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| Recovery Quilt 3 : Out of the dirt, 2019, approx 180x120cms |
I’ve been
on a bumpy road lately. Challenging
things have happened to me and those around me.
It left me
in a dark place.
Whilst I
have been working, it’s been on project work.
I hadn’t done a piece of personal studio work for about two and a half years. In the past my studio practice has always
been the safety valve; a way to vent the pressure. But this time I couldn’t work; I was blank; I
was empty; I lost my way.
As part of
the journey, back I decided to make a quilt; a comforter. It was the action of making that was to be
the important bit. It was a private
thing. There was no ‘story’ to tell. I
wasn’t thinking of you, the audience, just myself as a maker. Think of it as a displacement activity. The main criterion was it was to be joyous. When faced with a design choice I had to
choose the more joyful option; to go for a trumpet blare of colour rather than
the sludgy monochrome I have been submerged in.
And I
wanted it to be technically slick.
Contained, flat with very accurate stitchery. Some might say it’s out of character.
But at the
same time, I don’t want these ‘Recovery Quilts’ to be bland ‘fridge magnet’
quilts with insipid inspirational quotes.
The words are very personal to me.
The texts have been chanted in my head the whole time; my mantras for getting
through.
The piece
above is Recovery Quilt 3 : Out of the dirt. It has been shortlisted for the Vlieseline
Fine Art Textiles Award, one of the most prestigious textile competitions in
Europe. It will be on show at Festival
of Quilts NEC Birmingham 1-4th August. I can't explain how great that has made me
feel.
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| Recovery Quilt 3: Out of the dirt. detail of digital embroidery and applique. |
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