"Small Wonders" First Draft

First draft looks good, and it will get even better!

The first draft of the "Small Wonders: Doll Quilts by Andrea Balosky" catalog has arrived, and I'm very happy with how the book is coming together. This catalog is a softcover, 7 x 7" full-color book, 120 pages, less than 1/2" thick. Price is not set, yet, but we're trying hard to keep it under $30. Even though it's just a small book, it's worth having. How often has the quilt world seen one book with more than 100 undiscovered doll quilts made by a now-retired artist?

Three draft copies for proofing. Some light editing, and we're ready!

The bulk of the book is visual, with doll quilts occupying a majority of the pages. There is also an artist statement at the beginning, which is well worth reading. It's one of the best artist statements I've ever read. In it, she refers to the quilts' names and says "Equivalence was never the issue. It was/is a simple gesture of thanks, a small offering like a flower, not the ceremonial launching of a battleship." She also says, "It's the small comforts, the little sweet nothin's, that buffer us from much of our self-generated ado."

Walt Whitman, July, 2002, 15" x 17 1/2"

This work is as far as it could be from "much ado about nothing" - although it may not be like launching a battleship, the discovery of this body of work is something of epic proportions. The 108 + 4 doll quilts represent the life journey of an artist over five years, including 9/11 and many significant life-changing events. On the surface, the quilts are eye candy, joyful and colorful. Below the surface, the whole body of work is more like a diary, an unabashed, intimate slice of life.

That's all for today - it's a good day!