the quilts of Ann Brauer--May showers edition

OK--isn't there a saying that May showers bring June flowers? Or something like that. After a really warm February (which did a number on my forsythia), a cool March and a dry April we are finally getting some much needed rain. Yes, I would love a couple of nice sunny days but t has been perfect weather to plant my early spring crops--lots of onions, celery, swiss chard, and of course peas.

It has also been perfect weather to make quilts--which is good since Shelburne Falls is having its first ArtWalk of the season May 7 from 2 until 6. What a perfect time to plan a trip to our little village. The Bridge of Flowers is absolutely glorious, the rain has made the flowers spectacular and the hills are turning that wonderful shade of spring green. Lots of galleries will be open with special events. And then there are the restaurants--need I say more?

I have been working on lots of new quilts that continue to explore the circles that I started creating. Don't you love how "ocean sunrise" dances above the water?

ocean sunrise--40x57 inches--ann brauer 2016--photo by John Polak

This really new quilt "it might as well…"  reminds me of the splendor of gardens in the spring. It is part of a series of imaginary landscapes I have just started to create that are smaller and more intimate. I think it is about 16 x 40 inches if I remember correctly.

it might as well--16x40 inches--ann brauer 2016

And there is the meditative landscape of "desert days". Don't you want to just fall into that horizon?

desert days--quilt--37x57 inches--Ann Brauer 2016

Meanwhile if you can't make it to Shelburne Falls this week-end, the next ArtWalk will be June 18 from 2-6. I will be doing the Berkshires Craft Show in Great Barrington August 12-14, and the American Craft Exposition in September in Glencoe, IL but more of these later. Of course my studio is open almost every day but Tuesday (although calling first is a great idea)  and I continue to keep my Etsy shop well stocked. http://www.etsy.com/shop/annbrauer

I hope you have a joyous spring.

one fine day

Yikes. It is September. Soon I have the Paradise City Arts Festival. Then the Philadelphia Museum Show in November. I need to get working. Not that I have been slacking off this summer--I haven't. Oh sure I have stopped to smell the roses on the Bridge of Flowers--literally and figuratively. I have even made a few vain attempts to attack the weeds in my garden. New studios do take time also. Those last minute tweaks and issues. Gazing at the view perhaps a little too long.

But now it is time to make quilts. Seriously.

I have the name. "One fine day". Isn't it a glorious name for a quilt? I even know the colors. Teal--the perfect color for such a fine day. Don't you love how that color is both sky and ocean? The colors of expanse and dreams. Why they make so few great fabrics in teal I will never understand but I get them when I can and hoard them. Search through my collection--are they disguising themselves in green or hiding with the blues? Maybe they even want to pretend to be grey. I scour my stash and start.

One fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

This part is easy. Don't you love those little splashes of color?

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

I work so hard, I don't even remember to take images. Oh well. Now is the time I need the pictures anyway.  I pin a placeholder on the quilt. I want the "sun" at the horizon. But what color?

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

Is this too small? Too red? Do the colors as well as possible?

I make an attempt. Yes, I have to cut and piece the whole thing out to get the final effect. That is why quilts take so long. Or at least one of the reasons.

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

That is too strong, isn't it. Overpowers the quilt. The dreaminess I am searching for is not there. If at first....

I try another placeholder.

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

It looks very different doesn't it? Almost cold. Not what I want. If at second....

I play with colors. Line them out on my table.

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

Step back. Tweak them. Is it warm enough? I search again through my stash. Are those in-between golds and browns in short supply? How does this work? How wide do I want it? Again, sometimes I just have to sew.

one fine day--quilt--Ann Brauer

Not bad. Of course I may change my mind as I sew the quilt together. But at least this is a start. I am headed in the right direction I think.

Whew. That took a while. What do you think? And will I get to show you my new studio as the leaves change. I can't wait to see the view of the mountain. There is even an Art Walk this Saturday 4-7.  Or maybe you can make it to one of the shows. For more info on the Paradise City Arts Festival check out www.paradisecityarts.com The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is November 6-9 at the Convention Center www.pmacraftshow.org

the new bench

Now I admit I am lucky. I could after all walk across the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls every day from my current studio to get my cup of coffee. Usually I don't though. After all, I am building a new studio (yes, moving day will be really soon!!!!) so I just use the Iron Bridge and maybe take a peek at the construction. I do have priorities after all.

However, I knew that my friend John Sendelbach of Metalstone Gallery had created and installed a new bench on the Bridge and I just had to see it. After all, I consider him to be one of the many brilliant artists and artisans in Shelburne Falls. I had followed the construction of this bench and just had to see it for myself.

All I can say is WOW. This bench is simple and wonderful in its simplicity. Look at the lines in the wood. The river is flowing around the rocks. Great isn't it?

Bench--Bridge of Flowers--Shelburne Falls--MetalStone Gallery

But then it is time to absorb the details. Aren't the stones embedded in the river brilliant?

Bridge of Flowers--bench--2014

Each stone is different and worth examining carefully.

Bridge of Flowers--bench--2014

How gracefully they move in the water--just like the rocks that create the Glacial Potholes.

Then there are the "feet" of the bench. Of course, more rocks.

Bridge of Flowers--bench--2014

But look more carefully and see how the arches reflect the arches in the Bridge of Flowers. Sweet detail, isn't it?

Of course you can observe even more--maybe even sit on the bench--when you visit the Bridge. The flowers are spectacular this year. More on that later if I get a chance.

Saturday is the annual plant sale to support the Bridge. Plants from the Bridge itself, supplies, tools and bedding plants. Always a must for any gardener--or anyone who just loves the Bridge.

Bridge of Flowers--plant sale--2014

Then of course you can stop by and visit me at 6 Bridge Street one more time. View the outside of my new studio across the river and then see what else John is working on at Metal Stone Gallery on State Street. For more information on the Bridge of Flowers: http://www.bridgeofflowersmass.org/
For information on John Sendelbach: http://johnsendelbach.blogspot.in/

If you still have time check out some of the other wonderful galleries and studios in town. How lucky we are to have such talented artists in town.

toward a better image of the dahlias

OK--you all probably know that great saying. How do you get  to Carnegie Hall? Of course the answer is "Practice". Well after my last post on dahlias, I decided  I should try taking some better images of the dahlias on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA.

Now it did not  help the last time that I was carrying a cup of coffee and a treat from McCuskers as I hurried across the Bridge to open my studio. In fairness I had not expected the dahlias to be so magnificent but I am not sure that is an excuse.

In any case, I took a bit more time yesterday. So without further ado:

So what do you think? Still room for improvement. Especially my views of the dahlias and the Bridge. Nice but could be even better.

Fun though. Do you ever do this--take a lot of images to try to get the right one? Any hints? And by the by, these were taken with my iPhone.

the riot of dahlias

OK I confess that my daylilies have been magnificent this year. But alas. The season is almost over. Sure there are a few still blooming bravely in the garden. Their foliage that wonderful green mixed with yellows and browns. What a welcome sight they are.

But still I felt the need for an intense deep burst of color and fullness that I was missing. So it was time to get my coffee and walk across the Bridge of Flowers. You see I am one spoiled color junkie. The Bridge of Flowers in beautiful Shelburne Falls is right in back of my studio. I can walk across it any day I want.

This time it was the dahlias that caught my eye. So many great colors and designs all standing so proudly in the sun. Yes, I could go on and on about the joys of each one. I could stop and take careful pictures to capture their glory and maybe I will. Tomorrow.

For now though I just need to revel in their splendor.

And you--do you grow dahlias? Do you look forward to them every year? What are you favorite ones? And have you made it to the Bridge of Flowers yet this year?

the quilts of Ann Brauer--it's hot out there

OK--it is officially summer. The weather outside is HOT HOT HOT. My daylilies have just started blooming and they look absolutely fabulous. The Bridge of Flowers is amazing this year with flowers overflowing the sides.   They have finished filming in Shelburne Falls. And I do now have an air conditioner in the studio so I can continue to get ready for the three craft shows I have scheduled this summer.

First I am pleased to announce that my quilt--prairie sky--was published in Machine Quilting Unlimited this month. Then July 19-22--that is Thursday through Sunday I will be at the Guilford Craft Expo on the Town Common in Guilford, CT. I have been doing this show for a number of years and think it is wonderful. Do note they have added Sunday hours again this year. There is lots of wonderful work there including the leather of my friends Dick and Dianne Muller and the amazing garments of Loraine Jackson. If you like to see great workmanship do check out the care she puts into her clothes. I will be previewing a lot of my new quilts with the very intense piecing so I hope many of you will be able to stop by and give me feedback.  We are all in Tent B--my booth number is B20. For more information check out http://www.artrider.com/Guilford11.html

Later in August I will be doing the Berkshire Craft Show at Monument Mountain HIgh School in Great Barrington, MA and then the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, IL. When I am not at a show I will be busy working--in air conditioned comfort if necessary--at my studio although do call first if you are coming from a distance.

And now for the quilt of the month. Another hard choice this month but I have chosen red sky. This quilt is 32 x 48" and normally sells for $820. I love this piece and indeed just pulled it out to show a customer but it looks so much so  like summer that for the next ten days--or until it is sold I will sell it for $600 plus shipping and any sales tax. You know the routine.

the exuberance of iris

I am sure my love of iris began with my grandmother. Yes, that grandmother. The one who made the quilts. Her second love was her gardens. Not the long rows of beans and tomatoes that any good farm wife would grow. She had those of course. She had to. Remember they did not have the ready access to grocery stores and fresh produce that we now take for granted. Hours spend planting and hoeing the rows. Pickling the cucumbers. Canning the tomatoes. Braiding the onions.

But there was more to life than this. There were also the beds of iris. Not just one bed--but two. Full of every color of bearded iris she could find. Arranged in no set order. Just planted in an exuberance of joy. My father would roll his eyes. Why did she waste so much time digging and replanting these iris when she could be weeding the cabbage? Relatives from the city would plan day trips just to see the bloom--hoping they could persuade her to give them a tuber of that brown iris. Maybe one of the precious yellows also.

And as a young girl I just absorbed the color. Played games among the flowers. Soaked it in not realizing the care that went into these blooms.

Now I walk across the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls right by my studio. Have you been there? Flowers arranged in the most wonderful combinations. This time I soak in all the wonderful details and colors of the iris there. And here without further ado are just a few of the iris that I saw the other day. The wonderful rich blue. So intense in color.

 
The many different colors in this one. Don't you just love the orange beard and the white edging?

 
 This one is called Emporer's Dragon.  Love the golden yellow and that rich orange beard.

 Such a pure simple white with just that hint of color. How rich it looks.

And this one--not sure what it is. But I loved it against the tiny Johnny Jump-Ups.

 Isn't the detail wonderful? Do you have a favorite iris? Or a favorite place to view iris? Do gardens from the past still influence you?

the quilts of Ann Brauer--April Fools Day edition

Wow is time flying by. In March we had unseasonably warm weather. Now it is cooler and sometimes even spitting snow. As they say, if you don't like the weather in New England wait a minute. This summer promises to be busy time for me--I know I will be doing the Guilford Craft Show in Connecticut in July.  Hopefully a couple of other shows also. I  just saw the proofs for one article I have coming out this summer--don't worry I will give the details as the publication date approaches. And I am  working on another one for September. What fun.

Meanwhile I am trying to spend regular hours in the studio finishing orders and creating new quilts. Of course do call first if you are coming from out of state.  And yes, the Bridge of Flowers is open and already lovely. A new vintage clothing store has opened next door to me. Shelburne Falls is full of life.

And now for the quilt of the month. I decided reluctantly to choose "light on the ocean". I love this piece--wonderful blues with a very simple design. It is a bit smaller than I now make--40 x 56" I believe and thus it is harder to display either in my booth or at the studio. Of course there is Velcro for hanging it on the back. The quilt is priced at $1100 but for the next ten days--or until it is sold--it can be purchased for $800 plus any tax and shipping. Good luck. The quilt has been SOLD!!!

light on the ocean--40 x 56"--quilt--copyright Ann Brauer

And now for those whose budgets are more like mine. In making designs for my pillows I did create several that are different from the designs I have settled on.  My pillows are a plumb 14 x 14" filled with a pillow form. The back is a solid color and there is a zipper for cleaning. They all have the thin piecing and wonderful texture that I am currently exploring. Normally my pillows go for $110 but these three pillows are being offered for $60 each plus shipping and applicable tax. Again the offer is only for the next ten days or until they are sold. Please specify which pillow you want.

The plum and green pillow--SOLD!!

Pillow--quilted--Ann Brauer

The rust and turquoise pillow. SOLD!!!

Pillow--quilted--Ann Brauer

The blue and yellow pillow. SOLD!!!

Pillow--quilted--Ann Brauer

Thanks so much. I do look forward to seeing many of you this spring and summer.

the colors of november

Ah November. The maples and birch have lost their leaves. The sky is now a wistful shade of blue. The bright flowers of summer are gone. The light is at that great angle where everything is more pronounced. And--yes--the October snow has melted--but that is another story. Instead  it is the time to watch, to wait, to observe the splendors of this season.

In the distance, Massamont is soft in shades of brown and gold protecting the village of Shelburne Falls that I love so dearly. While the Bridge of Flowers is officially closed for the season, on bright sunny days  it is still open. A good time to stroll, to look at the wonderful complex colors of November. So brilliant and subtle. So unexpected. Just look at these leaves--so many colors of red.

The many browns of the hydrangea. Yes, this is how it looks--so many shapes and textures.

 The surprise purples and mauves.

 
Tiny purple berries. Each so precious. Like gems.

The shapes. The movements of the yuccas and kale.

 Oh there is so much more I could capture. So much more to observe. The carefully selected stones. The bending shapes of the vines. Berries against the blue of the river.

But instead I must head to my new studio. Use my inspiration to choose fabrics for a new quilt. After all, soon the light will be even darker. It will be the time of fire and light and the crisp night stars. Although maybe tomorrow again I will walk across the Bridge again. I mean shouldn't one enjoy these colors while we still have them?

What do you think? Do the colors of November inspire you? What have you seen?