Art Quilt: In the Shadow of Wings

Thinking more about the theme of "haven," I started with two photographs I had taken of mothers protecting their young. One was the Osprey, Rosie, standing on the whirley crane nest in Richmond with her wings slightly open, shading her two small chicks from a very hot sun. The other was on a visit to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Lafayette, another hot day; a little girl had wanted to hold a parasol, which is provided on loan, but later I saw her mother carried it, holding it open over her daughter. These two scenes of mothers and their care spoke to me.

I also knew I wanted to make it bright and colorful and use leftover triangle scraps from my triangle bag. The "flying bird" pattern seemed right, and with one flip it can look like an umbrella. After making solar prints of both photo images in various colors the project came to a pause as I tried to figure out the organization of the quilt. I had one concept, yes, but the images seemed to clash. Back to the pixels! I cut up most of the solar prints and incorporated them into the main picture, a window into the day.

In the Shadow of Wings
33.25 x 46.75" (84.5 cm x 119 cm)
Hand dyed cotton; woven taupe cotton; embroidered words: shelter, shadow, wings; hand quilted





Detail


Back with two of the solar prints (with sleeve attached)



An homage to mothers, perhaps. We are all looking for comfort, these days.

Title is adapted from Psalm 17.8: Shelter us in the shadow of your wings.


Comments