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RARE Science works directly with patient families and foundations to find more immediate therapeutic solutions for children with rare diseases.
This year RARE Science is partnering with TQS (and a number of other great organizations) to bring you... the FIRST Ever Celebrity RARE Bear Auction! This is your opportunity to own a signed bear made by the quilt world's most talented artists while helping a great cause.
Meet "Ali Bear-ba" by Lea McComas
Lea writes,
"Motivated by the loss of his twin sister, Ellie Bear-ba, at the age of four to a rare disease, our hero, Ali Bear-ba sits atop his magic carpet. He travels into the great unknown in search of cures for rare and confounding diseases. He takes his cue from the Ali Baba of folklore and uses the phrase “Open Sesame” to unlock the path for physicians, researchers, and families to find their way to the elusive therapeutic treatments that will bring relief to precious loved ones."
Artist Lea McComas has traveled the world exploring and collecting handmade textiles and researching techniques for surface design. Some of her greatest experiences occurred while living in Turkey. When asked to make a Rare Bear, she reached into her “very special” textile stash and found inspiration for Ali Bear-Ba in the pieces of antique kilim that were used to make his vest. His “Magic Carpet” is a hand woven mat acquired while living in the remote Turkish village of Karatepe, where Lea studied local weaving techniques.
Star Members can watch Lea in Show 1609: Transforming Quilts from Real Life.
Click here for links to see more Celebrity RARE Bears.
Lea has had a lifelong passion for textiles and fiber arts. She sewed her first garment at age 6, and became a quilter at age 16, learning skills from her great aunt. Her first quilt was hand-pieced and hand quilted. Her first original design in 1986 was chosen as the Missouri state winner of the Great American Quilt Festival. It traveled the world as part of a 3-year traveling exhibit of the Museum of American Folk Art and can be viewed in the book All Flags Flying: American Patriotic Quilts as Expressions of Liberty.
In her twenties, she was introduced to the world of spinning and weaving, and involved herself in everything from helping to sheer the sheep, to collecting plants for dying, to developing patterns for knitting. Lea designed and knitted sweaters from her own hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn.
She traveled overseas in her thirties as a teacher for the Department of Defense. Five years in Turkey provided new opportunities to explore textiles. There, her first summer vacation was spent living in a remote Turkish village learning to weave kilims. This assignment was followed by 4 years in Okinawa, where she acquired a love for Japanese textiles and an extensive collection of kimono fabrics.
Lea returned to the states in 2001, and resided in Boulder, CO. There she rekindled her interest in quilting and was exposed to the amazing world of art quilts. Simultaneously, she began a study of classic European art, and developed a keen interest in portrait and figurative art. Her current techniques and works are a synthesis of these passions as she uses thread and fabric to create realistic pictorial works.
Lea has written articles and her work has appeared in publications .She was a featured artist in the books Cutting Edge Art Quilts, and Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits. Her first book, Thread-Painted Portraits: Turn Your Photos into Fiber Art, was released in 2014.
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