Title: Yellow Containment
Year: 1999
Dimensions: 13"h x 15"w x ¼"d
Media: Nylon tulle front and back, found objects, satin ribbon, polyester thread
Techniques: machine stitching
I was taking a class on color and the assignment was to design a "yellow containment." No other direction I was given and we were given 5 weeks to do the assignment. I struggled with what to do - no inspiration came over 4 weeks. Then the weekend before the assignment was due (doesn't it always happen that way?), the inspiration came after learning of the death of a friend and accomplished quilt artist, Ann Stamm Merrell. In exploring my sadness and grief, a quilt magically materialized. This artwork is dedicated to Ann: both in its symbolic content and its free form style.
One of Ann's quotes inspires me when I work in my studio and start feeling the fear of making a mistake: "Of all the really bad things that can happen to you, making a mistake with a piece of fabric is not one. This perspective - newly acquired as a result of a 1993 breast cancer diagnosis - allowed me to do such things as cut into expensive fabric without having a plan, leave edges unfinished and raw, and defiantly stitch "outside the lines" reflecting both the truly awful times and the wonderful new freedoms." Thank you Ann!