JOIE DE VIVRE

1995
66" x 55"
NOT FOR SALE

Joie de Vivre

hand painted and commercial fabrics machine piecing and appliqué machine quilting hand beading with glass beads, brass charms, antique buttons semi-precious stones

Believe it or not, this started out as a study in self-image and self-esteem! I made a very small pot-holder sized quilt that addressed this subject and I thought I would take on the challenge of dealing with it on a large scale. Well, as you can see, the quilt had ideas of its own, and it turned into a very energetic and lighthearted being. The figures which dance and leap all over the quilt's surface seem to have no concerns about body image! They are distorted and lopsided, but they are happy, celebrating life, nature, and the earth. They are even being silly! Who cares what we look like, they seem to say; we are happy with ourselves and our relationships with the world and we are showing it. Intense energy flows from the temples which are constructed to honor every part of the natural world.

The central figure in JOIE DE VIVRE is a painting of one in my collection of fertility dolls from Africa. I fell in love with these dolls at first sight, and have been making reference to them in much of my work since. To me the idea of fertility indicates flow of creative ideas, so these dolls are like my guardian spirits, my helpers in the studio.

All in all, I think the lesson in this quilt, given my original intention, is to lighten up! Let it go! Be myself in myself. Enjoy and celebrate life in all its mysteries and forms. Now let's see if I can practice what I preach! These are all lessons given to me surreptitiously by my wonderful Mom. This quilt is dedicated to her and her life, her incredible joie de vivre!

EXHIBITION HISTORY: 1999, CRAFTS NATIONAL 33, Zoller Gallery, PA State University, University Park, PA; Juror's Award; 1997, ART/QUILT MAGAZINE, issue #7, Featured inside back cover; 1996, QUILTS=ART=QUILTS, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY; First Place and Judges Choice Awards; 1996, HAYSTACK FACULTY EXHIBITION, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine