My First Solo Exhibition

When I started creating art quilts, one of my main goals was to share my art with the world. Art, for me, is a way to communicate with others. It is a means to share my observations, feelings and also my love of colors, textures and upcycling.  Over the years, I’ve participated in many group exhibitions. Some were local, others further away in California, yet others in different states. I even had a piece in an international art project in England. 

But almost from the very beginning, I also fantasized about having my very own solo show. This hope began with the making of the Calendar Quilts series in 2019. That series includes twelve quilts, which I felt really had to be displayed together. This was true for all later series I created as well.

A Wonderful Opportunity 

About a year ago, a friend who teaches at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in Ukiah, CA, asked if I was interested in having an exhibition there. She got me in touch with the coordinator of the university’s Arts Initiative, and after after speaking to her I decided to take a big leap and say YES. It was very exciting but also scary. A dream come true, but something huge I’ve never done before. 

And so began my months-long preparations.

Preparing for a Solo Exhibition

Choosing a Theme and Artworks to Display

The first thing I needed to do was decide on an exhibition theme. This was not easy. I make different kinds of art. Some is happy and colorful, but some is serious and grim colored. I love abstract, but have also created a lot of narrative works. I could have curated several exhibitions out of my body of work so far, each very different from the other. Deciding which to choose was difficult.

After thinking about this for a long time, I settled on a lighter theme. The art exhibited at the university was to hang on classroom walls and in corridors, after all. I thought it might be nicer for the student to be surrounded by bright, happy colors rather than by serious, somewhat depressing art. The exhibit was to last three months, which means students were to see it over many days.

But which kind of colorful art to display? There were several options here, too. I took out all the artworks I’ve created over the last few years, and spread them all over my house. I tried to find a common theme that will include a significant number of pieces. Eventually I realized that many of my creations were related to nature, while also emphasizing the very nature of the materials used. I decided to call the exhibit The Nature of Textiles.

Next I needed to choose suitable art works. This, too, took a long time. Not every nature-related artwork fit. I wanted an exhibition that felt cohesive, after all, and some pieces just didn’t go well with the rest. The selection process took many months. I kept changing my mind, and even after finalizing an x number of works, I decided at the last minute and added a few more. 

Physically Preparing the Art

From the very beginning, whenever I made smaller quilts I intended to eventually mount them onto canvases or frame them. I just think that smaller textile pieces look a lot better when displayed that way. But mounting or framing is a lot of work and I am a bit lazy. Mounted or framed pieces also take a LOT more storage space than just quilts. I am short on storage as it is. My finished quilts are now pilled up on my daughter’s bed, and have to be moved whenever guests arrive. Most pieces, therefore, are left as is.

When I finished the Calendar Quilt series in 2020, I bought twelve canvases to mount them to. I never did, however. The canvases remained sealed in their original packages, taking precious space in my studio for over five years. This exhibition gave me the push I needed to mount quilts onto canvases.

First, I painted the edges of each canvas, to match the colors of the quilt:

Then, I glued the quilts onto the canvases, using acrylic matte medium:

I loved that the quilts looked more substantial and professional once they were attached to the canvases. When pilled all together, the series was real eye candy:

The Calendar Quilts pieces were 12″ x 12″ each, and I mounted them onto same-sized canvases.  When I wanted to mount the Tree Bark series quilts, however, I chose to go with canvases that were bigger than the actual quilts. These textile artworks were not entirely rectangular, and I thought that bigger backgrounds will show off their unique shapes. I also thought that backgrounds of one solid color will emphasize the quilts’ bright coloring:

I did the same for the Seaweed Art series, only this time I left less space around the art, and chose a dark black background to make the quilts pop out.

After I finished mounting all the art pieces, I had to wire them for hanging. In the past, my husband helped me with that part. Once he realized the number of quilts involved in this solo exhibition, however, he decided to teach me how to wire myself.  It took a bit of practice, but I soon got the hang of it. I added wires to small batches of canvases over several weeks, until all were ready.

My husband did cut the dowels that needed to go into the sleeves of the bigger, free hanging quilts, however 🙂

Writing up statements and descriptions came at the very end. It took a while, too, but was much quicker than preparing the artworks for display.

The Nature of Textiles Exhibition

It took me many months to prepare for this show. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but at the same time it was also very satisfying. Seeing my artworks displayed the way I meant them to from the very beginning felt good. I also learned a lot from the process.

My solo exhibition includes thirty artworks of different sizes, created over several years. From my very first art quilt series to recently finished work, it touches on some of the major topics I’ve covered throughout the years.

The show is now open on the first floor or the BRBU building at Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 5950 Proper View Ave, Ukiah, CA. It will close on December 12, 2025. Stop by if you can!