I challenge myself to capture the essence of my subjects through my fabric stories. My narratives portray unexpected poses and fleeting expressions—a smile, a casual wink or a shrug—of both people and animals. Some of my works convey a more dramatic message, where I intend to shock the viewer by showing a surprising point of view or a provocative subject.
I enjoy creating the illusion of depth and volume in my work by contrasting light and dark values and juxtaposing different textures. I use layers of tulle, my favorite fabric, to blend shadows in each scene in a realistic way. Finally, I use quilting lines to follow the contours of each shape to define facial and anatomical features.
I have fun with compositions displaying unique poses that tell a story, such as the one in Best Buddies, where both the man and his dog have the same expression. Although the piece is humorous, the angular positioning of the two figures adds a degree of visual intrigue to the quilt.
Hard at Work exhibits a charged feeling because of the subject’s masculine stance. I chose denim for the drill because of its rugged quality. The shadows in the image, also contribute to the drama in this piece.
Caged In shows a lonely elephant in captivity, staring at the viewer from behind bars. The decision to only show part of the elephant emphasizes its bold, heartbreaking eye between the bars. I am deeply saddened by the mistreatment of animals and created this work to raise awareness of animal rights. I chose a muted, somber color palette to support the theme, and felt that purple best depicted the elephant’s distress.
I wanted to share the connection I felt with the monkey portrayed in Monkey Business. I felt like he was communicating his monotonous life as he stared back at me from his enclosure. In my quilt, I focused on his exasperated expression and his soulful eyes.
