Green Quilt 1 - April 7, 1:45pm

My most recent body of work focuses on hand embroidery on paper, typically stitched in a single-color thread. The different color tones in each piece are created by the ligh reflecting off stitches that are sewn in different directions. In this way, the piece is interactive as new patterns and tones are revealed as the viewer moves around the work or as the light changes across the embroidery.

The quilt as functions as a multi-layered subject. The square grid of the quilt provides the structure that is lacking in the early days and months of parenthood, but it is not a rigid structure and can fold and twist just as new parents in a constant state of change, both physically and emotionally. The use of thread on paper speaks to the relationship between strength – represented by the thread - and fragility – represented by the paper. While these works are shaped by my transformation into a mother, holding contradictions such as hard and soft, structure and disorder, or strength and fragility are universal and not exclusive to parenthood.

The titles of each of my quilt-inspired pieces reference a specific date and time. The piece here is called “Green Quilt 1 - April 7, 1:45pm.” Each composition is drawn from a photograph of my daughter’s baby quilt as it naturally fell or twisted after her nap, first thing in the morning or after she played with it. The date and time refer to when exactly the photo was taken - a specific, fleeting moment in time during those intense first years of babyhood and parenthood.