Wings

Wings is a fabric painting rather than a quilt. After stitching layers of fabric to a foundation by hand and machine, and adding details with markers, color pencils and acrylic paints, I mounted the finished painting on stretcher boards.

Larkin Van Horn, teacher of the "Stretching Exercises" class series I have been immersed in for the last three years, had asked us to think about "things that fly". Her title for the assignment was "If I Had Wings."

I should explain that Larkin's stretching exercises have to do with stretching one's imagination. Her assignments are inspiring and I recommend her "Stretching Exercises" class. She currently teaches this 6-month series in Seattle, Bellingham and on Whidbey Island. For more information about Larkin's artwork and classes, visit her web site: http://www.larkinart.com/

Back to the story of this quilt. One memory that quickly came to mind was Peter, Paul and Mary's song: "If I Had Wings." Another was the image of The Fool from the Rider Tarot deck. The tarot card shows a young man on a journey. He is walking blithely toward the edge of a cliff while a small white dog cavorts at his heels. The third and strongest influence was a painting by Maxfield Parrish of a young woman standing on a precipice. The title of that piece is "Ecstasy."

These three influences combined to form the image of a winged woman who is ready to take flight. This example of various sources coming together to create something new is a good example of my creative process.

Quilt size: 17" high x 14" wide
Completed: July 2009
Available

Isfahan

This quilt was inspired by the architecture of the Islamic Renaissance. In the centuries following 476 A.D. when Europe had fallen into the Dark Ages, countries in the Middle East, North Africa and central Asia were centers of culture, learning and religious tolerance.

Our current knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, medicine and other sciences owes much to the Islamic rulers who encouraged study in these areas. They also commissioned architectural wonders: mosques, palaces and mausoleums such as the Taj Mahal.

The motifs for this quilt are drawn from the mosaics that decorate the great mosque in Isfahan (now in Iran) and the courtyards of the Alhambra in Spain.

Quilt size: 17" high x 14" high

Completed: 2009
Available