sheila Hill wraps two bottles in a lovely silk scarf. Beth’s instruction packets for participants featured colorful tied fabric fish. M.E. Wilcox (on right) tackles a large fabric wrap as Nancy Terry and Sherrie Tootle look on.