Curious who our members are? I was - I went to the SAQA website and looked up names. I started with the people who have contacted me, we will work our way around the region in upcoming blogs.

Kathleen Loomis is from Louisville, Kentucky. Her blog is found at

http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/

Fun, inspirational and whitty: her blog explores aspects of regular life as well as issues of art and creation. Kathleen has created such great works as the moving display of flags, one for 4,083 fallen soldiers in Iraq. It juried into Quilt National, 2009. Seeing that piece at the Dairy Barn (Athens, Ohio)

http://www.dairybarn.org/

This piece really created a moment of pause and reflection for me. Not only remebering those who have given us such a sacrifice, but also of the beauty of a small object repeated en mass and the clarity and beauty it can display.

Diana Welte lives in Maysville, Kentucky which I understand from her is right on the Ohio river. So ‘right on’ that she has a view of the river from her pad atop Maryville. She comes from couture and has a great eye for the little details, like her deft use of beads. Her sense of colour is wonderful -- pale or bright there seems to be an unexpected pairing that leaves it feeling fresh and new. You can read her blog at

http://lilyweeds.blogspot.com/

Marylin League hails from Memphis, Tennessee where she creates clothing and art and is busy with her own business but also is active in a local guild and MACA (Memphis Association of Craft Artist - local branch of TACA (Tennessee Association of Craft Artist)

http://www.memphiscrafts.org/

and keeps up a blog

http:/www.sadfugeeface.blogspot.com

Her blog talks about her work creating beautiful art quilts and great clothing as well as the trails and triumps of family life. She is particularly fond of creating fabrics, dying, discharging and printing. Her work reflects the mojo that comes from creating on a canvas she has created.

Nysha Oren Nelson (that would be me, your rep) lives in Somerville, Tennessee which is outside Memphis. It is the country which is a “constant source of inspiration and renewal” for the artist and teacher.

Nysha writes a blog about everything; work, inspiration, consumer activism and many SmileBoxes with photos of work and nature.

http://www.studionysha.blogspot.com/