Luxembourg
Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 18, 2018 (Days 1 to 12)
Bruges (Belgium) and Amsterdam
Saturday, May 19 through Wednesday, May 30, 2018 (Days 13 to 24)
Celle (Germany) and Groningen (The Netherlands)
Thursday, May 31 through Monday, June 11, 2018 (Days 25 to 36)
Day 1 – Monday, May 7
I'm finally leaving! I'm heading to Amsterdam this evening (from Denver), and from there will arrive in Luxembourg Tuesday evening. Woohoo! I'm very excited! I'll start posting after I arrive.
Note that I've never blogged before, but I've had lots of requests to do so, so here goes nothing.
One last doggie walk before heading to the airport, plus stopping on the way at Moxie's Bread Works in Louisville, CO – the best avocado toast and Chai ever. My husband Allan is staying behind to take care of Mr. Darcy, our Labradoodle, to help produce this blog, etc. I'll be on my own for all five weeks !! – which I'm happy and comfortable doing, and which was also the case for my other previous European and Asian trips. Allan travelled internationally a huge amount before retirement, got pretty burned out, and is now happy exchanging roles with me and staying home.
Then, here I am at the airport. I'm taking eleven quilts (I prefer carrying them with me, and keeping them close, instead of shipping them ahead of time via FedEx, UPS, or whatever – plus, I'm showing them at three different shows, so I need a way to transport them within Europe as well, though two suitcases – along with my backpack, which I also carry – can be quite the handful when trying to make tight connections in strange train stations; happily, some kind stranger almost always takes pity on me and volunteers to help). The quilts completely fill the large red suitcase – which closes with clamps and water-tight o-rings instead of a zipper, perfect for quilts!
Day 2 – Tuesday, May 8
I made it! Flying into Luxembourg, the landscape was an amazing lush green, and the grass in all the fields was beautifully and symmetrically mowed, perfectly manicured. And lots of small villages strewn everywhere. It really reminded me of a quilt. A good omen. And warm weather (at least today).
I was kindly picked up at the airport by a Quilt Festival of Luxembourg representative (Sylvie Kayser) and taken to the totally picturesque (and very small) town of Clervaux – my home for the next week and a half – located in the rolling countryside about 45 miles (70 km) north of Luxembourg City.
I’m staying at a very nice hotel and spa, located about 50 feet from Clervaux Castle. The castle is lovely (at least on the outside; I hope to get inside at some point), dominates the small valley, and hosts both The Family of Man, a famous permanent photo exhibition, and the Battle of the Bulge Museum.
My quilts will actually be displayed in Wilwerwitz, a nearby village just a bit south of Clervaux. We go there tomorrow to hang the exhibition.
I already started my on-going search for vegetables (and salads). Tasting the regional specialities (and pastries and chocolate, of course) is always fun, but – particularly during a long trip – just a simply prepared salad or non-oily stir-fry, or whatever, is just sooo wonderful and welcomed. I'm so Boulder.
Tonight I ate outside at a perfect small cafe (it was still light out at 9:30 pm) and I was able to get Pasta with Broccoli (though in a cream sauce). A few years ago out in the French countryside (in the hill town of Vézelay), when Allan asked if they had any primarily vegetable dishes, we were told that they had both chicken and fish – “what other kind of vegetables do you need?”. Happily, although still challenging, veggie accessibility is much better today.
Day 3 – Wednesday, May 9
Jet lag is never pleasant. But I was able to get up early and clear some of the fogginess by hiking along part of the lovely Circular Walk that circumnavigates Clervaux (these relatively non-strenuous Circular Walks are apparently found around multiple Luxembourg towns and villages. Very civilized). The walk included some beautiful lichen-y rocks – I took lots of photos to help me in the future when painting my Stones. Afterwards I was able to visit the extraordinarily impressive Family of Man photo exhibition (a UNESCO facility).
Most of the rest of the day involved heading over to Wilwerwitz and helping set up the exhibit (do you recognize my red suitcase?).
In the evening we had a very pleasant and well-attended initial reception where I was able to sneak a peak at some of the – in many cases remarkable – artwork (I'll post photos over the next couple of days) and meet more of the Quilt Festival staff, a number of the Festival's patrons and supporters, and some of the other invited featured artists, including Nancy Prince (USA – Thread Painting) and Danny Amazonas (Taiwan – "Freehand Patchwork"). Danny and I will each teach one of the two post-Festival workshops.
Day 4 – Thursday, May 10
Today was the first day (of four) of the Quilt Festival. It was crowded all day – 10:00 to 6:00 pm – with a constant flow of visitors. Even Luxembourg's Prime Minister dropped by; below is a picture of him, and Danny Amazonas and his wife, in front of one of Danny’s exceptional quilts. The PM’s FaceBook page has just added lots of images of my (and other's) quilts.
Today was also my worst jet lag day; talking with people is a delight, but eight hours straight can be incredibly draining. And, of course, everyone wanted to know why I focus on stones.
The reason is simple: megalithic stones (and more recent monastic ruins, particularly portals and passageways) “talk to me”, and in response I feel a strong and continuing need to introduce others – through my quilts – to these amazing structures, and to their very emotional stories. This stone-based story-telling emphasis – along with my technical focus on color, quilt top texture, my hand-painted fabric (realistic stones but abstract skies and landscapes), perspective, and shadowing – has become my “brand”.
As I mention in my Artist Statement, it’s almost as if these quilts jostle in viewers some deep core of cellular memories, helping them "remember" what they already intuitively know and honor, but which they may have unknowingly set aside or forgotten; these emotional memories and feelings seem to particularly deal with themes of permanence and stability, and the enduring multi-generational continuity of family, clan, and faith.
A professor of geomancy – the study of megalithic stones – once told me, after seeing some of my quilts, that thoughtful and respectful representations of the stones – like art quilts – can have the same emotional impact as being with the actual stones themselves. I believe this to be very very true.
Everyone is also always fascinated to know if I really construct my quilts the same way as an stone mason, working from the ground up, one stone at a time. The answer is yes, and I love showing them how. Plus, this very purposeful act of (re)creation allows me, in my own way, to continually honor both the stones and their builders.
Day 5 – Friday, May 11
Today was much like yesterday, working the floor all day and talking about my quilts to the constant flow of (oftentimes very interesting) visitors. In contrast with the US, we’re told that Thursday and Friday are usually the most crowded, with the number of visitors likely falling off on the weekend.
I was so tired near the end of the day that I actually snuck off (to a small area behind some partitions) and took a (very) brief nap. They say it takes a week to totally shake off jet lag when flying between North America and Europe (an hour a day; Luxembourg is eight hours different from Colorado). I usually adjust pretty quickly, but this trip has been challenging. I should have given myself an extra day or two on the front-end to acclimate; one of these days I'll actually learn (and then remember) this key lesson. And the word is out that I like veggies – folks at the various dinners continue to offer me extra veggies off their plates (that they themselves probably don’t really want anyway).
Day 6 – Saturday, May 12
The organizers were right about the weekend crowds being smaller than the first two weekdays. I was actually able to sneak off for a bit and visit a few exhibits in adjacent villages. I saw some very compelling "non-standard" art, which just reinforced my view as to how well this Quilt Festival is curated.
Today’s highlight was that one of my students, Coralie, from last year’s Séminar Post Carrefour workshop (in the Alsace), travelled all the way from Strasbourg (an all-day round trip) to visit and share with me – and to seek feedback on – the quilt (see below) that she started during the workshop, and which she is working to complete for the Student-Teacher exhibit at this September’s European Patchwork Exhibition (which I’ll also be attending). One of the themes of my longer design workshops is that seeking out and being open to supportive and mentoring criticism can have a huge positive influence on one’s art. I was so moved by her visit.
A number of other attendees came up to me and introduced themselves as students either in next week’s four-day workshop or in the shorter two-day class that I’ll be teaching a week later in Amsterdam.
And, not to continue going on too much about food, but I had a wonderful (big) salad last night back at the same restaurant where I had the Pasta with Broccoli the first night. Although the sausage here is great (as is the wonderful hard crust bread, of course), the daily lunch sandwich (see photo below) handed out to participants while staffing our exhibits just gets me in the mood for more veggies.
Day 7 – Sunday, May 13
Today was the last day of the (seemingly very successful) Luxembourg show, with teardown this evening. I was again able to visit other locations today and check out more quilts. Particularly impressive were the beautiful German quilts about women and the intriguing “Russian Ladies” exhibit – many of the Russian quilts (see photo below) were, thematically, just so recognizably “Russian”; it’s fascinating to see the strong cultural influence in so many of the various national showings.
There was also a fascinating, very large "button quilt" (see photos below) that was beautifully unique. The artist is Anne van den Heuvel from The Netherlands. She is a very talented artist that gets help with her quilts from her town’s residents because her projects are so large.
During today's traveling around between villages I also stopped for a cup of tea (my first tea of the trip – it was so welcomed) and some traditional regional tarts. Of course, yum.
During the show I actually became good friends with a number of the Festival's other featured artists, including Nancy Prince, Danny Amazonas, Will Fritsma, and Marijke van Welzen, as well as Sylvie Schmit, who ran the show. It is a great feeling to leave the exhibition having even more friends around the world than when I arrived! I always thought it would be great to have multiple Irish friends (which has certainly happened), but never did I dream I could have so many friends (and so many students that continue to stay in touch) from all around the world. My teaching and exhibiting in so many different places over the past several years continues to deliver friendships and comforts well beyond what one would normally expect.
Tomorrow is a day off. My four-day design intensive workshop starts Tuesday, so in the morning I’ll hop a train to visit Luxembourg City for the day and play tourist. I’ll be meeting and be shown the sights by a local “future student” who unfortunately couldn’t make her schedule work to attend this coming week’s class.
Day 8 – Monday, May 14
I took a morning train from Clervaux and spent the day walking all around Luxembourg City (with my new local friend, and future student, Annakatrin). The city is terraced with lots of different levels ranging from up high to paths along the river. I was surprised by all the parks and how beautifully manicured everything is – someone told me that Luxembourg (both the City and the countryside) is known as the "Green Heart" of Europe. I also enjoyed walking around because it is so quiet, not something that I normally associate with cities.
In stark contrast, I also visited some preserved in-city military bunker ruins, a history that can’t be ignored. Seeing the fighting-related holes in the wall left me with chills.
Tomorrow is the first day of my four-day Art Quilt Design Intensive workshop – the day's focus will be on fabric painting plus an introduction to creating, and working from, photo-derived design templates. Like last year’s Séminar Post Carrefour, the class is filled. I can’t wait.
Day 9 – Tuesday, May 15
Today was Day One of my Luxembourg Art Quilt Design Intensive. The workshop was several kilometers outside of Wilwerwitz, set amongst some beautiful countryside. We immediately jumped in by adding resists to our fabric, and then drying it by hanging or draping it outside wherever possible; lovely warm sunshine fully cooperated. Next we started to do some actual painting and then doing to the fabric (from wrapping it around a pole when wet to adding sand or salt while drying) whatever can help influence or cause differential paint absorption, diffusion, blending, or mottling. See my Fabric Painting description for a full explanation and examples of resulting fabrics.
After mentioning that I was just not used to eating so much meat (and sausage), the organizers immediately responded by making a great vegetable soup for lunch. Thank-you! Danny Amazonas’ class joined mine for the soup, wonderful local bread, and dessert. Then back to work!
Day 10 – Wednesday, May 16
Day Two of the workshop again focused on fabric painting, using the fabric we prepared (i.e., adding resists, etc.) yesterday. We again lucked out with sunny skies (to dry our fabric); predicted thunderstorms didn’t hit until the evening.
The day went by incredibly fast, and everyone (I was told) had a thoroughly enjoyable, and productive, time. I certainly did. Lots of interesting fabrics were created; my student’s creativity and excitement (once the basic techniques are understood – it takes about a day for each student’s “ah ha” moment) never fails to surprise and delight.
I forgot to take very many photos today, but Day Two last year at the Séminar Post Carrefour was when French TV came and videotaped, so to get an in-depth flavor of the day’s work (both workshops share the same schedule), take a look at last year’s video (the segment begins at 2:01).
This evening I also received (and accepted) an email invitation to do a solo show next year at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (USA). Woohoo!
Day 11 – Thursday, May 17
Day Three of the workshop moved from fabric painting to construction techniques. The group wanted to first focus on reverse and turned edge appliqué, and how I do my free-form strip piecing and couching, so that's what we did!
Along with the above hands-on, I also explained and demonstrated why and when to use reverse appliqué versus turned edge appliqué versus raw edge appliqué versus insetting; their comparative strengths, benefits, and challenges; and how to consistently produce predictable, desired results. See my Construction Techniques page for comparative examples and photos.
I then worked with each student to finalize their photo-derived design templates, and to come up with construction techniques strategies customized to each student's design goals. Lots of fun, but pretty much heads down all day.
Day 12 – Friday, May 18
Day Four focused on pulling everything together, delivering any as-requested additional instruction, and making sure that each student left with a custom project completion plan. The group was particularly interested in learning more advanced insetting techniques, so we spent additional time on that as well.
As was the case with the Carrefour workshop (whose students still interact and share with one another via a dedicated Facebook page), the workshop’s students also plan on staying in touch (via email). All the students said that they could definitely take many of the techniques we covered and immediately apply them to new or planned projects. Nothing could sound better to an instructor!
Tomorrow it’s off to Bruges (Brugge), Belgium for several days of vacation and sight-seeing, then up to Amsterdam. My time in Luxembourg was lovely – I was very well taken care of, I met a number of new friends (and very accomplished quilters), the crowds were large (at least during the first two days) and enthusiastically appreciative, and as I believe I’ve said before, the Festival was very well curated and presented. A success from beginning to end; I continue to highly value my opportunity to participate. Thank-you to all involved.
