April morning

What a difference a day makes. Suddenly the front has passed. Rain fell last night--enough to water the garden and lawn. The flowers look refreshed. The air is a delightful cool temperature full of energy and projects. It won't last but for now it is meant to be enjoyed.

April morning--40 x 40 inches--ann brauer 2019

April morning--detail--ann brauer 2019

depending on how you look at it

Just like life, some quilts change depending on how you look at them. There is no right way and no wrong way, it just is. Which do you prefer?

visions of autumn-1--40x40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--1--40x40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Polak

visions of autumn--1--40 x 40 inches--ann brauer 2018--photo by John Poal

Summer sunrise

I decided to post 38 recent quilts to celebrate my 38 amazing years in business. The first one is "summer sunrise".  What do you think?

summer sunset--30 x 60"--Copyright Ann Brauer--Photo by John Polak

detail--summer sunset--Copyright Ann Brauer 2019--Photo by John Polak

detail--summer sunset--Copyright Ann Brauer 2019--Photo by John Polak

And now to add it to my website-- www.annbrauer.com --and my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer  Only 37 more to add but certainly my career deserves it, doesn't it?

the power of making

Outside the October sky hangs glum and grey against the colors just starting to change. Inside the news goes on endlessly as those in suits and ties talk "sincerely" of pain and then use disinformation in their quest for power.  Tempers mount. A friend is almost in tears. We all know the feeling of resignation that the want us to have.

Shelburne Falls--October 2018--Ann Brauer

Of course I turn to my beloved fabrics and sewing machine in my search for solace and purpose. After the last show there is so much I need to do. Orders to fill. I am sold out of phone cases. Yikes. I know I need more eye glass cases and place mats. A few table runners in popular colors. Of course more potholders. Time to get busy. High class worries. I have three more craft shows and one sale ahead of me, after all. So much to do. So little time.

But though I turn to classical music or silence, the clouds still hang. I like working with colors and fabrics and feel so fortunate that I can do so, but I know I need more. Then I remember--did I ever forget--that in making wall art--getting lost in that world--I can regain my sense of purpose and energy. Don't we all need art now more than ever? Maybe I can capture the colors of the trees in autumn. So I start sewing.

As usual, the questions--what comes next? Shall I take the obvious way? What about the bottom? Will green tie it together? Such questions. And yet, there is an answer and the drive to add the fabric, one piece at a time. This is why I make quilts. And why I must make another and another.

color of autumn--quilt--Ann Brauer 2018

And you--what is the power of art in your life? How do you cope with the external world and maintain your own sense of self?  Do your quilts ever just fall into place?  

half way there!!!

Today's entry in my Count Down to Spring is my quilt Color on the Mountain. I made it several years ago as part of my landscape series. Then it ended up in a gallery hiding a fuse box. I still love it but it is not in the style that I am currently making so I decided it was time to reduce the price from $875 to $675.

Don't you love the colors? There is a hint of the sun rising or setting at the horizon.

color on the mountain--32x48 inches--Ann Brauer 2012

At 32 x 48 inches this quilt will work in many locations.

color on the mountain--detail--Ann Brauer 2012

 Of course it is signed.

color on the mountain--detail--ann brauer 2012

To find out more, check out my Etsy shop HERE.

nor'easter--take two

OK--I confess. I missed a day of posting. What can I say. There was a nor'easter. The world was beautiful and white but it did not feel like spring would show up. So I didn't post.

Oh well. Today I am thinking of warm blue skies and summer. Those are the colors of this pillow. Wouldn't it make a delightful splash of color for your sofa. While pillows look fabulous in my studio, they don't always fit in my van. Therefore I tend to have them for a while.

blue pillow--16x16"--quilt--Ann Brauer

I have reduced the price of this pillow from $110 to $75. To learn more about it, please check out my Etsy shop. The link is HERE. I actually have two of them if you want a matched set just e-mail me.

between the storms--day 16

Don't you love how--if you commit to a goal--and tell others you are going to do it, you actually get it done. Now posting clearance items for 20 days is a lot of work. I have to go through the work I have and find the quilts that have been here too long. Then I have to admit they need a new home even if I don't get the price that I feel they deserve.

Still the word "clearance" does have the word "clear" in it and there is something liberating about creating new space in the studio.

This is the case with my quilt "river of gentle autumn." I made a number of quilts in this series when I was building the new studio. The object was to create works that would sell to help me pay for the building and I made a number of them. What wonderful studies in color and place they were.

Now I only have two of them left. This one I call "river of gentle autumn." Don't you love the peaceful colors? At 38x38 inches it occupies space while fitting in many locations. This is one of the last I made of this series and also one of the last quilts I made that relied on quilt as you go to provide the texture and substance. Therefore I have reduced the price from $675 to $375.

river of gentle autumn--38x38"--quilt--ann brauer 2015

Don't you love the subtle contrast between the free flowing river and the geometry of the banks of the river?

detail--river of gentle autumn--quilt--ann brauer 2015

Of course it is signed.

detail--river of gentle autumn--quilt--ann brauer 2015

To see more images of this quilt, please check out my Etsy shop here.

go big or go home--part one

Let's face it. Chicago is big. There are lots of people. Traffic from all directions. Buildings that stretch to the sky and then reflect it.

view of Chicago from Merchandise Mart

The lions at the Art Institute are big.

lions outside of Art Institute--Chicago

One of my favorite paintings by Georgia O'Keefe is so big they had to build a special wall just to display it.

clouds--Georgia O'Keefe--Art Institute

So last year after doing OK at the One of a Kind Show I decided that I wanted to go big. Wouldn't my work look great in a larger booth? They give me the hard white walls, the carpet, the lights. Sure the show is a long hard drive from home. The lines for load in and load out are carefully controlled chaos. And the price to do the show is--let's face it--big.

Still I told myself I wouldn't know until I tried. When I was offered a larger booth I decided I had to try. Let's face it, I decided to rebuild my studio because I knew I had more quilts to make and I wanted to make them. Quilts can be more than fine craft and I want to make big quilts that transcend the medium. I spent all autumn working for this show.  I had other fairs to do and orders to fill, but I kept imagining myself in this large space.

Of course I didn't have nearly enough time to get all the quilts in my imagination done. How delighted I was to read that Claude Monet was frustrated that his wonderful stacks of wheat paintings took much longer than he wanted to complete. Don't you love to read labels at the Museum.

stack of wheat--Claude Monet--Art Institute

I set up the booth. Thought it looked great in its largeness and splendor and then waited. Is it the kiss of death if other artists think your booth looks grand?  Or was it because it was Thursday? Did I forget to convey the idea that these are quilts? Does that matter? Should it matter? After all it only takes a couple of good customers.

Or maybe there is more I need to do to achieve my idea. My concept. I'll try to keep you posted. Meanwhile wish me well. If you are in the Chicago area my booth is 4123. I would love to know what you think?

booth--OOAK Chicago--Ann Brauer 2017

the colors of summer

Does this ever happen to you? I start a new series and some of the last of my old work gets put aside. Sure I hang it occasionally but usually I leave it in the studio when I do a show. It is too big for the booth. If it hasn't sold so far, will it actually find a home if I show it. Yes, I do a cost benefit analysis in my mind at every show. Not because I am a strict business person--after all I am an artist--but I also have to think about selling the work if I want to continue to be an artist. That is just the way it is.

Still the quilt sits on my Desktop--I like to have inspiration there when I work on my e-mails or post on Etsy. It is in the studio where I see hints of it most days as I ponder the latest quilt on my design wall. Or study the quilts I have hanging on the walls for guidance and inspiration.

And yes, I think I need to see it again. It may work at the One of a Kind Show. I'm not sure. In my mind I revisit again and again on the white walls. This time my booth is 10x15. What a luxury. Should I have gone for the larger booth? I will never know unless I try. It just felt like the right thing to do.

And yes, "colors of summer" feels like the right quilt to bring. I love the complex colors created by piecing so many thin strips of cotton fabric. I love the change in size that affects the design of the quilt and that tells a story. I love the memory of choosing that bottom green row. Such a hard decision to make--I lingered over that colorway for days-- and yet I feel it anchors the quilt.

Who knows if it is the right decision? I may change my mind at the show and tuck it away. But for now I plan to pack it and hang it and enjoy it in all its geometric beauty.

colors of summer--quilt--Ann Brauer 2013--image by John Polak

What do you think? Does this ever happen to you? And if you are coming to the show please drop by my Booth 4131 and check it out. Thanks.

it's always something

Just when I thought I had my Etsy shop organized and humming along getting ready for the holidays (yes, I do think ahead or at least I try to) Etsy comes along and makes a change. Instead of the five photos that I am accustomed to, I can now show my buyers TEN!!!!  I am sure they did it with the best of reasons. After all, the buyer can't really see the item except in the listing and so the buyer probably does want more information. At least that is their rationalization.

But TEN!!! images. What can I show? I have realized that I don't have any more of these wonderful green place mats. If I don't have them, it must be because they are popular so I make more. They are a wonderful color, aren't they?  Front. Back. Two placemats. Placemats with a plate. For me these are standard.

two green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

I read the helpful tips. OK--maybe buyers want to see the inside of my studio. That works. I love my studio. I can also show them the outside. After all, it is a wonderful shade of green itself. That also works. Now if I had a nice table I could set it and show the mats in use but the truth is that I don't yet. So I read more suggestions. A work in progress. I do hand stitch the bindings. I can show that. Maybe next time I can show another detail of the construction. Who knows.

green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

Customers do like to mix and match. That would be a nice image. Let them see what else they could order. Maybe I should do more of these pictures. That could be fun.

two green placemats--Ann Brauer 2017

But for now that will have to do. After all, I also need to make some more placemats. This time I think I will try burgundy. Another  color I don't have. They will look good with the green. I will have to see what other sellers are doing for images. More to think about. More to learn. It is after all, always something, isn't it? If you want to see my finished listing, it is here. https://www.etsy.com/listing/542491075/quilted-green-placemats-washable-table?ref=shop_home_active_1

What images would you add? I do welcome suggestions.

you never know what may happen--day 13

Many many years ago--just before I got my studio in Shelburne Falls--a group of some of my favorite artists decided to try a tour of our various studios in the West County area. What fun it was working with all these artists to plan the event and see their studios. What a lot of work it was. We sent out a mailing list, press releases, put up signs. 

At this time I was working in the basement of my DH's house so he even put a door in. I cleaned my space. Made some form of munchie and then I waited. Gradually cars showed up. Not a lot but enough. After all, the studios were scattered over many winding country roads and you had to be dedicated to make it to all the places.

Still I had a few sales and met some great people--both the other artists and the customers. A couple months later I bought my studio in Shelburne Falls and my studio was now open to the public most of the time.

Last year I was working in my studio--not the same studio but that is a story for another day--when a couple walked in. They had actually been to my studio in the country those years ago. Finally they had their house at the end of the world. Their business was established. And now it was time to begin decorating their house with local art. How honored I was that they chose my quilt "rainbows of autumn" to reflect the view from their home.

How much it confirmed my belief that you never know when that next casual conversation may be remembered for years until finally they have the perfect space for your work.

rainbows of autumn--quilt--ann brauer--photo by John Polak

it gets personal--day 12

August 28, 2011

I was standing at the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Illinois when friends of mine came running down to my booth.

"Ann," they said. "Is there anyone who can get your quilts out of your studio? Shelburne Falls is flooding."

Soon, as they say, the rest is history. My beloved studio which had stood since the 1930's floated down the river as a result of Tropical Storm Irene.

Don't tell me that climate change is not real. Period.

While I waited for my new studio to get build I made a series of quilts based on the Deerfield River. Much better than fretting when it would get finished, wasn't it?

green river--38x38"--quilt--Ann Brauer 2015--photo by John Polak

don't stop thinking about tomorrow--day 3

Yesterday I got to accept the shows I will do for the rest of the year. And what great shows they will be. Sure--I didn't get into everything I wanted.  Rejection hurts but it happens. I knew it might so I applied to several shows that I also wanted to do. They can reject me but they can't keep me down. Always have Plan B. Don't stop thinking about tomorrow.

For those who wonder how I choose, I try for a mix of some shows that I have done before where the audience anticipates that I will be there, some "new" shows or at least shows which I haven't done for a long time but where I do have an audience and shows where I can expand my market by introducing my quilts to people who may not have seen them before.  Of course I consider where the shows are, the ease of doing them, the mix of artists.

My first show will be the Berkshire Craft Show at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington August 11-13. This is the sweetest show that has been going on for 44 years run by  teachers for the benefit of students. Sure the booths are small and spread out but there are some wonderful craft artists who participate and a dedicated following of locals and people who are in The Berkshires to go to Tanglewood and all the other wonderful cultural activities. I have done it for a number of years since it so easy and friendly and I get to sleep at home !!! Check out their web site--you will be amazed at the quality of the work in this show. http://berkshirecraftsfair.org/

Later I will tell you about the other shows and even get them posted on my web site.

For now though it is time to close with an image of my quilt--one fine day.

one fine day--quilt--ann brauer 2017

36 years and still standing--prairie scene

I was lucky enough to grow up on a farm in Illinois. One of those wonderful magical places that one often only read about. Although the farm was along a river which gave us a few rolling hills, there were also long views of the distant sky. Would the bands of rain we could see in the west fall where we needed them? Would the sun break through the clouds before it set?

Normally we stored the hay and straw in the loft in the barn but one year for some reason my dad baled it and stacked the bales just west of the barn.

I can remember as a child scaling to the top of this pile and sitting there with the best view around just looking at the horizon and dreaming of what lay beyond.

prairie scene--quilt--ann brauer 2017--photo by John Polak

Do you have a memory of a place that you return to try to capture in all its aspects?  What do you think?

Day 2 of my 36 Day challenge.

pillows pillows pillows

Pillows--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Think of pillows. Warm. Soft. Inviting. A quick way to redecorate a room. And for me--the maker--they are a fun way to experiment with color and design. After all, it is just a pillow. It doesn't have to always match.

I like having them in the studio--they make the space look more complete. They are one of those smaller items that a customer can choose. And they do sell. Sometimes one at a time. Sometimes a customer wants to redecorate and chooses several.

I don't always notice when my stock gets low. After all, if I don't have them, they won't sell. Earlier this year I noticed that I had very few left. I had shipped a bunch off for an order on Etsy. Another customer realized that they needed a couple for their office decor. Something to comfort the people waiting for their services.

Time to make more. But what would the design be this time? Would each one be unique? Or what about a matched series where they would all coordinate? I love that challenge. Each pillow leads me on to new colors. New discoveries. I could keep looking at what I have and wonder what more I needed. How addictive is that? 

Green first--that was what one customer wanted.

Green pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Then purple. People who like purple, LIKE PURPLE.

Purple pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Then there is blue. And blue. Don't you love how different the two blues are?

Blue pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

French blue pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Rust to coordinate with the other colors.

Rust pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Brown always looks good against the blue, doesn't it?

Brown pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

And then there is teal--how dreamy is this? Doesn't it go with almost everything?

Teal pillow--16x16 in--Ann Brauer

Oh there are so many more I want to make. I am working on a grey right now. Then I need a gold--that will be hard. Plum is obvious and fun. Then there is red--not too red. The lighter reds will be a challenge, I know but I can't wait. What other colors should I work on? How would you pair them up? What do you think? Do you ever work in series just because?

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!!!

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.

You can't go home again--or can you?

I don't know about you but every once in a while I get an order that is just so special, I have to say yes. In this case it was from a lovely couple that I had never met before. OK--why was it special?

You see years ago--like almost thirty years ago--maybe it was even 32 years ago--I am not sure, they had purchased a quilt of mine from a gallery and hung in their living room all this time. Seen children grow, friends come and go. Indeed the only image they had of the quilt was from a large party.

Alas though when they repainted, its time had come. They told me that they cried when it came down.

And that would be enough to make a story. But they wanted me to make a quilt to replace it to hang for the next 30 years. Of course it wasn't going to look just like the quilt they had had. Styles had changed. The quilts I make have changed. Their furnishings have changed. They brought images of the room. Together we looked at quilts I had made and they found a piece I had made 8 or so years ago that they loved.

prairie dawn--quilt--ann brauer

They loved the blue sky in this quilt and the red "sun." But after some thought--they preferred the bottom of this quilt.

rainbows of dawn--quilt--ann brauer

OK--this would be interesting. Now I had not thought about these quilts for years. How do I make them? What colors work? Can I even figure it out? Remember that old saying that you never forget how to ride a bicycle--would it also work for making a quilt?

I had to find out. I told myself to start with what I knew. Maybe that wonderful chartreuse green on the bottom. So I cut lots of fabric in those colors--the palette.

fabric palette--quilt--ann brauer

And started sewing. It is quilt as you go in blocks so I sew right sides together through the cotton batting onto the back.

sewing--quilt--ann brauer--2016

And press open.

sewing--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Check out the back to make sure it is working.

sewing--quilt--ann brauer--2016

Repeat and continue until I have a block.

sewing--quilt--ann brauer--2016

And start to pin it to my design board. This quilt is large enough it will occupy the design board until I get it done. I hope that will be incentive to work quickly.

sewing--quilt--ann brauer--2016

So the story begins. The sewing I know how to do. But will I be able to get the colors to fall into place. Will the top and bottom designs work together? And when can I begin to get this off my design board since I do make work for the American Craft Exposition in Glencoe at the end of September?  Then I have the Philadelphia Museum of Art Show in November and the One of a Kind Show in December--just to keep me off the streets. Yikes!!!

And just like a TV show that leaves you dangling, this will be continued.

What do you think?