Jazz!

1994
74" x 74"
NOT FOR SALE

Jazz!

hand painted fabrics, torn and woven together; reverse appliqué; machine quilted; embellished with machine stitching and glass beads

Jazz! Excitement! Energy! Playfulness! Contrasts! Variety! Diversity! This is what jazz is all about and in this quilt, which was commissioned (One Percent for Art Program) by the Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden, Maine, I have tried to capture these elements.

The piece is mainly black and white to create a rhythm, a beat. Interspersed throughout the work are blips of color, unexpected and unpredictable, just like jazz. From a distance the piece radiates abstract energetic expression. As the viewer gets closer to the work, realistic details can be deciphered and enjoyed. Images reflecting our daily lives emerge and weave in and out the picture.

Two distinct challenges presented themselves to me while creating this piece. One was the notion of working with predominately black and white. I am constantly drawn to the bold contrast of these two colors working together, but I have not ever been able to limit myself to them in a work until now. The second exploration involved actually physically weaving my paintings back together to create a whole surface, while controlling where the darks and lights fell within the whole piece.

All of this was immense fun!