I spent yesterday finalizing a piece that I will enter into Quilt National. I debated about the application. This piece is one of a series that I would like to show together one day. It was labor intensive, exploratory and challenging. The idea started while watching crowds and conversations.
Stones with holes speak with quiet voices. They cannot be heard yet they speak with passion. Buried in the sand or tumbling down a creak, their surfaces are worn. Their lives are an endless journey toward becoming a grain of sand. This is a dark piece on raw canvas. The minimalist treatment of line gives a stark representation of the conversations within.
And then there was the back. That back that speaks to the undergrowth of interpretation. The back that represents simplicity with chaos. I was sorely tempted to turn the whole piece around and present it as the final. Then I chose not to. Instead, as I wrapped the back in a shroud of black cotton I cut a peephole to the undercurrents. Because sometimes when people talk they say things that aren't as textured as their inner beliefs. They simplify, embroider and polish.
I will start a new grouping with the intention of revealing the raggedy undergrowth. Working as if from the back so that I can more clearly represent this idea. For now the back will be tidied up and the front will take center stage. Quacking, whispering, laughing, questioning, twirling and revealing a dialog that only they understand.
"Pillowcasing" the quilt by adding a fabric backing and turning the piece right side out protects the stitching while also hiding the chaos of the stitch.
Secret Life of Stones, detail, Paula Kovarik