Great artist reunion, complete with portrait

Today was a long and lovely lunch meeting with old friends, all artists, and we plan on not letting it go so long again.  Hoping for monthly meetings, complete with show and tell.  Last year the west coaster was in the East and I missed that lunch through very bad timing with about of strep.  We also may need a name! we're what remains of a large artisans guild, way back, and someone suggested Remnants!  as in fabric, several of us being quilters, I add quickly.

Today I asked the favor of having everyone there, one of the six unavoidably unable to get there, put out her hands for a group portrait.  

This is so much more meaningful than smiling faces, nice as they are.  One pair of hands wielded the camera, hence the number doesn't add up!  What does add up, fast, is the combined ages of the participants, but never mind what it is!

These are the hands of women who know a thing or two, and have created wonderful artworks, designing and creating knitted marvels, quilts, crochet, mixed media, beading, stitching, worlds contained here!  many years of making art, learning, teaching and sharing. And all with plans for future projects.

Such generosity of spirit, too, very caring, full of news, one member newly returned from the west coast, one newly married at a later age, and wearing the diamond engagement ring of her late mother in law,  one,wearing a ring created by her stepdaughter, and  who completed a quilt created from an oil painting by her mother, one who exhibits and teaches, well, several do that.  And so on...one still an active artist in her 90s, and all engrossed in creating and making lives for themselves. 

Music in several lives, too, your blogger who plays several instruments, and whose late father in law was a jazz drummer, Mari the quilter whose husband was a jazz saxophone player, and who herself plays harpsichord.

And since the quilt was the centerpiece of the event, complete with workbook showing all the stages and planning, including a pic of the painting from which the idea came, here it is

Mari M created this and many others, all as gifts and all accompanied by its own workbook.  One young relative commented that she must really love them to do all that work, once he'd seen the workbook for his quilt!

I'm glad we got a picture before it goes to its destination.  Her next project is a tshirt quilt, from a collection of music themed tshirts from her husband, and that one she plans to keep for herself.