Today I am sharing another one of my favorite art quilts from the Houston Intl Quilt Festival. For many years…decades!… we have marveled at the skill of Japanese quilters, but lately there is a wave of talent coming from Asia that is fascinating and beautiful. We now have artists also from Korea, Taiwan and Mainland China, who are competing and winning awards in the US and around the world.
This year there were 2 special exhibits from Taiwan, plus many individual artworks by Taiwanese artists that were hanging in the judged show. And last year the Best of Show was won by Chen Jing from Beijing China, with her petite (17″ x 18″) but absolutely delicious silk and thread painted “Still Life”.
This year Chen Jing won the First Place in the Pictorial category for this 62″ x 62″ floral and figurative art quilt – “Peony Dream”.
Her techniques are listed as:
Hand embellishment, embroidery, Chinese frog closure techniques, ribbon embroidery, machine piecing, applique, quilting and digital printing.
Artist Statement:
“This quilt draws inspiration from “The Peony Pavilion”, a classical Chinese opera about love transcending mortal bounds. It depicts a young maiden, enchanted by a spring garden’s blooms, drifting into a dream where she meets an elegant young scholar. The work interweaves a realistic human figure with illustrations and calligraphic elements from ancient Chinese books, alongside symbol-laden patterns, using silk and sheer fabric.”
I wish you all could see this piece in person, but you can go to my photo pages and study the detail shots. The delicate colors and shimmering silk created a mesmerizing effect. I am sure we will see more beautiful quilts from Chen Jing in the future, along with this latest wave of talent from Asia.
I am finishing up a Chinese-themed quilt for my gallery in Taipei in a month, and taking weekly Mandarin refresher courses. Also trying to keep up with the daily Inktober sketches. Are any of you also doing this ink sketch challenge?
Many thanks to all of you who came to our Soul Stories gallery talks in Houston. We have quite an amazing group of artists making important work…each with a message. You will be hearing more about our traveling exhibit going into 2026.
Sharing our passion for fabric…
Luana & Paul
Subscribe to my artist website and blog!
www.luanarubin.com
Travel/Lecture Dates:
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture on Sunday
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.
See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.
Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.
Share Post:
