“The Lord Giveth. And the Interstate Taketh Away”
41”H x 57”W 2020

Side by side.

Southern warmth and charm.
Abandoned towns, monuments to time past.

This art quilt was inspired by driving trips through rural South Carolina and photos that I took on the trips. In some small southern towns, there is a sense of loss, of being in a memory. Once-thriving downtowns show empty storefronts.

Beyond the downtowns are homes. I walked through overgrown yards to look close-up at abandoned homes, to see through broken windows to the interiors.

My goal in creating the quilt was to put images side-by-side that portray the gracious past of the towns with their current emptiness.

I printed and painted fabrics to create a border of roses and magnolias. I envisioned a wallpaper border in the front hallway with this pattern. I also printed and painted the pieces comprising the patchwork sections of the quilt. These patterns and colors suggest to me a guest room bed covering.

The story is about contrasts: the full, gracious life that once was contrasted to the emptiness of the town that’s been overlooked.

All fabric images are created with acrylic paint on muslin and sheer polyester. Resist, relief, stencil, direct painting, and photo transferred images. Machine stitched with hand embroidered accents. Backed with grey eco-felt and a hanging pocket with rod for tapestry wall presentation.

This work will be exhibited September 28- November 23 , 2024 as part of "Imagery in Fiber" at the View Art Center in Old Forge, New York.

This quilt exhibited in JAS 2023 - a national juried Mult-Media exhibit at Maria V Howard Art Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina May-August 13, 2023. It was one of 80 works exhibiting, from 400 submitted for jurying.

THE LORD GIVETH … This quilt was juried into “Of An Era” held at The Trolley Barn in Poughkeepsie, NY November 5 - December 9 2021.

This quilt was juried into the 2021 Fine Arts Exhibit of the Decatur Arts Alliance, Dalton Gallery, and exhibited at Agnes Scott College, May 23- June 13, 2021.

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