On my first blog post, I showed a preview of the newest addition to my “Compartments” series.  My intention was to continue the feel of the series but give the composition more “breathing room.”  I felt that it was time for the compartments to have more space around them, to wander around more, kind of fall off the edge and be boundless.

I love the way it turned out.  A lot of movement, brilliance and a vibrancy consistent with previous pieces.

The fabrics, with the exception of the black, are all artist dyed cottons.

This series began in April 2011.  I had recently had major shoulder surgery, was in a shoulder sling and had spent a great deal of time reading whatever I could get my hands on.  I came across an article on people in Africa living in abject poverty, slums made from truckloads of discarded papers which, surprisingly enough, were very colorful, adding a bit of happiness to the images.  Many of those structures were rooms built one on top of another.

I was very limited with what I could accomplish, only having one hand with which to work for quite a while, and believing I that i would not be able to accomplish much,  set aside a series of small exercises using strip pieced fabrics and began to deconstruct and reconstruct them.  The synapses in my brain connected the two and the concept for “Compartments” was born.  I began thinking about how many Americans had been driven from their own “American Dream,” and the idea grew.  I love this series and have no idea where it will go, but it continues to intrigue me.  I hope it intrigues you, too.

Comments always welcome…..click on link below.

Bye for now!