Climbing Out

Techniques and materials: Pieced, quilted, and appliquéd hand-dyed cotton.

Artwork Statement: The phrase “coming out” has lost much of its specificity. Despite its rich history in LGBTQ+ communities, it is now frequently used to refer to bringing almost any personal status or characteristic into public view. Besides, the phrase never fully captured the amount of psychological and physical energy the process can consume; and it wrongly implies, at least for some, that it is a one-time, all-or-nothing event, when nothing could be further from the truth. It seems to me, Climbing Out is a better descriptor and the ladder an apt metaphor, even though we often find yet another rung when we thought we had reached the light!

The hand-dyed cotton in Climbing Out was created by a master dyer who frequently taught the craft. After her passing, the remainder of her fabric stash went to a friend whom I met at our local art center when we were both dropping off work for a new show. She explained that she admired my work and that she had some hand-dyed fabric that needed a new home. I remain grateful for her trust and generosity, as well as the encouragement it represents, and will be incorporating this beautiful fabric into my work for years to come.

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