I find it interesting to see how past work relates to my current work. This piece is from 2004 when I was still living in New Zealand. I am very contemplative when I work. There are always thoughts and ideas in what I am creating. This is reflected in the title, “Marriage: man, woman interwoven.” This was juried into Quilt Auckland National Symposium in 2005. My artist’s statement: “As one life intertwines with another, there is joy and complexity. Windows open to new opportunities and expanded horizons. Richness and depth are added, creating a new whole more than a sum of its parts.”
“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004, 73” W by 63” H
commercial fabrics, cotton batting, machine quilted
My husband has always supported my development as an artist. Together we have built a life that supports, sustains and inspires my work. In this early work you will see blooms and leaf forms in the quilting. Plant forms have always represented joy, beauty and growth in my work.
“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004 detail
“Marriage: man, woman interwoven” 2004 detail
Part of finding your artistic voice is discovering continuity and reoccurring themes in your work. How does this earlier work relate to what I am doing now? Plant forms continue to inspire and inform my work. It also shows I love complexity, and I have a preference for using large colorful palettes. Early on I began creating richly textured surfaces with unexpected pops of color through intense quilting using variegated thread. These are all themes that you will find in my work today.
Where are you in the discovery of your voice? What reoccurring themes do you see in your work? How does your earlier work relate to what you are making now?