YOUR PLACE PATCHING IT UP.

More than 150 quilts representing various styles will be on display at the ``Quilting in the Valley 2004'' show hosted by the Valley Quiltmakers Guild and the San Fernando Valley Quilt Association. The show takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 10 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Airtel Plaza Hotel, 7277 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys. Admission is $7 for one day, $10 for both days.

The show will also feature quilts by West Hills resident Margarete Heinisch and Chatsworth resident Zena Thorpe. Each has created one of the ``100 Best Quilts of the Twentieth Century'' as determined by the International Quilt Association, the National Quilting Association and the Alliance for American Quilts.

``I just like to create,'' says Thorpe, who recently won the title of ``Best of World'' at the World Quilt and Textile Show in Michigan for a whole cloth piece. ``Creating a picture. This is way beyond making blankets - it's textile art now.''

For more information on the show, call Jann Lawson at [phone] or go to www.sfvqa.org.

- Jaime Spangrude

The artist's flow

When Harout and Sona Hamassian moved into their new Calabasas home five years ago, it boasted a simple cement water fountain in the foyer. But the fountain was far too plain for the couple, who wanted a unique centerpiece for the room.

So they hired Westlake Village sculptor John Storojev, who crafted a 9-foot-tall copper water fountain that features more than 30 different levels of cascading water, lotus blossom petals, misting fog and synchronized lights.

``It is amazing,'' says Harout Hamassian. ``It's a one-of-a-kind piece. He's really come through with flying colors.''

Storojev, who uses bronze, stone and metal in his pieces, has won several local awards and has held exhibits at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center and at an Ojai art gallery. The Hamassian commission is his most ambitious work to date.

``I have an evolving style that flows with nature, has roots in nature and has a high spiritual content,'' says Storojev. ``It's a way of finding yourself and a way to express creativity. It's a great marriage of intent and ability, and I like doing it.''

Storojev has taught sculpture for the past four years at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. In October, he will begin teaching a 10-week sculpting class at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which offers art programs to the public.

``His work is incredibly diverse, and he works in incredibly different kinds of media,'' says Karen Satzman, the manager of the museum's art classes and family programs who hired Storojev.

Storojev, who spent a month working on the Hamassian fountain, says he loves to teach students about his passion.

``I like the interplay between the students and getting people to see that they are creative,'' he says. ``I get joy from bringing out creativity in individuals and giving them self-confidence. It's Life 101 - and that's how I teach it.''

To view more of Storojev's works, go to www.johnstorojev.com.

- Jaime Spangrude

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Zena Thorpe of Chatsworth will exhibit her work at the ``Quilting in the Valley 2004'' show Sept. 10-11 in Van Nuys.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3 -- color) Sculptor John Storojev, right, created a 9-foot copper fountain for the Hamassian family of Calabasas. At the top of the fountain, below, a wrought butterfly is perched over the sculpture's 30 levels of cascading water.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer