Protect the Magic

Techniques and Materials: Pieced, quilted, and appliquéd reclaimed hand-woven African cotton, African cotton print, hand-dyed African cotton, hand-dyed "Cherrywood" cotton; hand-stitching

I acquired a few lots of African textiles in an auction of the estate of a collector which I am judiciously putting to use in my work. Some of it had already been made into articles of clothing (which I carefully disassembled); some of it was pristine. I love the way textiles age with wear and repeated cleaning. The reclaimed indigo, in this case, contrasts nicely with the original much deeper blue.

In recent weeks, I’ve been contemplating how to make marks and lines with fiber as many artists like Miro and Kandinsky achieved with paint. The biggest difference between using paint and using fiber, of course, is that a painter can make their mark with a single brush stroke in a matter of seconds, whereas with embroidery it takes dozens, if not hundreds, of stitches — and minutes, if not hours, to achieve the desired result.

Purchase inquiries welcome!