On Jan. 11th, my brother's first solo show opened at the LaConner Quilt Museum... 43 beaded quilts.... 10 years of work by Thom Atkins!!!! To say I am one totally proud sister is a drastic understatement.
I took a few pictures with my little point-and-shoot camera. And then the battery went dead. No spare. Good news, however... my beadiferous-fiber friend, Sweetpea's Path, also attended the opening and took pictures with a more advanced camera. She posted them here.
You can also visit Thom's website to see more. Better yet, get thee to LaConner.
There is NO WAY that any camera can capture the awesome totality of these quilts, beautifully displayed on the museum walls, full size, up close and personal.The town is a fun, artsy town, with nice places to stay, eat and see. There's even a new quilt shop that just opened. The show closes on March 25, 2012.
The above pictures are detail shots of Monterey Seascapes. Be sure to click to enlarge these images so you can see all the beady details. You can see the whole seascape on Thom's website, on this page. I think the way he used beads to construct the various underwater flora is utterly amazing.
Most of the quilts in the show are for sale, although the prices aren't posted. There's a price list available in the Museum gift shop on the same floor as Thom's exhibit. I'm so pleased for him... two of the quilts, including the one shown above and below, Australian Dreamscape, sold during the artist's reception.
Here is a picture of Thom working on Australian Dreamscape in my studio during a visit in July, 2004. And here's where you can read more about it.
I bet you'll all be glad to know Thom's book on quilting with beads will be out this fall. I'll post a notice when it is available. The quilt below, which is one of my favorites, is on the cover. The title of the quilt is Tenuous Membrane and it's 25.5 x 43 inches. I love the colors and the harmony of lines!
Here's a detail shot. It's not on his website yet.
Another of my favorites is My Father's Shadow. Our biological father died in an automobile crash when Thom was 3 1/2 and I was just turning 5. I never thought of depicting our father in this way, but when I saw Thom's quilt I got a massive lump in my throat and a dense coating of goose bumps. It hit home, big time.
Here's a detail. The grass is entirely beaded. Here's the page for it.
They're all favorites... but one more for you, just a detail... Serenity lives up to it's name... lichen-covered rocks, with moss-covered bases, sit serenely in perfectly raked sand. This picture is just a detail, a teaser, because the whole is not yet on Thom's website. You'll have to go to LaConner to see it.
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42 comments:
omg! these are amazingly stunning! what work and detail! phenomenal!!!
I can't even speak. I have never seen anything like this before. Beyond words. Your brother is incredibly talented......
Those quilts are truly amazing.
I didn't realize LaConner had a quilt museum. Will need to check it out sometime.
Wow, wonderful work! Awesome that your brother does beadwork, too! :D
Absolutely gorgeous. I'm drooling.
Sandi Graves re-posted this on Facebook, and I'm so glad that she did! I've long admired your brother's work, and La Conner is a nice day trip from here. Will definitely make time to see this before the show ends :)
How exciting!
Wow, amazing beadwork! Love it!
Thanks for sharing Thom's work, Robin. That quilt about your father is haunting and poignant.
I'm celebrating this beading brother and sister who are both contributing so much to the world of art and beads!
I am a blog follower and have several of your books...so imagine my surprise when I took a class at my local quilt guild taught by your brother. What a small world. I am still working on my piece from that class and it was nice to read your post and get an update on his work. What a talented family!
He's a genius.
Wow! His work is incredible. I can see why you're so proud of him. I wish I could go and see the exhibit but I'm just too far away. :o(
Robin, I am excited to see the show while it's up! Genuis runs in the family...
Love,
Carol Peringer
I just don't know what to say!! Amazing talent runs in your family, that's for sure.
WOW!!!!!! The Ladies above have said it all, what an amazing body of work....so far.....I'm just speechless Thank you Robin, for sharing your Brother's work with us. A very talented family.
Absolutely fantastic. I was lucky to get to see some of Thom's work while taking a class with him in Vegas...his work is just so amazing. I can't imagine a whole gallery show filled with his amazing art work. Wish I lived out West so I could take a trip to see it all.
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Obłędne szczególnie ten lasek wczesnowiosenny.
Just amazing! It is easy to understand why you are so proud of your brother, as I am sure he is of you!
Incredibly beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I've told my sister about it so she can go vicariously for me.
I'm in awe, just fantastic beautiful work. Innovative and beautiful...your pride for your brother comes through! I too have a rocking quilter brother (though he has not discovered beads as yet...
Thank you so much for generously sharing with us.
Those are beautiful! I will most definitely get over to LaConner to see the show in person.
amazing beading talent runs in the family I see...gorgeous work!
These are wonderful!Congratulations to Thom.
OMG i'm not usually lost for words but , i'm speachless
Stunning :)
Marvelous work !
Absolutely wonderful. Congratulations to your brother. What an amount of work, what an amount of beads and sooo beautiful. Tenuous Membrane is my favorite, too. It's just gorgeous.
OMG is right! WOW WOW WOW!!!! I can see the beam of pride from here! Although I bet he has just as bright of a beam of pride for his sister.
His work is amazing. Going to click the link you gave and get a closer look, although I think your point and click camera did fantastic.
I helped hang Thom's exhibit at the Quilt Museum & was totally awestruck! Never have seen such creative, elaborate beadwork & probably will never see anything as beautiful again. It is simply stunning.
OMG! Your brother's work is fenomenal, I can see why you are a proud sister. I love the beady details in his work, and when I see these quilts they hit me in the same way that his seascape you posted about last year hit home. A little voice in me comes out and starts shouting: I want to be able to do that! Paint with cloth and beads! It's too bad I live so very far away, I would certainly want to see his work en meet the two of you.
wow I see it runs in the family. He is so talented those are gorgeous quilts!
His work is stunning...and I fel stunned looking at his work!
The show has so many great pieces, it's hard to pick a favorite! The hoar frost leaves, the ravens, the dragon, the lizards, oh and the coral made from triangle beads that look so real! He has a great eye for taking a shaped bead and making it become something totally organic.
This is so incredibly beautiful and inspiring! I feel like I want to surround myself with beads and fabrics and just jump in to artwork.
OMG, these are amazingly stunning, and so much work, your brother is very talented and creative. Good luck for him with his exhibition.
Arlene
http://arlenes-crafts.blogspot.com/
WoW! saw this on Craft Gossip and had to have a look. How amazing!
Stunning and amazing work! Thank you for sharing these truly inspiring pieces!
Thom's work is absolutely and I wish I could see the show in LaConnor. Alas, I'm too far away. Of course, your work is also amazing, but there's just one thing I want to know. Who picked up the first bead? Heh, heh....with two beaders in the house, who could stop the deafening sound of beads dropping on the floor? Ping, ping, ping.....
I'm blown away by your brother's artistic vision and the sheer greatness of talent in expressing that. What you said about your father dying when you were both so young made that quilt even more powerful than it was w/o the story. I feel honored to have seen these works. Going to go look at the other sites now. Thank you!
Oh my goodness. There is art, there is beading, there is quilting and then there is this. I am in love with his work. I bow down to you both!!!
Your brother's work is fantastic!!! I showed it to Mr. Sequin, my husband, who's just starting to do quilting, and he was also impressed.
I'm so glad I found your blog. I love your work, and I enjoyed reading One Bead At A Time. I picked up bead embroidery two months ago following a stressful event, and it's really helped me stay sane.
-- Sarah of Saturday Sequins
This is so good. So arty, pretty, but without looking intimidatingly uncomfortable. Excellent work!
Oh they look very awesome and the best part is that they are hand made and must have taken so much effort to put them all together.Beads can beautify any thing actually.
There is nothing more to say, I totally agree with the previous commenters. Such beautiful art!!!
My favorite: the sky in Australian Dreamscape. I keep going back to it, looking and looking. It's mesmerizing. :-)
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