YC test more | Grandnational

1. C for Jo

Jo Alibutt
This is the result of the 2019 Improvnorth Quilting Bee that is made up of 10 artists across Canada. The request was for yellow and white fractured blocks. A black and white stripe was to be inserted to represent their individuality. It was raw edge appliquéd to give the illusion that every block is connected; signifying what can result in choosing to work together rather than alone; the horseshoe representing good luck. The name pays homage to the artist’s sister whom reminded us that in the world of design, there is more than one way to hang a horseshoe.
51" x 55"

2. Hay Bales 4

Patricia Anderson
had several crossroads. This last crossroad came when I felt a deep need to start thinking outside my safe box, no matter what those around me wanted. I had to decide whether I would continue to be a representational artist or make the leap into impressionism which I had always loved. So after my art medium changed, I knew it was the time for a style change as well. It took a lot of courage but I felt that I had always wanted this and now there is such a thrill and excitement.
21" x 28.5"

3. A Study of Pattern and Perspective

Terry Aske
Rusted railway tracks, with rail tops polished to a shine by frequent freight trains.
31" x 31"

4. Intersections

Terry Aske
My original piecing, although improv and asymmetrical, resulted in a more precise design than I wanted. So I cut it into 6” squares, and rearranged it on my design wall, making decisions as I pieced. Once I added the negative space to each quadrant, it all come together. The result is an intersection of my original vague concept, my improv process and the colours I love.
39" x 25"

5. Night Driving

Terry Aske
Driving through the night, across the featureless landscape, headlights and taillights blur into glowing streams of light, crossing in the darkness. As I drive, I realize I am surrounded by strangers; all of us travelling in our own socially isolated bubbles. I wonder about the people in all the vehicles around me. I wonder about their destinations – are they heading home, across town to visit friends, or perhaps starting a long trip toward a new adventure? I wonder about their hopes and dreams.
21.5" x 28"

6. The Journey

Diana Bartelings
other,
Overcoming the hurdles along the way, only to come against a cluster that is just too much.
Life is unraveling.
24" x 23"

7. Capillaries

Janet Bednarczyk
e crossroads between arteries and veins. In mammals capillaries made it possible for larger, more complex life forms to evolve thru more efficient gas exchange. The gas exchange that occurs between arteries, veins and the atmosphere is critical to the survival of all living organisms. Plants produce gases which animals need to survive and animals create gases which plants need to survive. This results in a web of crossroads between all living things in our world.
43.5" x 43.5"

8. The Best Choice

Ana Paula Brasil
After years of suffering verbal aggression, I started to believe that what I heard was true. Believing what they wanted me to believe caused me to lose myself between truth and someone else's imagination. The phrases on the quilt are now parts of my past. The miracle was inside me and it was worth the wait because now I stopped waiting and started to act. It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light" Martin Luther King
31" x 28"

9. The Woman Who is Alone and Waits (La mujer que está sola y espera)

Ana Buzzalino
This piece was inspired by an editorial in the Buenos Aires Herald from the 1990s. It talks about a woman standing against a building waiting for someone, and a man who slowly walks by her and then turns and comes back, trying to make eye contact. That repeats for a few minutes until the woman enthusiastically waves to someone and she throws herself in the arms of a man who looks stunned for a minute. They leave together. The other man slowly walks away … hoping to one day meet a woman who is alone and waits, like him.
39" x 20"

10. The Little Things

Yvonne Carlson
A trip abroad in recent years, in hindsight, may have been the last one for some time to come. We’ve learned to appreciate the freedom we took for granted: the freedom to travel, to hug our loved ones, to go out for a simple meal, and so much more. This global crossroads is one that will not soon be forgotten and perhaps will have a magnifying and lasting effect for decades to come. Will we ever get back to this quiet spot along the canal in Ghent, Belgium?
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
11.5" x 16.5"

11. Decisions...

Chriss Coleman
We make decisions everyday -- some more complex than others. Decisions can affect those we love, and not always for the better. Do you maintain the status quo, unhappy with the situation, in hopes of making the situation liveable? Or do you forge ahead with a new life, attempt to overcome obstacles that will inevitably occur, and hope the new path doesn’t harm those you love the most. Both roads come with benefits, both with hardships.
23" x 21"

12. New Parents

Charlene Collette
I came to a Crossroad when my youngest son entered university, and I decided to return to school. I enrolled in a one-year art program 400 kilometers from my home. I was three times the age of the average student and didn’t fit in, but took every opportunity and pushed hard. My then traditional rug hooking changed dramatically. I changed the materials, scale and concept for my pieces.
This body of work examines women’s roles in the family and society. It honors domesticity while challenging the status quo. Who raises your children? Who cleans your home? Who fills your bowl?
45" x 60" x 2"

13. Stand Together

Art Kwilt Connection
erminable uncertainty of daily news updates, mask-wearing and Zoom meetings. Despite a year of racial violence and unsettling politics amidst health unknowns, we have still been reminded of the human values that are needed now more than ever, to help us survive. We all have choices to make, but need many qualities to make the best decisions.
Photo Credit: Ilene Atkins
24" x 40"

My New Path

Paulette Cornish
the past 20 year in Traditional Art Quilt-making, this piece signifies a 'Crossroad' for me. Choosing a new path, I studied with contemporary artists working in photography, graphic arts and mixed media art forms. I have now chosen to reduce the significant layers in my art, minimize the machine quilting and adjust the primary colour palette to shades of grey. This piece is a metaphor for this new path. Although the piece seems to have more light, the end is not in sight.
22.5" x 15"

All Was Well

Millie Cumming
It was 1984. I was on the cusp of living or not living.
I was in intensive care, and I could see the graphs and numbers on the monitors.
Working in health care, I should have been terrified, but there was that bright white warm light surrounding me. I felt loved and totally cared for. There was nothing to fear. All was well. Now in this pandemic, I think of those in intensive care, also on the cusp. I wish for them that light and warmth, and hope that regardless the outcome,
that they too will feel that love.
42" x 39"

Indigo Waves

Hanna-Yokozawa Farquharson
When I chose to work with indigo, it was to draw on the culture I knew. I worked with hand dyed fabric like a “BORO” ( worn or used fabric). This celebrated the work and art of people who wasted nothing. The piece became for me a crossroads. I had to choose between following the culture I knew or taking the other path of building upon that culture while totally immersing in my adopted culture and new reality. This was a significant point of understanding myself as a person and an artist.
24" x 24" x 2"

Trasna

Eileen Findlay
Trasna: Irish word meaning 'to cross'. Venturing through the maze of life, one encounters crossroads that require important decisions to be made. Each decision could take one in a different direction. Our lives do not always follow straight pathways. Often times, life meanders through a maze of fascinating crossroads. A meaningful decision in life is simply to follow one's heart when pursuing personal pathways.
Photo Credit: Karen Johnson
32" x 31.5"

Eyes on the Horizon

Julie Garcia
In recent years I have realized the gift it truly is to be able to live the creative life that calls me. Following the loss of my husband’s job, I was faced with the decision to leave my creative space and follow an opportunity to work outside of my art. I arrived at this crossroad understanding that it was a necessary path to take, but one I chose reluctantly. Living a creative life comes with a magnetic pull, and if we can just remember to look up toward the future, we can always make space to follow our purpose.
32" x 42"

Follow the Tracks

Julie Garcia
On a countryside of fields and wide open spaces, the prairie grain elevator stands stoic and holds it’s ground as a reminder of times past. The souvenir still demands the respect of passersby, stopping them at the crossroad. Take a moment to look down the track and appreciate the promise of this beautiful, prosperous country. The abundance which has passed through this intersection has sustained rural communities for decades. Pause to admire these giants that stand guard along the rail line across the prairies.
22.5" x 29"

Poised

Janet Harper
When my daughter was in her late teens, she led camping trips in the BC Coastal Mountains. This image is from a photo taken on one of those trips and, to me, embodies her self-possession, strength and passion for life. She is poised at a crossroads in her life and my hope is that she will cultivate joy and harvest wisdom.
36" x 36"

Tying the Knot

Pat Hertzberg
My most profound, life-altering crossroad came when I got married. I was a single, free-spirited Montreal Fashion-Designer who traded my dream-job, apartment, city and life-I-loved for a new, unknown future in Toronto. Using deconstructed wedding gowns, this art-piece represents the complexity and fragility of uniting two lives, and the life-altering crossroad we face when we 'tie the knot'.
36" x 36"

Corona Premonition, March 13, 2020

Greta Hildebrand
For Southern Ontario, March 13, 2020 signifies the end to large gatherings, closure of non-essential services and isolation. My needle-felted artwork is based on a photograph which I took on that symbolic day. This premonitory view of a “corona” cloud formation above 17th Street descending the Niagara escarpment, over Lake Ontario and distant Toronto also captures a physical crossroad leading into an unawakened vineyard. 17th Street itself leads to old Lakeshore Road which runs the circumference of Lake Ontario. The work is a metaphorical crossroad intersecting the “normal” and the “pandemic” landscape.
45" x 58"

1000 Steps

Jaynie Himsl
“1000 Steps” is a visual interpretation of the numerous small decisions we make each day. How we chose to spend our time, choices we make in our diet or how we care for our body and mind all play a role in our well-being. One small daily choice isn’t likely to make a profound difference to our lives, but those same small daily choices added up over decades will absolutely have an effect. Each seam was a conscious decision following my intuitive guide. Each button colour and its placement were likewise decided individually. The small choices add up to a harmonious whole.
Photo Credit: Chris Borshowa
24.5" x 19.5"

From the Ashes

Karen Johnson
The world is at a turning point right now, having been turned upside down. The emergence of the beautiful fireweed after a fire can give us hope for a new more conscious way of being in this world.
38" x 44"

Crossed Roads

Sara Judith
Inspired by the crossed roads of freeways, this piece evokes the abundance of choice we face in our western world. We can pursue any of so many paths. When we come to crossroads, we can go ahead, turn to left or right or even retrace our steps. The possibilities in our lives are endless. We need to wake up and see the rainbow: the richness we all can be. The piece also expresses the limitless potential of colour and texture, in hooking and punching, as craft and art. I express gratitude for my life.
29" x 39"