When Clark saw my finished volcano quilt last night, he was was quiet. I know it's not pretty, but ... Finally he said, "Pele."
Pele is the goddess of volcanoes & violence, fire & lightning … & also of dance. She lives in the mouth of Kilauea Volcano, where we visited last year. I wasn't consciously thinking of her as I made this, but her spirit must have inhabited my workshop. I hope she stays!
I began this quilt collage in Maya Schoenenberger's workshop sponsored by Quilters Unlimited. It's 20 1/2" x 21 1/2", made of cotton, paper, acrylic paint, tulle, packing material, felt, silk, velvet, organza, burlap, & sand. (I was reading a biography of Jackson Pollack, which told me he mixed sand with paint to produce lava-like drips. I borrowed a cup of sand from Ana's sandbox & mixed it 1:1 with acrylic: Pollack was right!) Machine appliqued, & mostly machine quilted, with a little trapunto & a little hand quilting.
Hi, Kathleen! Found your blog address at the bottom of your email about the show and tell you had last December (which I was too sick to go to). I'd like to see your Pele quilt in person sometime. I saw a real Jackson Pollack once after seeing lots of his work reproduced in art textbooks, and trust me, there's no comparison. I never thought I liked him much, but I was impressed by the actual painting--the scale and complexity and texture of his work doesn't translate very well in small scale photos.
ReplyDeleteHave been obsessed with quilt-making... Thanks for your thoughtful response. Our paths will cross again, since we're both in FL.
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous Kathleen. I'm just blown away by your work.
ReplyDeleteIt's so ......