The Paducah Quilt Murals, Inc. board is proud to announce that the 14 local artists who participated in an audition process for the upcoming Quilt City USA® Murals project have completed and submitted their Maquettes—scaled model paintings that show how the finished work will fit in the proposed floodwall site near the entrance to the Convention Center. The public is invited to meet the artists and vote for their Viewers Choice at an artists' reception TODAY from 6-7:30 pm at Pinecone Art Gallery, 421 North 7th St. in Paducah’s LowerTown Arts District.
Each of the 14 artists painted a specified section of Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry's 1989 award winning quilt "Corona II: Solar Eclipse" on a canvas. Artists were required to color match the image of the quilt to the colors used on the canvas, and to create a painting that fooled the eye into seeing a fabric quilt.
“It was a joy to see all the pieces come in on deadline day but even better seeing them hung in the gallery all together,” said Char Downs, lead artist for the QCUSA® Murals project. “Each piece is unique unto itself and special. It was a pleasure working with this group of artists and the jurors.”
Jurors Bonnie Browning, American Quilter’s Society Executive Show Director, and Paul Aho, Dean of Paducah School of Art & Design, reviewed and scored the entries on March 7 at Pinecone Gallery. “This part was rigorous and very technical. Bonnie (Browning) and Paul (Aho) did a great but difficult job,” said Downs.
“Painting a section of a quilt in the Maquette was a good test for the painters to create a realistic section of a quilt, demonstrate their ability to mix the paints for accurate coloring, and to show their ability to use color values in the areas of the stitched lines,” said juror Bonnie Browning. “Some of the painters were more successful in presenting a realistic quilt section than others. Each of the Maquettes can stand alone as pieces of art.”
Though all 14 paintings are creatively executed, the top six artists who excelled in meeting the rigid requirements are Kijsa Housman, Cyn Hubble, Tanya Gadbaw-Neitzke, Stefanie E Graves, Deb Lyons, and Kelly Sparks Salchli. The accepted group will be the painters of the first quilts on the floodwall.
All 14 paintings will be available for purchase as part of the project’s first fundraising event. In addition to being on display during the reception, the public is invited to view the exhibit and cast their vote for Viewer’s Choice from noon-4 pm, every Friday and Saturday through May 31, with special AQS QuiltWeek® hours: 10 am-5 pm, Monday-Saturday, April 24-29.
For more information about the project or interviews, contact Lead Artist, Char Downs, at chardowns@mac.com or 270-443-1433 or Project Administrator, Dr. Jay Downs Siska, EdD at jay.quiltmurals@gmail.com or 270-443-0895.
