red sun

Sometimes, less is more. Up close and personal. For a while I had it hanging so I could see it every day as I sewed. Secretly I have always longed to make it as one big quilt in four panels. That would be a challenge and yet it would command attention. And yet eventually, I put it aside as I moved on to more landscapes. Still, there is a power here that may demand a space in my booth at the
One of a Kind Show next week-end in Chicago.

After all,  it would be fun to look at it again, wouldn't it?

red sun--40x40"--Ann Brauer 2015--image by John Polak

gentle morning

Sometimes a cloudy morning. The sun rises, the sky brightens but there are no shadows. Still there is a beauty in calm. There is subtle quiet--a time to breathe and relax. A time to admire all the subtle colors and changes. The little stories that combine to create a day, a place, alife.

This is another in my landscape quilts that I plan to bring to the One of a Kind Show in Chicago December 7-10.

gentle morning--40x40"--Ann Brauer 2017--image by John Polak

What do you think? Do you ever just sit and enjoy the moment?  Do you let your mind wander?

more than a quilt--day 31

By now it should be clear that I love making quilts. I love looking at the many wonderful fabrics and playing with them to create wondrous new landscapes that the viewer can linger in. I love making lovely potholders and eyeglass cases, placemats and table runners that can be used and enjoyed every day. Even the smallest scrap of fabric can create an inspiration for me. That is me and how I think.

But recently I have also been experimenting with giving my quilts an even more formal presentation. An existence that takes them beyond the soft and friendly to a place of even more substance if that is a good way of phrasing it.

These are quilts but--and I hesitate to say this--are they also making a statement that quilts can be more than quilts. Or are all quilts something more but we don't always realize this?

I don't know. For me I am like a kid in a toy store with something new to play with. I'm not sure where this will lead. I am not even sure it matters but I am having fun. And isn't this part of what life is about? What do you think?

two mounted quilts--2017--ann brauer

from both sides now--Day 30

Recently I have been working on one of those on-line interviews. You may know the type--you get a bunch of questions and type in your answers. A nice way to get publicity so I really can't object although of course it takes longer than I would like to write my answers and make sure they are coherent,  fresh and interesting.

One of the questions that this particular interview asks is what are my plans for the future. Now, I don't know about you but I am always hesitant to commit myself to the future. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Will I have a new crisis to deal with? Or maybe a new commission? Will I get inspired and switch my direction slightly? Even after all of these years, I am always a bit worried about jinxing myself.

Instead I keep notes on new quilts on various pieces of paper in my studio and leave quilts that interest me on my desk top as a gentle reminder that I have more to explore.

Last winter when I was in Chicago doing the OOAK Show, I made a pilgrimage to the Art Institute to visit Clouds by Georgia O'Keefe. So large and wonderful. The clouds floating above the earth. One of my all time favorite paintings.  I just sat there and tried to absorb its splendor.

How can I create the feeling of light and expanse that she achieved?  Wouldn't it be wonderful to make such a grand quilt? I look at an image of my quilt "notes on the twilight" and wonder if there is just a bit of this freedom in it? How I would love to play with this design some more.

notes on the twilight--40x80 inches--Ann Brauer 2017--photo by John Polak

from little mug rugs-day 24

Once, many years ago I won a couple of very nice grants.  A regional grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and I was runner-up for a Massachusetts Artist Grant. It was about the same time I made quilts that got into Quilt National. I was "hot". The sky seemed to be the limit. Of course I shouldn't be taking up my time making any of the smaller items--the potholders and placemats, the table runners and mug rugs that would sell at almost any craft show I did and keep me going.

There were certainly arguments to support that point of view and maybe if I had gone to Art School I could have developed a career teaching. Or maybe I could have pushed the quilts until I  sold them at a high enough price to not need the smaller items. I don't know. Could have? Should have? I knew though that I did not enjoy sitting at a craft show as the masses walked right past my booth realizing that even if they loved my work, today was not the day to purchase a more expensive quilt. I am not always a patient person.

But I also realized that there was nothing in my booth that I could afford. So I returned to making potholders and placemats. It wasn't my main business but of course if I was going to make them, they had to be well made and distinctive since they were part of my reputation. They had to be fun for the customers and for me. It was a balancing act to not get too many orders that I didn't time to make the larger more intricate quilts that I wanted to make.

For me it worked. At the studio I even sold small bookmarks and mug rugs. And in a round-about way, one of those mug rugs resulted in the order for all 12 quilts for the Federal District Court House in Springfield, MA. You just never know.

Quilts--Federal District Court House, Springfield, MA--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

Quilts--Federal District Court House, Springfield, MA--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

Do I still have those internal debates? You bet. When I get into that creative flow, when I get inspired and I just don't have time to make all the quilts I can envision, it is hard to finish an order for potholders. But then I get tired and need a break. Or the quilts are being a bit ornery and there is nothing like the quick satisfaction of a set of potholders that are DONE and will create a bit of joy in someone's life.

if you don't like the weather--day 15

Who me? Complain about the weather? What good will that do?

Well, it is a way of making chit chat at the deli, isn't it? Which was just what I was doing yesterday when I told my friend who was running the cash register that maybe we had had enough rain for this week. This is June after all. I could use some nice sunny skies for my little tomatoes and basil that are shivering in their new home.

But every day is lovely, she replied. Very sweetly of course because she is after all a sweet person. It is the perfect day to snuggle inside and make a quilt.

That is true. And I can remember last year when I anxiously hung wash out hoping to tempt the rain gods and goddesses to no avail.

So today I am posting my quilt--colors of the rain--to celebrate the rich complex colors of grey days. What do you think? How do you celebrate rainy days.

colors of the rain--quilt--45x45"--Ann Brauer--photo by John Polak

but what is it all about?--day5

Sometimes I make a quilt just because. Just because I am curious about what it will look like. Just because I think it tells a story although I am not sure what the story will be. Just because there is a feeling that I can only capture by creating this quilt.

Does this ever happen to you? Does this help you find the story?

That is why I made this quilt--"above the desert". I loved the idea of floating above the desert letting go and just being. I think of it as creating a calm and serene place although a friend of mine whose artistic sense I trust found it to be a bit troubling.

What do you think? What stories does this tell?

above the desert--27x61"--By Ann Brauer 2016--photo by John Polak

detail--above the desert--Ann Brauer 2016--photo by John Polak

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!!!

the textile curator

I love it when people include my quilts in their blogs. Here is one with lots of wonderful images of my quilts and some great content. Hope you enjoy.

dreaming of rainbows--quilt--Ann Brauer--2014

http://www.textilecurator.com/home-default/home-2-2/ann-brauer/

return to hidden lake

Hidden lake was a quilt I made a number of years ago. A really nice quilt with a great story. I was hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire one summer. The trees were green and lush. The trail delightful--just enough of a challenge to make it fun but not so hard that every step was a trial. We had a destination--a lake--and kept getting glimpses of it as we turned a corner or hit a high clearing. This quilt is about that experience.

Lovely isn't it?

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

The quilt is long since sold but I just got an order from a major health care facility in Minnesota to make one like it. It is one of those orders that while I may not like repeating the past it is such an honor that of course I will.  The quilt ordered is smaller which will require its own issues but first I constantly get requests for explanations on my basic technique of quilt as you go. So I decided to use this as an example as my holiday gift to you.

In this case, because it was an order, I created a sample card that needed to be approved before I began work. This is the cheat sheet.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Was I remembering the quilt in all its green glory? I am not sure. Do I have all the fabrics--nope. But what can I do. I go through my stash and pull out what I can find. Is it enough? I am not sure. Is it too dark--I am not sure. The quilt does start off dark green. I always tell myself to make what I know.

I cut fabric for one row of the quilt. If I cut too much, it becomes hard to find just the piece I need. If I cut not enough then I am constantly getting up and searching for more. This is my pile for now. The light was not good for photos but you get the idea. This helps me see what greens I have for the quilt.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I then sew the first two pieces together. In this case I am starting at the bottom. I have a layer of cotton batting on top of the back of the quilt. I then spend time finding just the right fabric to add next. How bright should it be? I am not in the swing of things yet and the quilt as not absorbed my mind so it takes a while.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I always estimate that I reject at least five fabrics before finding just the right one. When I do I lay it with the right side of the strip against the right side of the pieces I am working on.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Then I sew a seam.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

The stitches go through onto the back.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

I press it open and keep building.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Eventually I finish the block and pin it on the design board to begin the next one.

hidden lake--quilt--Ann Brauer

Are the colors right? Does this have the liveliness of the original? Sometimes it is much harder to make a piece that I have already made since I must absorb the quilt as it was taking into account the effect of photography and the different fabrics that I have now. I also have to listen to the desires of the client. Time will tell. In this case, I will keep building the quilt until I see the whole. This is where the fun begins. One block at a time.

And for those who ask, this is my most recent variation of a tutorial how I make my quilts. As you can see much of it is intuitive. It requires practice and looking at what you have made before to see where to go next. It also requires getting into the mindset of the quilt that you are making. What are you trying to say? Where do the fabrics lead you? How do they work as a whole? Sometimes the only way through is to start. How do you begin? What tips do you have?

Happy Holidays to you.

construction zone

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but sometimes I just get in the mood to work with a certain color and then I have to figure out what to do with it. This time it is black and white with just a bit of red.

First, for those who follow me on Facebook, I have almost finished this red moon quilt. Don't you love the simplicity of the halo and the soft drama of the red?

moon quilt--quilt--Ann Brauer--40x40 inches

Then I decided to work on a couple black and white flames. Again a simple statement. But then how to put them together.

quilt--Ann Brauer--wip

Is this too busy? Does the red detract from the simplicity? Yes, it needs one more and I haven't quilted it yet but I did want to see what happens?

quilt--wip--ann brauer

Should they be hung slightly apart? Does this make it easier to examine each one? Interesting question.

What if I hang them like this? Another coastal scene. I do find it an interesting arrangement, don't you?

quilt--wip--ann brauer

Of course I could create just one long wall hanging. Maybe a table runner. Or over the sofa.

quilt--ann brauer--wip

And of course I could include the moon quilt. What fun this would be? Very different. For a large wall or a corporate office.

quilt--wip--ann brauer

And finally this interesting arrangement. The moon stretching beyond into space. Almost a feeling of motion here isn't there? But is the yellow distracting? I know I need a third but should I remake the other flames also?

quilt--ann brauer--wip

It would make a great statement on the back wall of my booth. Maybe in a formal office setting. And of course the quilts could be sold separately--yes, I am always thinking about that bottom line--if you know what I mean. Oh I wish I had time to make all of them. It is hard to decide isn't it? What would you choose? Do you ever play like this with your designs?

the quilts of Ann Brauer--October shows

How quickly the summer has sped by. Already, the colors are changing--they are early this year because of the drought conditions. Now we are  having flood watches--already we have had over four and a half inches with more on the way--glub!!! glub!!! Oh well, it keeps me inside as I finish orders and get ready for the Paradise City Arts Festival next week-end in Northampton, MA.

I love this show--just the right mix between a fun and casual event and some wonderful work to look at. To make it even better, this year the theme is "Food". Those who have previously attended the show know that the food tent has some of Northampton's finest restaurants along with great jazz. This year it promises to be better than ever.  Chinese crab cakes, lobster bisque and my favorite--mango lassi. Yummy!! My booth is 837. For further information and to purchase discount tickets, please visit http://www.paradisecityarts.com.

In other news, I am pleased that I have not one but two quilts in the new book: The Art Quilt Collection: Designs and Inspiration fro Around the World.  What a wonderful book this is with both some work by artists familiar to me and some I have never seen before. Do check it out. Meanwhile my show at the Landmark Campus in Tarrytown, NY has been extended until November 23. To read more about the show and get viewing information  check out  http://annbrauer.blogspot.com/p/landmark-installation.html. Much of this show will then travel to the Hines Corporate Center in Milford, CT where it will be easier to view. Later in the year, I will be showing at the Washington Craft Show in Washington, DC and CraftBoston in December. I do hope to see some of you there.

As usual, I should be in the studio most days when I am not doing a craft show--although if you are traveling from a distance I would advice checking ahead.

This is one of the quilts pictured in The Art Quilt Collection. It is currently hanging in the main entrance to a private foundation in New York.

Note--I will be closed this Saturday afternoon October 2 .

my quilts at Landmark Campus in Tarrytown

Wow--I just got the pictures from my one woman show Ann Brauer: Contemporary Landscape Quilts at the Landmark Campus in Tarrytown, NY. The pictures totally reconfirm my feeling that art quilts fit perfectly in modern corporate settings. Of course, the Art Advisor Wendy Kelley did a superb job selecting quilts to coordinate with the surroundings IMHO. What do you think?

Unfortunately while the show runs through October 1, 2010 the building is not open to the public. To arrange viewing or for inquiries about the pieces in the show, please contact Wendy Kelley Art Advisor 203.912.1044.

Without further ado, here are the images: