CDPL November Gallery

CDPL November Gallery:
ARTISTRY IN QUILTS & HARMONY IN GLASS

During the sometimes blustery month of November our display gallery is ready to warm your soul and put a twinkle in your eye. The gallery walls ooze with colorfully designed and constructed abstract art quilts designed and created by Wabash Professor Dr. Karen L. Gunther. The scintillating sparkle emanating from inside the display cases is the result of the unique and unusual harmony in glass treasures designed and constructed by Younts Mill Inn owner, Barbara White. A deep vein of quilting blood must run deep within the soul of our quilt artist, Dr. Karen L. Gunther, for no matter where life takes her, quilting is always close at hand. As a youngster growing up among tortoiseshell and black cats, Karen Gunther's First Quilt, made in an elementary summer school class, just absolutely had to be about cats. Her second quilt, High Tech Tucks, came from a name created by Caryl Bryer-Fallert, the first to use dimensional folding as a quilting method. Karen created Musical Sampler in a hand quilting night school class after college. She started with black musical instruments fabric and added three light and three dark fabrics as coordinates. Because of the musical theme, she hand quilted the beginning of the Prelude to Bach's Partida in E Major for unaccompanied violin. During her first summer of grad school, Karen was paid a stipend for only nine months so she decided to create Drunkard's Weave, purposefully in colors she disliked so she could sell it for summer income. Since it is in this exhibit, perhaps she lived in a tent eating bread and water that summer. Her Cactus quilt was made in a workshop with Jane Sassaman. The workshop was right before the qualifying exam for her PhD, so she definitely was NOT in a festive mood. For Edopoly, a San Diego, CA Canyon Quilters challenge, Karen chose Monopoly using the history of her education as her theme. In a workshop with Hollis Chatelain, Karen made Lillies, a whole cloth quilt she painted first and then quilted. In Comet, Karen bought a piece of fabric dyed by Hollis Chatelain that looked like a comet, then added beads and quilting lines. Dad's Chair is the picture of an uncomfortable chair that lived far too long in Karen's family. As it left for Goodwill, Karen's dad felt sad, so for father's day that year, Karen made him a chair quilt and here it is. Karen's quilts will tantalize you...do come in to see for yourself...the rest of her quilt story.

Barbara Brookie White is a college art major, designer and former owner of The Herb Barn in Carmel, Indiana. With her husband Alan, a musician by trade, she is the new owner of the 1864 Yount's Woolen Mill and Inn located at the original sight of Yountsville, Indiana just west of Crawfordsville, Indiana. They bought the property a little over a year ago and are in the process of fixing it up to be used for wedding receptions, company gatherings, art shows and a variety of other activities. Gardens & nature paths will be established for Wildflowers of Indiana, Daylilies (1000s), and herbs. They hope to host a quilt show, have decorations for home and garden, an antique country store display and carry German themed Christmas decorations and collectibles.
Art Happens on Sugar Creek is their hope for the mill. They would like to have exhibits for artists, painters, photographers, textile artists, ceramics, art glass and musicians. "Buying this place", Barbara says, "is all about the art". She can see many possibilities for artists around the Mill. As an artist herself, Barbara knows what needs to be done to attract artists and entice them to have exhibits in her facility and perhaps even teach classes. Barbara enjoys painting, making jewelry and art glass beads. She has been making glass beads for the last six years and sells both her beads and jewelry. Barbara's beads are inspired by her art experience: painting, sculpture and gardening. "hey are pure enjoyment to make and I hope you will have ideas for special projects that will bring you much joy and lots of good use". She considers each one a piece of art and takes a great deal of pride in offering well made beads. The beads in this gallery are ready to make into wearable jewelry. The glass used is Italian, German and from American glass makers Bulleye and Borosilicate glass. She properly kiln anneals her beads and cleans them according to the highest art glass standards. Barbara has appreciated the opportunity to take workshops from: Kristen Franzen Orr, Jennifer Geldard, Michael Barley, Lish Diffendarfer, Pamela Wolfersberger, and Paul Stankard and more recently from Margaret Neher, Suellen Fowler and Loren Stump. Your eyes will be filled with sparkle after enjoying Barbar's beads and jewelry. Let your imagination go and……do come and enjoy.