Saturday, August 28, 2010

Best of Show - Woo Hoo!!


Pelton's Rose-Gentian

Just found out today that I won Best of Show for the Aullwood Audubon Show in Dayton Ohio this summer with Pelton's Rose-Gentian. You can read about all the work in the show on Lisa Broberg Quintana's blog. She has covered all the work and has photos of them that are luscious.

This gives me a chance to talk about this piece, as it is dear to my heart. I found the inspirational photograph for this piece in a Nature Conservancy magazine. I tracked down the photographer, John Pelton, and interviewed him on how he found it and how he knew it was a new species. Then I purchased permission to use the photography for inspiration for a quilt.

Turns out that this little flower was found early this 21st century by John Pelton,who is an amateur botanist, a professional photographer and a retired engineer from Alcoa. He specializes in photography of Arkansas wildflowers. Out one day, John saw a flower that he knew had to be a rose-gentian, but it was growing in a spot that no known rose-gentian grew. It was growing right next to and in a fast flowing stream in a broken shale valley.

John came back later and examined the plant more carefully and keyed it out. He was convinced that the flower was a totally new species, so he called in other experts on the plant species to help determine its origins. After sending a specimen to a Canadian botanist, the world's authority on rose-gentians, it was confirmed to be a brand new species. Subsequently, as is traditional, it was named for its discoverer.

Now, I was enthralled to learn that John is in his seventies. I love where people of great years are still making substantial contributions to the world. And, it is wonderful that the world still has room for scientific discoveries made by amateurs.

I selected fabrics for this piece to covey some of the environment and mystery of the plant. John discovered the plant growing in broken shale right on the edge of a stream. The shibori dyed fabrics by Lunn Fabrics on the bottom of the piece recall the broken shale.
The shibori fabrics at the top, recall the running water of the creek.


Pelton's Rose-Gentian (detail)

I started with the background fabric, dyed by Judy Robertson. Most of the fabrics are hand dyed, the pinks were hand dyed by Janet Lasher, specifically to create these flowers. I used the piecing techniques of Ruth McDowell to construct it.

It was my last pieced quilt. It is large, 50" x 45".

Okay, I know you folks who have done bed quilts are laughing and think that it is small. Everything is relative.

Nancy

12 comments:

  1. What a beautiful quilt and wonderful story! You just keep getting better and better... I love how your pieces are growing and changing as you grow in your artistic abilities. Well done, and Bravo!

    The story of the plant is quite interesting, too. It is amazing that new species are still being found. I just read a book with my kids called "The Evolution of Calpernia Tate" in which a little girl and her grandfather discover a new plant... I believe in either Arkansas or Alabama... lovely children's tale and award winner, too.

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  2. Beautiful Quilt! Congrats!! Being a flower and plant lover myself, the story of the flower is really neat.... I have dreamed of finding something new and special while out with my camera...

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  3. Thanks, Vivika and Sue. New discoveries are so special. My friend, Susan Brubaker Knapp, has the ability to see and find four leaf clovers on almost a daily basis. I never find them. Some see those little nuances, some of us do not.

    Susan gave me a four leaf clover on my birthday in March and it was still living in August and had grown roots. Wonder if it would have produced more 4 leaf clovers?
    Thanks for checking out my blog and leaving a comment.
    Nancy

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  4. This piece is incredible! When did you make it? You mention it being your last pieced quilt so I was trying to place it in a time frame in reference to your other work. I'll be looking for the opportunity to see it in person some day!

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  5. Nancy, I'm glad you posted the photo of this beautiful quilt. I looked at the original site but don't remember her posting you piece.
    My son is a Botanist and an Entomologist and he has the same kind of eye for finding interesting species. I loved the story as well as the art work

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  6. Love the colors & depth of this work! Beautiful job!

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  7. Congratulations on the Best of Show Award, Nancy. A very deserving award and the story behind this is just wonderful. You are making great strides with each new piece and exhibition opportunity.

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  8. Thank you all for the lovely comments. This piece was done in early 2008. I began my series of whole cloth pieces in April of that year.

    It has been in a number of shows and is one of my DH's favorites. Once while it was gone he threatened that if I did not fill the space with something else, he was going to put up NASCAR posters.

    Fortunately, I have created other work and so has he, so no worry about the posters now.
    Nancy

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  9. Gorgeous as always, Nancy! Congrats on your award!

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  10. Hooray for it, hooray for you! So happy to hear that this wonderful piece has received another award.

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  11. Congratulations on the Best of Show Award for this sensational quilt!

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  12. Thank you, Susan and Geni. It was a thrill. Nancy

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