As you can imagine, I photographed MANY of the quilts in the various Art Quilt Categories, so many in fact that I will have to show them for a few posts.  I tried to separate them into their categories, but was not always successful.  Next year, I WILL photograph the category marker too!  These were among my favorites of the entire IQA Show.

Alice’s Kitchen by Miki Murakami, Kawasaki-si, Kanagawa Pref, Japan

Simply charming, with its bright, brilliant colors and excellent interpretation of theme, Alice’s Kitchen won first place in this category.  Miki writes, “In the story of Alice in Wonderland, there is no kitchen scene; however, I think it would be fun if a kitchen appeared in the world of Alice.  So, I imagined such a kitchen in this quilt.”

Did You Wash Your Beak? by David Taylor, Steamboat Springs, CO

If the picture in this quilt is worth a thousand words, this stitching says it all!  This beautiful piece by David Taylor won the Judge’s Choice award from IQA judge, Carolee Hensley.  He writes, “Birds have always been my favorite subject matter to turn into quilts.  I hope I captured the attitude of the mother bird as she looks appalled at her baby’s manners.  I spent weeks debating with myself over the background colors, and ultimately stayed true to Steve Byland‘s photograph.”

Artie Facts by Joyce Patterson, Ukiah, CA

I think that I love dogs just as much as birds, and I found several that delighted me at this year’s show.  Artie Facts was a uniquely wonderful interpretation of the theme.  Joyce Patterson writes, “I have long known that dogs have their own set of rules and facts about how the world works.  So, faced with a Mendocino Quilt Artist’s challenge to create a quilt based on the theme Artifact my mind went to dog facts.  Artie is the representative of the dog world and these are some of the known dog facts.”

Mt Ruffmore by Pauline Salzman, Treasure Island, FL

There were several quilts that focused on dogs at this year’s show; almost all were whimsical.   Pauline Salzman writes, “These are the President’s dogs:  Bo, buddy, Barney, and Heidi.  Man’s best friend transcends all political party affiliations.”

Fanciful Flora by Lois Podolny, Tucson, AZ

This fanciful floral arrangement in bright, bold colors epitomizes whimsy!  Lois Podolny writes, “This is a fantasy flower arrived at by starting with random shapes and seeing where the journey would take me.  It was inspired by a class with Jane Sassaman.”

Tutti Frutti Main Street by Susan Bleiweiss, Upton, MA

This quilt by Susan Bleiweiss is just plain fun!  The judges liked it too and awarded it an honorable mention in the IQA competition.  Susan writes, “Part of my ongoing “Tutti Frutti” series of art quilts celebrating the use of vibrant color and whimsical imagery.”

The Birders by Suzanne Marshall, Clayton, MO

Closing out this post, I saved my absolute favorite for last.  I simply adore this quilt, in part because of the hilarity of the scene portrayed by the expert hand of Suzanne Marshall.  The workmanship is exquisite and I wonder what went through her mind as she created this quilt.  It was awarded 2nd place in the the Art-Whimsical category. Suzanne writes, “Creating a new and humorous composition, inspired by a manuscript from 1565, made me laugh while quilting by hand.”

More art quilts to come . .  .