The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

California State Fair-2017

I get excited about the California State Fair! I love state fairs and think I’ve been to Fairs in 6 states. It’s perhaps a cheesy, expensive and dying event, but how can you resist fried food, blazing heat and every type of person in one place? It is almost always unbearably hot since it’s held in July, but it was a balmy 92 for me this year. The Fine Arts and the Crafts buildings are the first places I visit-gotta see the art and quilts!

Near the entrance there are two golden bears and there are always some cute kids climbing them (the California state animal is the Grizzly bear).

There are lots of benches, cool shade and misters all over-a nice touch.

When my boys were little we would get a zillion tickets and hit the Midway. I miss those days!

It can’t be a State Fair without the hawkers! Did you know for the mere price of $15 parking and $17 admission, you too can: win a vacation, a motor home, a hot tub, a truck, a car, stuffed animal, a  room in a hotel, car  rental and a vacation condo! And let’s not forget the opportunity for streakless glass, to get rid of psoriasis, the bags under your eyes, and your wrinkles.

And surely you need a whole house fan, information on the political parties, jewelry, sour cream based dips, jewelry cleaners and gizmos that shake the fat right off of ya! But the one that kills me is the huge amount of floor space devoted to…..mattresses! Do people really throw the kids in the car, pay a zillion dollars to get in and then slap their foreheads and say, “Babe, let’s get a mattress today!”?

There are always people on stilts walking the fair. This little guy was trying sooooo hard to high-five the walker! Super cute.

So the real reason why I go… Fine Arts:

Yellow Rhythm, Zhizhen Li. Love the ethereal image, the texture, the soothing colors.

Forks, Knives, Spoons on Yellow, Cecelia Gandre. Ah, beauty in the ordinary.

Recess in Manhattan, Bill Chiechi. There was unavoidable glare on most framed art, so try to look past that. I just love this scene. I am such an urbanite that I am intrigued by the thought that this is their playground!

David, Margarita Chaplinska. No information on the card. Such a striking image.

Falling or Flying, Tony Nguyen. Dunno-what do you think? I think they’re flying.

Tree of Life, Vincent DiLeo. This is a conceptual photo based on photos DiLeo took last year at the Fair of people on the walk-away. It seems very ominous to me.

Morning Light, Katherine Plumer. This is a drawing (!) based on a photo of a friend’s dog laying on the bed as the sun streams through the Venetian blinds. Sorry for the glare of lights on top, but I love this image!

On to the Crafts building… A word of explanation. I guess the Fair has limited resources and the Crafts building really shows it. The displays are jumbled together and many of the works were just impossible to see and/or photograph. The signage is impossible to read. I saw all of the displays but may have missed something divine due to the layout.

In the Wearable Arts area:

I happen to recognize this as Connie Horne’s work but I could not locate the sign. This is one of my favorite coats that I’ve seen of Connie’s-love the flared sleeves and over-sized center placket.

A Tribute to Koos, Dee Cavanaugh. Really fabulous in person. Probably my favorite piece of Dee’s also.

Hidden Treasures, Tonja McCarthy. Tonja’s coat won Best of Show and it was stunning. Oh the detail, yet cohesive piece. I absolutely hated the way this was displayed-graphic work behind, many things in front of it. I know, they do have a limited budget…

Salesman Sampler, Mary Boyer, made from up cycled samples, beautifully integrated.

On to the quilts…

Golden Days, Providense, Inger Blood. Inger had several quilts in the Fair that all ribboned, these are just two in the Two-Person Art Quilt Category. Inger did the exquisite quilting. Her other quilts were obscured by other items-the Fair does have a limited budget…

I couldn’t see the card in my photo but it is by Jan Soules. Love her masterful use of color.

My Modern May Basket, Sherry Werum. Beautiful quilting and gorgeous design based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design.

Our Trip to the Galapagos, Cathy Brorby. Beautiful, original applique and embroidery.

Floral Fantasy, Shireen Hattan. Lovely applique and just the right amount of quilting.

Going Around in Circles, Jan Soules. Masterful use of prints and color.

And not that I’m bragging, but many of the items displayed were from members of my home guild, the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild, just sayin’! I didn’t get to all the normal plant and animal exhibits I usually go to as I had an appt later in the day:-(

I’ll link up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday!

Comments

  1. I too love state fairs, but we have a regional one for the 5 New England states called the Big E in Springfield, MA. Wonderful review of the fair!!

    • I’ll bet yours is very different! That’s what I love about Fairs-they celebrate the region. Remember the butter cow in the Illinois Fair?

  3. Lovely walk through the fair highlighting many of the pieces I, too, enjoyed. Because I wasn’t familiar with many of the quilt’s makers, I had to search for their makers’ signs…as you said. Irritating as there was MUCH to see!

    • Yes, they stuff a whole craft show and quilt show into a very limited venue. They have significant space constrictions and probably do the best they can to accommodate such a huge volume of work. But it seems to dishonor the work IMHO. I never enter (too many reasons to list) but I would not be happy if you couldn’t see the tag on my quilt or garment. When I visited, there was no one knowledgeable to answer questions. But it is still a good show! Glad you made it out-the Fair is so fun!

  6. Thanks for the eye candy – please share more quilts if you can! Beautiful works. btw – you forgot the massage chairs…

    • Ah yes, you’re right Diane-it’s not Fair without the massage chairs! I didn’t take that many quilt photos as I was too annoyed, I must admit.

  7. Wonderful pictures and comments, Jenny. I think some of the displays are shameful and completely unfair to the artists!

    Thanks for posting, you do a great job!

    • Thank you for the comment Ila. I think it’s probably pretty hard to make a great display in such a small space. If you look at the awards, there are a zillion items in that building! It does not give justice to many of the items though.

  8. Love all the pictures, thanks so much for posting.
    I feel like I got to see the beautiful art even though I won’t be able to attend the fair this year.
    Your Quilting Buddy,
    Sharon

  9. Interesting insight into the state fair, Jenny! As a kid fairs were verboten by my very class-oriented mother. When our kid was little hubs took her every year to the local fair and often the county fair so I got to eat a few corn dogs and cinnamon rolls. Yet we are both natives of CA and have never been to the state fair! So I thank you for the tour.

    • Oh how funny-never occurred to me that it would be considered verboten! It is a little tacky which is its appeal to me. It is a bit of Americana and it really does make me proud of my state!

  10. Sherry Werums winning Modern Quilt is actually a copy of a Frank Lloyd Wright design. It is appropriately credited to FLW.

  11. I love a state fair. Any state or county fair. I was right with you in experience, laughing and nodding til you got to fine art. Then the quilts! We don’t have that level, but what a joy to see it here. The dog drawing! Awesome! The May basket… so Frank Lloyd Wright to me. Nice! Wish I was there. Or watching State Fair movie again! LeeAnna

    • What a lovely reply LeeAnna! So you get the whole state fair thing! I actually ammended my post to include the fact that the May baskets actually was based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Wasn’t it fabulous? Glad you enjoyed it.

  12. Missed the state fair this year. After seeing your post, I’m thinking we should revisit the decision to avoid the heat, fried foods, hawkers, crowds. Our fav – the 4H kids. Love to engage them in conversations about their animals.

    • Ya know, there’s no other venue like it! And I didn’t make it to the 4-H area but it is a kick to talk with the kids!

  13. I always love a virtual stroll through a quilt show from the comfort of my air conditioned office! :-) Some truly stunning work, but frustrating that they couldn’t display everything in a way that credited all of the makers.