Design
Concept
This is one of a series of quilts in which three dimensional, constructed tucks are incorporated into a pieced background. The background was pieced from fabric dyed in a spectrum of pure rainbow colors, along with areas where these pure colors gradually fade to black. The divisions of space in the background are unevenly spaced diagonal and triangular areas. While there are areas of contrast occurring along the seams of the diagonal areas, overall the contrast is subtle and appears to emerge and fade along any given line.
Each of the fifty-nine ½" tucks is constructed from two different fabrics. The right sides of the tucks are made from fabrics dyed in a gradation of pure hues, which include the entire spectrum of colors. The left sides of the tucks are gradations from the three primary colors (turquoise, yellow, fuchsia) and the three secondary colors (orange, purple, green) to black. The use of color and value (light to dark) gradations, and the twisting of the tucks from side to side, create the illusion of movement and light across the surface of the quilt.
A radiating, string pieced border surrounds the three dimensional center panel. All colors of the spectrum are used in the bottom border. Strips of these colors alternate with strips of fabric dyed in gradations of turquoise and fuchsia to black. In the side and top borders, strips dyed in the pure hue to black gradations, alternate with strips of solid black. The black to pure hue gradations create the illusion of a bed of glowing coals, or light emerging from within.
Inner light has been a recurring theme in many of my quilts during the last five years. It interest me both as a symbol of enlightenment and as a purely visual phenomenon.
The original design for this quilt was drawn and colored, using COREL DRAW, a computer assisted design program.
This quilt was created as a commission for a home in Pound Ridge, New York. |
