memories of mist

I start a quilt thinking of the softness of the mist as it rises from the ocean. The calmness of the sky anchored by the firm shore. Don't you love the ripples in the prints of some of the fabric that add to the story of the quilt.

 A friend then sends me a quote from Albert Camus.

"The sky was green. I felt happy."

memories of mist--40 x 40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer 2020

Doesn't the quilting add to the texture of these colors and fabric? The little starfish in the prints makes me smile.

detail--memories of mist--quilt--Ann Brauer

 And another view.

detail--memories of mist--quilt--Ann Brauer

Doesn't this add yet another layer of meaning to the quilt? I must contemplate it more as I prepare for the Baltimore Craft Show in February. How quickly it is coming. I am Booth F-6 to the left along the wall as you enter from Pratt Street.https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore

To see more of my quilts you can also check out my website www.annbrauer.com or my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

one morning in march

Some quilts come together so easily. At least I have no memory of the struggles I am sure I had getting the fabrics just right. Sure I had to think about the different pinks and magentas. Were they too bright? Too warm? How did they work against all the wonderful greys?

I knew I wanted to capture that time before the leaves bud out but when there is just the hint of spring. The days are getting longer. The sky is a bit warmer. The ground is beginning to reappear after its winter sleep. Spring will come. What fun I had playing with the colors and getting the overall statement. What do you think?

one day in march--40 x 40 inches--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

And here are a couple of details of the quilt showing the hints of pink and yellow sky.

detail--one day in march--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

detail--quilt by Ann Brauer 2019

I like it so much I have it hanging in my studio over some pillows so I can study it frequently.

one day in march--hung in my studio--Ann Brauer 2019

I am trying to get ready for the Baltimore Craft Show this February 21-23 at the Convention Center. So much to do. So little time. For more information on the show check out their web site: https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore 

This quilt is also in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

don't stop thinking about tomorrow

There is an apocryphal but oh so true story that I have heard for years--probably you have heard it also.

An artist is asked what she would do if she was given a million dollars. The answer of course is to keep making art until she ran out of money.

Isn't that the way it goes. Always there is another quilt to make. Another show to prepare for.

Next up is the Baltimore Craft Show February 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center. www.craftcouncil.org How I love this show. This is another large show with six hundred artists and lots of customers who are searching for an escape from winter. For me it is the first chance to define my work for the coming year. How can I create a body of work that carries on from what I have previously done, allows me take advantage of the insights from last year and reads as a cohesive whole. One friend noted that all of my square quilts reminded her of school bus windows. Interesting thought. Do I need to make more quilts that are other sizes? Another friend whose work I respect said she preferred my more abstract pieces. Hmmm. And of course there are all those who make comments about psychedelic colors. I hear these and put them in the back of my mind to gel.

I look at other art to feed my soul and to help me see new possibilities. What inspires me. What am I trying to say. I sketch lots of quilts that will probably not get made just to see if I could make them. After all,  I am not making quilts just to make quilts--I  want to make quilts that have a purpose. Although it can be important to understand the technique until it becomes my language, technique is not the content of the quilts--at least not for me. I want to speak with the viewer. What am I trying to communicate.

And I make lots of potholders and place mats as I think about it. There is no point in sitting idly by and fretting too much. That does not create art. Instead I sew and play with the fabrics.

This year I have decided to feature my quilt "mountain sunrise". I love the colors and the joy of this piece. So happy and confident. Definitely it will be a focus. But my booth is large and there are 600 exhibitors at the Baltimore Show. I need to WOW the crowd.

mountain sunrise--40x40"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

I make a long quilt--it's a new day. Not large enough to be a showstopper but still it was a quilt I wanted to make in a shape that could look great over a sofa or bed. Size does matter sometimes.

it's a new day--17x63"--Ann Brauer 2017

I look at other quilts I have made. I love the triptych in notes from twilight. That could make a strong statement in my booth.

notes from twilight--40x80"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

And I start sewing with a purpose. Yes this is a quilt that I want to make. A quilt that will look great. And a quilt that should dominate the booth. Now there is just the long slow road to completion. One tiny bit of fabric at a time. I'll try to keep you posted.

And you--how do you choose what to make? How do you create a body of work?

it's a new day

Sometimes titles just come to me. The promise of dawn with the sun rising in the clear morning sky. The New Year. The open possibilities of fresh starts. The sun lingering longer in the sky. Here's wishing everyone a happy and joyous journey.

it's a new day--17x63"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2018

detail--it's a new day--quilt--Ann Brauer 2018

it's about color

OK--I know that my next show is the Baltimore Craft Show February 23-25 right when people are thinking the bright happy colors of spring. Indeed many people even now want the bright clear colors of hope and light. And I have several orders lined up ready to be filled.

And yet sometimes I just have to see what will happen. Color after all does reflect the depths of my soul. (Yes, that sounds maybe a bit profound but it still can be true for me.) Winter is just starting here in the North East and it is dark and cold. The holidays are over and so I decided to create.

What do I need to make? What intrigues me? For some reason it is the complex nature of browns in all their glory. Soon I know I must begin anticipating the season and moving on to light and warm days but I couldn't resist. Interesting how color can just lead me on.

brown flame--quilt--Ann Brauer--2017

Don't you love all these fabrics? Can you see what I had so much fun?

detail--brown flame--quilt--Ann Brauer

Does this ever happen to you? For more information on the Baltimore Show check out their web site. I'm in Booth 1309. https://craftcouncil.org/shows/acc/american-craft-show-baltimore And of course I listed it on my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

seasons of the marsh--winter

One of the many reasons I love doing craft shows is to listen to what the public thinks about a new quilt. Here's hoping they like "seasons of the marsh-winter"--that I just finished and I can't wait to show it at the Baltimore Craft Show this February 24-26 at the Convention Center. I'm Booth 1308.

seasons of the marsh--winter--32x72 inches--copyright Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

For discounted tickets:

1. Visit Eventbrite.
2. Enter 50% promotional code BWI2017GUEST 
3. Click APPLY. 
4. The discount was applied to your One-day pass (you will see the price will be discounted 50%)
5. Select quantity of One-day Pass
6. Click ORDER NOW. 
7. Complete your contract information: name, email and password. 
8. Click PAY NOW and you will be taken to a confirmation page.
9. You can download your tickets immediately and also are sent an email confirmation with a download link.

I hope to see some of you there.

getting ready for Baltimore

Ah--so much to do before the Baltimore Show February 24-26. I sure wish it would quit snowing so I could get down to the studio and make more quilts. Oh well. Soon I will be there--I'm Booth 1308. If you want to save on tickets, you can prepurchase one day half price tickets by going to Craft Council 
and using this code BWI2017GUEST


And to cheer up those like me dealing with a snowy Thursday, here's a sneak preview of some of my new quilts--I just got new images from my wonderful photographer John Polak. (My DH drove me to the local Post Office this morning as the snow was just starting so I could get them. Thanks!!!)  How lucky I was that it only snowed a bit last Thursday when I got the images taken.

Anyway, I call this one August moon--don't you love the rich warm colors of the sky against the brown of the ripening fields. Can you tell I grew up on the prairie where the sky stretched seemingly forever?

august moon--40x40 inches--2016--copyright Ann Brauer--image by John Polak

This is its companion quilt--autumn sun. I love how intense the rich brown colors of autumn are with hints of the deep blue sky.

autumn sun--40x40 inches--copyright Ann Brauer 2016--photo by John Polak

And one more. Those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram have seen hints of this triptych but it sure looks better in its formal portrait, doesn't it?  Each of these quilts are about 12 x 60 inches and I will sell them separately or as a set. Just think of the many different ways you could display them.

marsh moon--12x60 inches--copyright Ann Brauer 2016--image by John Polak

Well, I hope that gives you a sense of some of my new quilts. I'll try to post more in a few days. Meanwhile tomorrow is the studio when I try to get more work done!!!

Baltimore postcard

I love the fact that the American Craft Council now gives you a template with their log so you can design your own postcard. Thanks to the help of my DH, my cards are now being printed. Great idea, Craft Council. Hope to see some of you there.  For more information:  Baltimore Craft Show.

Here's the front. What do you think?

Baltimore postcard Copyright Ann Brauer 2017

 And the back.

Baltimore card--copyright Ann Brauer 2017

Now to get more work done.

no more excuses

Sometimes you know--you just have to start. Sure I have memorized the images of the space until I know the colors and the angles by heart.  I have played with fabrics shopping for new ones and more of those I know want to use. Thinking about what will work in those wee hours of the morning as I think about getting up. Sketching designs in my mind as I drive to the studio or finish some hand sewing. 

But now--the holidays are over. I have deadlines and no more excuses. I need to begin.  There are so many possibilities. So many questions of scale that I need to address. Sometimes though for me that best way is to just start. See what I can learn by working at this scale. Will it be like I anticipated? Are the colors going to be right? Will the shape and movement be right? What will I want to do differently? What are the technical issues of this scale that are different from smaller quilts?

Sure I have made quilts that are this size before. "Sunrise" was 30 x 80 inches. I know I can do that.

sunrise--30x80"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2015

My quilt "distant flame" was vertical and also about the right size at 36x80 inches although I fear that three of these quilts would be too busy for the space.

distant fire--36x80"--ann brauer--2015

There is also my quilt "blue dream". I love how organically the "grasses" stretch to the sky but I wonder how it will translate when each panel is three times as wide. Three panels with three separate grasses could be too much for the space. What will happen when each panel becomes wider and shorter. Will it still have the same grace or will it look boring as a block of color?

blue dream--38x100 inches--ann brauer--2015

This time the mission is to create three matching wall hangings in three different colors in my "flame" or "marsh grass"series to hang in an entry way. The colors of the space are soft and floral but also sophisticated. I don't want it to be too busy. There is a lot of subtle design in the space. But I also don't want it to be too subtle that it fades into the background. The three quilts that have been ordered are each to be about 32x72 inches. Size does matter. It will be important to get the flowing grasses within this concept and have the three quilts look unified together.

What about "marsh moon"?  I love the glimpses of light peeking through the grasses? If I use the same feeling of light in all three panels will that tie the work together? Granted it will need some work to get the size right? But what will happen when I make three of them in the colors of the rug? Like three versions of the day? Will it be too busy or will the detail work perfectly to complement the rug.

marsh moon--work in progress--about 36x60 inches--ann brauer--2016

Hmmm. Well sometimes the only way to find out is to start. There is a lot I will learn by actually making the quilt and seeing how it works. After all, the worst case is I have a finished quilt that is not quite right for the space but that has taught me how to think this big. Nothing wrong with that, is there? And I do want to get this order done before the Baltimore Craft Show in February. Oh so much to do, isn't there?

Now before I begin this blog series I want to alert my readers, this will not be a how-to post. My goal in this post--and indeed in all of my blogs--is not to show how to make a quilt just like mine but instead to suggest how I think when I am making a quilt--the questions I ask and how I muddle through to get the right finished product in the hope that some of these same questions and methods will help you make the quilts that you imagine and want to create.

It's a new day and a new year

It's a new day and a new year. I think there is a song that goes something like that. One of those ear worms that I can barely hear but I think is there. Finally though it is 2017.  Nuf said about 2016.

This is a blog about quilts after all. Now those who know me realize I am not great for setting goals or making lists. I don't do resolutions very well. Indeed I find that it just frustrates me since I can never live up to all my goals or resolutions. Instead I try to set out tasks. One task at a time. I get it done--or as done as it will be for now--and then move on.

One of the tasks that had been lurking over me for years has been a new web site. I loved my old web site--I could do it myself. It was simple to update and while it was not the most elegant web site out there, it had come to have a presence after so many years. Alas though Apple had quit supporting myself, it was not Google friendly and certainly did not work on Mobile devices. (Yes, I had had it for a l-o--n--g time.)

It takes time and energy though to update a web site. Sure I could have paid someone but let's face it--quilt makers don't earn a lot of money. Even if they have been in business for 35 years. At least I don't. I wanted to be able to update it when I needed to--not when I had the money and could hire someone to do it. And I had no clue what I wanted it to look like--even that takes time and energy.

So it sat on the back burner through the studio floating. The new studio. My new quilts. Until finally I could no longer do even the most simple updates. UGH!!!!

OK--time to take matters into my own hands and find a decent template system. One I could manage. That would be SEO friendly. And one where I could understand how to operate it. I tried first one template system. And tore my hair out. Then another that a friend had recommended--no dice. Finally I realized that I was thinking in the same language as WIX and opted for that. Now this is not an ad. Or even an endorsement. But for me it worked. It lets me add my Etsy shop which has been my saving grace throughout this whole experience. It even lets me add my blog post from blogger. I can do this.

So now--I can actually think about what I want to say in my blogs. And I do have a lot to say about inspiration and art. I haven't given my loyal readers input on the OOAK Show in December or my recent trip to Mass MoCA. (Now that was inspirational). I do have a lot of catching up with old friends and making new ones. New quilts to add to the web site. Work on it in my spare time.  And best of all I was able to bring over my old domain so it is still www.annbrauer.com.

Theoretically I can do this while preparing for the Baltimore Craft Show in February, the Paradise Marlboro Show in March, a wonderful gallery show of quilts I am honored to participate in this spring and of course the many events of the Shelburne Falls Business Association.

Which comes full circle to the concept that it is indeed a new day. Get the pun in the quilt.

Happy New Year. Together we will survive.

Finally.....

Yes, it is Thanksgiving Day. I do have a turkey to cook and a pie to make. But still I finally get a chance to update my blog with a few "new" images. Well, actually these were take by my wonderful photographer John Polak last March. Well, except for "desert days" which I snapped myself. Can you tell I have been going non-stop since then?

Still I have one more show--the One of a Kind Show in Chicago December 1-4 at the Merchandise Mart. This should be an adventure. So I decided to add images to my blog post (and even send a note off to my photographer to make an appointment after I return.) Don't we all need color and art in our lives right now?

First here is "two suns." I am not sure of the story of this quilt but I do love the colors and the exuberance.

two suns--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Then there is "prairie sun." Can you tell that I grew up on a farm in the Midwest and love the power of the sun against the horizon?

prairie sun--quilt--ann brauer--2016

"Ocean sunrise" has the reflections of the sun on the water. What do you think?

ocean sunrise--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Then there is "abstractions on the night". I am not sure of the story here either--sometimes I like quilts that express something that I can only ponder and imagine. Maybe you know what I was trying to say?

abstractions on the night--40x40 inches--quilt--Ann Brauer--2016

Finally there is my quilt "desert days". This is the start of a new direction for me where I create complex but simple quilts that read as landscapes. This quilt is already sold although I am working on a new one for the OOAK Show.

desert days--quilt--37x47 inches--Ann Brauer--2016--SOLD

So what do you think? An interesting progression from where I was at the beginning of the year to my more recent landscapes. Hmmm. If you are in the Chicago area, I hope you will consider coming to the OOAK Show. It should be fun.

For more information on that show, please visit their web site: http://oneofakindshowchicago.com/

I am Booth 5121 toward the back.

Then in February I will be doing the Baltimore Craft Show at the Convention Center. March sees me at the Paradise Arts Festival in Marlboro, MA. And of course you can also visit me at my studio in Shelburne Falls, MA or check out my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

the quilts of Ann Brauer--blue hearts for February edition

It hardly see like February at all here. We just missed the snow that hit the mid-Atlantic states (I literally saw one flurry and a dusting about two miles south of my studio) and now we are having mud season if you can believe it. I guess you just never know do you. Anyway it allows me time to work in the studio. I am almost done with my orders and have started working on new quilts for Baltimore. I do love it when I get to show my new quilts off to visitors.

Here are a couple of them hanging up in my studio. What do you think?

Ann Brauer--quilt studio--2016

And of course I am trying to make more table runners and glass cases in the colors that keep selling. Don't you just love this blue one? Doesn't it remind you of spring?

blue river--13x40"--Ann Brauer 2016

In my spare time I have been looking through my studio finding older quilts that could use a good home. Many of them are tagged with a postcard that lists their new price. I must say I was feeling generous to my customers when I marked some of them down. The next time you are in Shelburne Falls you might want to drop by and see what I have. Meanwhile my friends up at Salmon Falls Artisan Showroom are having a blue heart sale February 12-15 to celebrate the opening of the Blue Rock Restaurant in their new home just up the hill from my studio. I reduced the price of my work up there by 20% since I need to replenish my stock but do come down to my studio and twist my arm if there is something you want that is not already on sale.

detail--blue city--Ann Brauer--quilt

My booth number for the Baltimore show is 1201. For further information about that show or to pre-purchase tickets check out their website http://www.craftcouncil.com  The website for the Salmon Falls Artisan Gallery is www.SalmonFallsGallery.com  And of course you can always check out my work on my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer 

May the rest of your winter have just the right amount of snow and sunshine and may the crocuses appear early and bright.

Make Room video

I just received a link to the video that the American Craft Council did of the Make Room exhibit at the Baltimore Craft Show. Yes, that is my quilt--river of green--included in the Water section. I do hope you enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEGIxfqmqJc&feature=youtu.be

river of green--38x38"--Ann Brauer 2015

it is what it is..

Ah Baltimore. The grand behometh of shows. The show where dreams come and go. The place of so much hope and anticipation for here is the possibility of magic. Some shows have been for me amazing. The year the couple could not decide which quilt to purchase and bought both. That was sweet. The year I couldn't wrap orders fast enough--I thought I might sell out. That was sweet. The year I received one of their awards--they only give out a few each year. Oh, that was indeed sweet.

Of course I forget the year of the blizzard. The city was almost shut down. An interesting adventure. Or the year I was tucked off in never never land. A break even year. The year of the first Gulf War. Sure people came and numbly walked the aisles. Not a year to remember though--the customers just wanted to forget the War.

As I get ready every winter, I try not to remember the more painful years. After all, this is my chance to get inspired. To make a statement. To see how my work measures up to the best of the best (and all the rest.) Don't you just love that rhyme?

I envision my booth. Plan it in my mind's eye again and again. What pieces do I need to make a statement--as strong as the other booths around me. I dream of the public being amazed by my work--why shouldn't they be? But even if they are not, I know this is just the start of the year. There is so much to learn--so much tweaking to do. So many questions to ask. This is not about me but about them. I am asking them to spend their money. To live with my work in their home. It is a privilege to respond to their questions. To listen. I am humble by the experience.

I love how light and airy my booth looks. The new flame series seeming to stretch toward the sky. I love the colors. The dance of the the flames. Doesn't it look good?

Baltimore booth--Ann Brauer

Well perhaps not as good as it looks in the studio. The studio is gorgeous and complete. The walls are real and clean. I do not need to have all the soft walls and light stands. I don't need to push everything together. There is a place at the studio and everything is in its space. That was the first warning.

The second was the little mumblings I heard in the distance. The ones where people whispered--this is work that is in transition--as though this was a bad thing. Maybe it was. Now I did want to show even more flames but there were just too many snow storms. Too many distractions. That I will give myself a pass on--I tried. I aim to stretch my work every year. That I think is a plus. I don't want my work to be static. I will give myself a pass there also. Although I could have presented the whole better. I push my work and sometimes it takes a while for me to find the whole amid the possible. Yes, I could have done better in retrospect--why do I always have more to learn? Sigh.

The third was not me. A snow storm. On Saturday. Normally the best day of the show. And Sunday was just Sunday. Those who had to see everything. I give myself a pass here--the weather is out of my control.

Still there was something to learn. Something I can do better for my next show. Paradise City Marlborough in March. My customers told me repeatedly that they wanted quilts that were five feet long instead of 80 inches. Eighty inches is too long for all but the largest tables. While I love the larger hangings, most walls are only 8 feet tall and so there is not enough room to hang a quilt that is 80 inches long.

That is a good idea.  So I start my first wall hanging. Grey just like the one that I sold but not quite as long. This one will have gentler colors just because.  I can make a couple for Paradise.

Flame wall hanging--Ann Brauer

I start with the colors and outline. Add more colors. I want it to work either as a table runner or a wall hanging. Practice is always fun.

Grey flame--Ann Brauer

And keep adding, one row at a time, the colors slightly different from the one I sold but such a good color. I need to make a couple more so I can make them in the colors people want. Enough so I can make custom orders in the color people need for their home. Yes, I wanted to make more anyway.

As for the booth--yes, I want to improve the booth but first I want to make more wall hangings. See what will happen. After all the best way to not have my work look transitional is to make more pieces so customers can feel reassured I can make a quilt just for them.

And you, do you find you learn something new every time you do a show or finish a new piece of art? What are your lessons? How do you make new work but still stay consistent with the market?

the quilts of Ann Brauer--it's sNOwing again

Dear all,

Yikes. It is almost time for the Baltimore Fine Craft Show. February 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. I am Booth 1207.

I have been working so hard getting ready. I got inspired to make a new series. Are they flames? Spires of hope? Rivers. I am not sure. I just know that I love them. This is a snapshot of the largest of the quilts. Don't you love how the colors just dance together? The quilt itself is about nine feet long.

quilt--Ann Brauer

Then there is this more controlled quilt--I am not sure if that is the right word--rhubarb fire.

rhubarb fire--40x40"--quilt--Ann Brauer

And the long blue flame. Not the best of my images but it is 80 inches long and can also be hung vertically. Wouldn't it look great over a bed?

quilt--Ann Brauer--13x80"

Well, there are several more quilts in this series. I am taking them all down to my photographer this Tuesday--weather permitting--and will have them at my Booth in Baltimore. Speaking of Baltimore, if you go to their web site you can pre-purchase tickets at a slight savings.  Friday evening between 5 and 8 tickets are only $5 for those who want to just a hint of the show. And while you are there, do check out the Made Room installations. My quilt --river of green--will be prominently displayed there. For those who want a blast from the past, the CERF+ Booth will have some images of my destroyed studio. They were so helpful after Tropical Storm Irene. For more information on the Baltimore Show:
http://shows.craftcouncil.org/baltimore

river of green--38x38"--quilt--Ann Brauer

Meanwhile, if you can't make it to the show, I have been posting more quilts and other items on my Etsy site. http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer  In March I will be at the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, Massachusetts March 20-22. Do check their web site for discount tickets and more information. http://www.paradisecityarts.com

Well, enough for now. I hope you all manage to stay dry and safe. I will put the images of my new quilts on my web site as soon as I get them back.

Thanks.

The fire within

Finally I have a chance to do a bit of new work for Baltimore. For those who have been following my work, this year I do have a quilt--river of green--in one of the special displays in the show. Yes, it even made the magazine. How sweet is that?

river of green--38x38"--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

So I wanted to make a few more quilts based on this flowing river. Of course I needed a large quilt. This one is tall--about 9 feet tall to be precise.

blue fire--Ann Brauer 2015

blue fire--Ann Brauer 2015

Then a bit of repetition. Aren't they wonderful?

purple fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

More games.  This one can go either vertically or horizontally.

long hanging--13x80"--Ann Brauer

Or horizontally.

long hanging--13x80"--Ann Brauer

But do I have to limit myself to these colors? Instead I decide I must try red with a hint of chartreuse. I start.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

Don't you love that initial curve? What will happen?

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

It grows.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

And grows.

red fire--quilt--Ann Brauer

Now what shall I do? Don't you just love how this quilt gives me inspiration for so many other possibilities? Oh I have so many quilts to make. So little time. Baltimore is February 20-22. I am Booth 1207. For more information, do check out their web site
http://shows.craftcouncil.org/baltimore where you can purchase discounted tickets.