Quilted Women

Women have been celebrated through history as iconic images; Goddess in flowing Grecian gowns, Native American women wrapped in tribal blankets, Japanese women in beautifully traditional embroidered robes, and Gustav Klimt's exquisitely patterned Venetian women are just a few of the inspirational images of women in art.  All these images represent a reverence for women through culture and gave the artist an opportunity to create beautiful design in the garment.  

I believe you must paint what you know. I wanted to make a contemporary presentation. I love color and pattern, and because I have quilted a little bit, I am always happy to cut patterns up and reassemble them. I do it with my paintings all the time, always thinking the reassembly is exactly like making a quilt. The quilts from my family are assemblages that represent the women who made them. They have bits of older dresses, or beautifully embroidered squares incorporated into them.  They were made with care and love of fabric and are a pleasure to hold. I can’t imagine how anyone could not feel the love and connection to the quilter when presented with one of these beautiful treasures.  They are a personal journal from an ancestor.  As descendants we can touch shirts and dresses our grandparents wore, perhaps even a wedding gown or favorite apron. It is a joy to see the fanciful work and neat stitches a grandmother or great grandmother invested into her delicate needle work, especially when your own hand brushes over the very stitches she made. They are the threads that reach out and pull us into our history. 

 My representation translates both the beauty of the quilt as well as the woman draped in it. Many of these women I paint are senior.  They have acquired great wisdom as they age. As I interview the senior women as part of this series, I find there is grace in their aging. Certainly, I find tolerance and understanding, but I also see great joy in the celebration of a life filled with pride having survived all that life has dealt them. Although they admit sadness at the loss of a child or other loved ones, their experiences are crystal clear and saturated with the fond memory of rich life.  Through the use of the quilt, I am able to create images of women that portray emotions that are uniquely feminine and iconic, and part of my own history.