Staying Connected

"Staying Connected" began in 2008,  when I created an abstract painting on linen.  It was also the year my dad was battling stage 4 lung cancer (he never smoked a day in his life so go figure...).  I felt very depressed when I looked at the painted linen.  Dad would soon move on.  With this painting, it was also clear I was leaving piecing behind.  Actually, I had been consistently leaving piecing behind in my work for some time but it suddenly weighed heavy on my mind.  I missed it and my piecing friends.  On went the rectangular bits, a reference to piecing.  Thread trash went on to reflect the fluidity of our lives.  The addition of painted misty fuse and leaves composed of both painted dryer sheets and commercial painted fabric completed the composition.  In the end, it represented the life cycle and the fact that "we all leave behind, we all get left behind and in between we just try to stay connected".  It was indeed an honor when it was selected to appear in Lone Stars III:  A Legacy of Texas Quilts 1986-2011, by Karoline Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes.



                                                                   "Staying Connected"  18"x41"

The book was published and made its debut at International Quilt Festival, Houston, Tx., in October, 2011.