A group of quilters from Readsboro and nearby towns will display their work starting June 18 at Confluence, a gallery on Main Street in Readsboro.
The exhibition will run for six weekends, through July 24. There will be an opening reception for the artists on Friday, June 17, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Norma Abel is the organizer and curator of Confluence's second show. Finding herself in the little mountain town on a backroads trip from Albany to Boston, she and her husband decided they would build their retirement home there.
In 1999, after working in the IT computer industry for 35 years and “managing software engineers in five countries,” Abel started her first quilt during a weekend stay in their new home.
Along with Abel, Cindy Bartosewcz and Carol Marks make up the triumverate of Readsboro exhibitors; Jeanne Chivers of Hinsdale, Mass., Betty King of Cheshire Mass., and Tessa Atwood of Wilmington complete the line-up.
“Contemporary Quilts” will hang pieces that range from art quilts to those with a more traditional look.
Bartosewcz has been quilting for 40 years. During that time, her quilts have evolved from very traditional patchwork and applique quilts to the creative imagery of quilted fiber art, such as “Toad,” the show's postcard image.
Abel's quilts have been shown in quilt and craft shows around the country. They feature boldly-colored original floral designs. The pieces are cut in assorted shapes that fit the design, as in a collage.
The stitching that holds together front and back covers with batting in between is what makes a quilt a quilt. In some of Tessa Atwood's quilts the stitching, or quilting itself, creates the design, as with “Koi,” featuring a vibrantly colored koi swimming among curled waves, with mountains in the background, all “drawn” through stitching.