Aaron Butcher's "Orange a Proud!" at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery -- April 29 through June 29
Wednesday, April 29, through Monday, June 29
Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline IL
Colorful, playful, and delightfully goofy works will be on display at the Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery from April 29 through June 29, with the shared exhibition Butcher, Hymes, & Murtha showcasing new illustrations on shaped wood by Aaron Butcher and examples of fiber art by MaryKay Hymes and Diane Murtha.
At AaronButcherStudio.com, the artist states: "Combining both abstract and literal imagery inspires my drawings. My work is a response to spontaneous mark making, the search for and creation of sketched images, enhanced by the addition of collage. The result is funny, unique and sometimes weird characters that invite the viewer to respond with their own stories."
Her member profile at Blurb.com finds MaryKay Hymes stating: "An award winning art quilter, teacher, and lecturer, I'm inspired to create art by the world around me. Putting into words and photos how to share ways in which an artist can document a journey through fibers and embellishments, is the object of my first published book, A Journey of 10,000 Stitches. With degrees in Home Ec (Carnegie Mellon University), Human Nutrition(University of Hawaii), and Fine Arts (BlackHawk College), I call myself a 'lifelong learner' and an artist in search of a medium. Sometimes painting, doing calligraphy, dyeing fabrics and more, I've found a world of exciting opportunities in working with fabrics."
As the fiber artist tells us at DianeLMurtha.com: "My Grandmother helped me with my first hand-sewn and tied quilt as a young girl, but I didn’t take my first quilting class until the late '90s. From that moment on, I was hooked. I snatched any quilting time I could get, but a demanding career left minimal time for my quilting hobby, although I was very active in both my Heidelberg, Germany and Northern Virginia quilt guilds over the years.
"Like many of you, I started with mostly traditional quilting. Gradually I modified patterns more and more, making my quilts unique, as well as creating my own original designs. Over the last eight years, I gravitated to art quilts, specifically participating in art quilt challenges. An early retirement allowed me time to open my creative aperture to explore quilting on even more new levels!
"Challenges are an excellent opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. I embrace it fully and encourage you to do the same and experience the joy and personal satisfaction of challenges!
"So why do you want to listen to me? Because I am you! My point is – if I can do challenge quilts – so can you! I’m not fancy. I only recently started entering juried competitions. However, I’m super excited to share what I have learned with you. I regularly spoke at international conferences across the country in my professional life so speaking about my quilting passion is an easy and natural transition."
The Quad City Arts International Airport Gallery is located opposite the airport's gift shop and restaurant, there is a $2 fee for short-term parking, and more information on the Butcher, Hymes, & Murtha exhibit on display from April 29 through June 29 is available by calling (309)793-1213 and visiting QuadCityArts.com.
