Art Quilt: Dark Materials

Black is not one color, and I’m interested in how light and texture changes how we see it. I once saw a sample of “Vantablack” at SFMOMA, which I almost didn’t see; it was in a case and seemed to absorb all light (photos at end of this post). But there are also blacks we can see, tending to blue, and blacks tending to gray. In this quilt, black becomes the shapes, thread becomes the lines, thick and thin, depending on the texture and weight. I varied the stitching among sashiko threads, button/craft thread, and glow-in-the-dark thread. This quilt explores the darkness we can experience with blues and blacks, with a little bit of light here and there.

We were watching the TV series His Dark Materials on HBO Max, so the title is derived indirectly from there. I was also reading [Amazon link] True Color by Kory Stamper, an entertaining look at the process of compiling a dictionary as well as the history of how color names became more and more standardized. I was reminded again of Vantablack, which was mentioned near the end of her book.

Dark Materials

20"w x 22.75"h (50 cm x 58 cm)

Variety of cotton, faux leather, velvet, denim, Japanese cotton scraps; raw-edge appliqué; letterpress printed; painted; inkjet transfer from original photo; cotton thread; glow-in-the-dark thread; machine stitching; hand quilting

Detail

I often use pieces leftover from other projects, even ones I had printed specifically for a quilt, but I cut them up so they become something new. This quilt is a bit of a memory jog for me.

It uses scraps from:

[a quilt not yet made]

Dancing in the Dark (2026)

Among the Redwoods (2026)

When She Was Very Young (2025)

Fire Line: Do Not Cross (2024)

Waiting for Peace to Land (2024)

Count Zero Point One (2023)

Social Distance (2020)

Book art: Birds of the Bible: Bearded Vulture; Housework (2019; 2016)

*
Then there is Vantablack, which was on view (if you can see it!) at SFMOMA, 2025 (and may still be).

VANTABLACK: looking straight on at the case.