"Promontory Point"

Photo Credit, with thanks: Phil Wendt Copyright 2012

Started back in October and worked on this January at Point Bonita, I completed this 56" x 38" piece to enter in the Pacific Piecemakers Quilt Guild Challenge Show, hanging (for sale) at Gualala Arts Center in Gualala, California through April 27, 2012. My previous post was a fun exercise made from the sections I rejected for this larger piece, since those segments seemed to have too much rectangularity.

I was asked to submit an artist's statement with the challenge entry, and here's what I wrote.

When I started making pieced and appliquéd quilts fifteen years ago, I refused to be locked into any technique, subject area, or palette. Gradually my style grew into process-oriented storytelling. Today, each quilt incorporates a visible and invisible spark of spirit. Ideally, I’d like viewers to interpret my conceptual quilts and discover their own stories.

Typically I start an Art Quilt with a specific saga or subject matter . . . and use fabric, thread, paints, and dyes to express my ideas and feelings. Symbolism is an important element in my work, along with whimsy, lyrical rhythm, and energetic flow. As I explore color, composition, and technique, I frequently gain insights about life’s journeys. I’ve found you can reap many rewards as you sew.

My heart and soul resonate with the coast. For the past four years, I’ve split my time between the East Bay (Orinda) and The Sea Ranch, where I’m active with our wonderful community of quilters and other artists. So it is here that my husband Toby and I are building a special quilting and dye studio for my art. The studio is perched on a promontory or “bluff,” and this piece is my abstract expression of the view from atop that point of holy ground! My inspiration for this piece came from the techniques of many teachers over the years and many books, critiques from artists and friends (yes, Sue [Friedland, my Zen quilting friend], less is more!), some machine quilting (stitching lines) posted online by Leah Day, and mostly, the splendor of our coast and its creator.

More information about my work can be found at www.ReapAsYouSew.com.
I have 7 other quilts on Exhibit at The Sea Ranch Association Office.