Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Quiltcon Los Angeles 2016

Timing is everything. One of my readers asked if I would be visiting Quiltcon while I was in LA. I didn't even know it was here. Fortunately my son and I were able to visit the show on the last day. 

Disclaimer: Regular readers know I like quilts to have energy, vitality and verve. I like things that grab me emotionally. "Modern" quilts, by and large, do nothing for me. For me a lot of them are "Meh".  I feel they are often "half-baked."  You are welcome to disagree, but I am entitled to my opinion. Don't bother commenting if you want to tell me I am "wrong."  There is no right or wrong. 

There were some that I liked. 
                          
            
                          
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But the quilts that really made my heart sing were the ones made by two of my idols, Gwen Marston and the late Molly Upton.
  
                                
    This is one of Gwen's. My son took one look at it and said her design sense was superior and her quilts were less contrived than the so-called Modern ones. He loved all her quilts. I agree. 

         
 Molly Upton's quilts are staggeringly gorgeous and original, even now, forty years later. 

And OMG, look how big they are.  Remember there were no long arm quilting machines back then, and cottons were just calicoes. Upton used everything, cottons, velvet, corduroy, wool. And these were hand quilted. She was a true visionary. 

9 comments:

Tine said...

Those quilts are gorgeous!! I can definitely see, why you like them...
And you are right, there is no right or wrong to what is beautiful, not when talking about quilts, or anything else for that matter :-)

Quiltdivajulie said...

Great post! Love the photo of you with Molly Upton's incredible quilt.

DKM said...

I love that one of Gwen's

Pat said...

How wonderful that you caught Quiltcon and without making a "special" trip. I like all of the quilts you posted today. That Molly Upton quilt really is incredible. I've seen a lot of quilts in 'blog land' that resemble Gwen Marston's quilt and I usually like them a lot. Among the others, with no name attached, the 2nd one down really appeals to me. It makes me think of a school of brightly colored angel fish. I don't suppose there is such a thing in nature but wouldn't it be fun if there were?

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I remember seeing Molly's quilts in a magazine way back when and was heartbroken when I heard she had passed away. Her quilts are so wonderful. For the time period in which she made them, she was so far ahead of everyone else. I'm glad they are being displayed now.

Millie said...

She committed suicide. Her purse was found on the Golden Gate Bridge with a note that asked "is that all there is?" Her body was never found.

Just Ducky said...

Wow, that last one is so 3D if you soft focus on it. Neat designs.

Kathy said...

Glad you were able to see the show and spend the time with your son, too. Win- win!

lindaroo said...

Me, too. I cruised through much of the exhibit, but spent a considerable amount of time appreciating Molly Upton's and Gwen Marston's quilts. Amazing artistry.