Pulling Myself Together
30" (at longest) x 5" (at widest)
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Marion Barnett
Strathpeffer, Scotland
When I am told to pull myself
together, as depressed people often are, I wonder how to do it...there
are so many bits missing, things I can't remember, or don't know,
about myself. My strength goes towards healing those holes, not
in trying to close them up prematurely.
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Blanche Batey
Shalimar, Florida, USA
I usually make a few rough sketches
and work loosely from them. This can lead to unexpected results!
Often I make multiples based on a theme. This piece was a second
start and is completely different from the first. When I originally
started I was thinking in terms of the eyes being the windows of
the soul, but gradually I began to think more of the voice as expressing
the soul. I've always enjoyed listening to music, especially blues.
This quilt represents that soulful singing. The soul holes are their
mouths.
The base is tourtured brown velveteen that I had used to test techniques.
It was painted, cut up, abused, washed and used for stich practice
and tension samples. If I had started out with a pretty piece of
fabric it might look "prettier", but the souls I was thinking
of would be more worn, even tattered, than pretty.
I drew the faces with thread then painted the hair and some of the
features with acrylic pens. Cotton floss was couched over the hair
and added the gowns. Sparkly trim was sprinkled over the back ground,
a net and then a brown sheer were added. In all of the challenges
I try techniques I have not used before. It is always a pleasure
and an adventure.
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detail
Blues and Lame'
17 1/4" x 17 1/4" |
detail
Spiritual Journey
20" x 13"
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Kathryn Leinbach Brown
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
All of the fabrics in this quilt were hand painted by the artist
on 100% kona cotton with setacolor paints. It is machine pieced,
machine quilted and thread painted. The dove rising up over the
land and leaving through the hole in the sky symbolizes our journey
from earth as humans to our spirit entering heaven. This quilt is
dedicated to both of my parents and my sister who have already gone
on this journey.
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Rebecca Cox
Merritt Island, Florida, USA
This quilt was inspired by the
plight of our planet and the destruction caused by our devouring need
for more "things". It is not "Things" that bring
us ultimate joy, but love, peace, belief in a higher power, and appreciation
of the wonders here on earth. Are our children going to be able to
see those wonders anywhere but in museums? This quilt incorporates
hand painted silks and cottons, tulles, and commercial cottons, fused,
appliqued and thread painted. I live in Merritt Island, FL.
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The Watchers -
Destruction of the RainForest
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detail
Memory Lapses
15" x 20" |
Melissa Craven Fowler
Ithaca, New York, USA
Materials: cotton hand-dyed fabric, commercial
fabric, upolstery fabric ("batting" for stiffness); computer
internal cables, memory modules, logic chips, beads, window screen.
Methods: Resist dying, fused
soft-edge applique, machine quilting, hand beading.
For anyone over, say, 45, the concept for this quilt needs no description.
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Linda Henke
Centennial, Colorado, USA
Ex Nihilo offers a visual portrayal
of the six successive commands by which the Creator incrementally
called the universe into existence. In this piece, the belief that
this divine power is one that creates ex nihilo -that is, out of nothing
- is reflected in the empty hole from which even the formless void
emanates. This quilt grows out of my personal conviction that, even
in those experiences of life that leave me with a painful "hole
in the soul," the God is able to call forth newness of life.
Utilizing both traditional and foundation-pieced
techniques, this piece is fashioned from commercial and hand-dyed
cotton fabrics and embellished with stenciling, hand-embroidery, chenille-textures,
and free-motion machine quilting.
Linda Witte Henke is a textile
artist whose work has been focused for several decades on the creation
of vestments, paraments, and other liturgical forms. Although she
continues that work, her interests have more recently broadened to
include contemporary art quilts. An ordained minister in the Lutheran
tradition, her work frequently gives expression to religious themes
and faith convictions. Henke resides in Centennial, Colorado, where
she is a member of the Front Range Contemporary Quilters.
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Ex Nihilo
17.75 " in diameter
In the beginning
when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless void
and darkness covered the face of the deep.
Genesis 1:1-2 |
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detail
Eye
of the Storm
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Cindy Henry
Candor, New York, USA
I have found myself recently in
the midst of some difficult times, in search of a personal direction
for my artwork and my life. The spiral is a form that has emerged
frequently in my sketchbook during this time. When I saw the "Soul
Hole" challenge, I knew immediately that it suited my interest
in these spiraling forms. I have a sturdy friend who has been an inspiration
in helping me find my way, both personally and artistically. In our
soulful exchanges I discover, from time to time, inspiration and peace--the
"eye of the storm."
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Kimberly Marcus
Tarrytown, New York, USA
I was inspired by a story that
I heard on NPR. They were speaking about marriage and soul mates and
that got me thinking about wedding rings and the joy I felt at getting
married. The 2 rings represent mine and my husband's wedding rings,
although they also look like flames. I cut a hole in the center because
that is where our lives are joined. The figures represent the two
of us. And the quilting lines and beads are leading to the building
of the rings. I had fun with the swirling circular quilting. It was
very freeing. I really love how this turned out and it is all because
of this challenge!
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detail
8.3.97
17" on the top and
16.5" on the two sides and bottom
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Vietnam Soul Holes
5.75” x 10.5”
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Mary McBride
DeLand, Florida
Started for the Soul Holes
Challenge, I couldn’t finish the art project until this morning
when I read in the newspaper that a classmate had died. Milton Culp,
60, a typical mild-mannered, good-humored, marine biology high-school
teacher, had earned two purple hearts and a bronze star in Vietnam.
In Milton’s name, I added the fringe of purple hearts. This
is dedicated to all the good soldiers who help heal our country’s
soul holes.
This is from a series
of haiku I wrote 10 years ago.
Boys
in photo wave
Their names carved in black
marble
She dreams of Paris
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Brenda Molloy
Pendleton, New York, USA
I work with fiber. The tactile
quality of fiber, colors, textures, and light entice me. Starting
a piece with a vision, and seeing where that vision takes me is
exciting.I am working with the themes of balance, connection, energy
and transformation. It is my hope to touch other people, to make
them think, and to give them pleasure in viewing my fiber art.
In this quilt, Soul Energy, I am depicting how interwoven our energies
are, and how we connect to one another on different 'planes' as
we journey
through life
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Soul-Energy
12" x 13"
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detail
GOD Help The Children
16.5" x 16.5"
cotton, acrylic paint, metallic and
cotton
thread, cotton batting & grommets
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patsy monk
Parrish, Florida, USA
This quilt begins as a traditional
log cabin, the traditional block of the traditional home. The center
is red to represent the traditional 'heart of the home'. However,
in scripture it is commanded that GOD is to be the center of our 'homes'.
This 'home' is filled with golden threads showing interest in material
things. The love of *things* other than GOD is directly against the
commandments in the Old Testament.
The 'home' was designed by GOD to be 'intact' as shown in Genesis
2:24 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." It
was designed to be an example to the children. GOD is to be revered,
feared and honored by the parents with this being taught to the children
and to the children's children.
When any thing takes GOD's place and the commandments are forgotten,
for whatever reason, the damage to the family unity continues through
generations. The examples have been set by the parents and their parents
before them. This 'home" is shown as shattered. The needs of
the family are not met by the parents. The children are left to wander
as they may. Some even die young and are lost.
The liturgical messages for this piece are found in many places in
scripture: Isaiah 48: 17-19; Exodus 20:5; Numbers 15: 39-41; Leviticus
22: 31-32; Deuteronomy 4:1-2 & 6:1-3; Joshua 22: 5; Ecclesiastes
12:13; these are just a few.
However, I can throw few stones. I, too, have fallen far short of
a GOD-centered life. I failed to follow and teach HIS commandments
to my children. The Christian legacy I continue is a mess. I pray
GOD will forgive me and I pray for my children.
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Maggie Muth
Columbia, Maryland, USA
My husband's seven year old
granddaughter lives with us. Both her parents are drug addicts.
This quilt represents her life and mine...surrounded by the addiction,
fear and anger of other people, creating a large soul hole. But
that sole hole has been filled with grace - which is what keeps
us going. I made the quilt out of an out grown Barbie shirt and
machine quilted it with tinsel thread, representing the cheery,
sparkly faces we put on. Surrounding the soul hole is a fence and
prickly things, which keep people out. But Grace is always there.
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Amazing Grace
8 1/2" x 11"
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detail
Wild Thing
9 1/2" x 12 1/2"
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Kimberly Baxter Packwood
Ames, Iowa, USA
I machine and hand stitched
a piece of cotton quilt batting, that had been dyed using bound
resist techniques. The dyed batting is stitched between two peices
of silk organza, and is embellished with dyed cotton quilt batting,
silk duponi, chenille threads beads, and various found objects.
Once I started putting holes in the piece I actually had to pull
back, it was fun! the finished piece is approximately
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Kay Paulino
Redmond, Oregon, USA
For the "Soul Hole" challenge, I decided
to use the simple Square-In-A-Square block, which is the theme
of a Series that I have concentrating on for the past nine months.
I used scraps of fabrics in lights and darks, along with a piece
of fabric that I dye/painted several years ago. My entry is entitled
"Out of the Box." To illustrate this title, I created
hands and arms from a cloth doll book. As I continue to search
for my own voice as a Quilt Fiber Artist, I am in many ways stepping
out of the box to go for the unexpected.
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Out of the Box
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Reaching For The Stars
Approximately 17" circle
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Meena Schaldenbrand
Plymouth, Michigan, USA
The circular shaped
quilt is the face of mankind. The hole in the center is in the
shape of the Space Shuttle and is the hole in our hearts on
February 1, 2003.The "eyes" belong to the millions
who admire the spirit of the crew. Tears are shed on the right
side of the face for the lost lives. The "mouth" is
that of a world immersed in shock and grief. It honors the seven
brave astronauts of the Columbia: Michael Anderson, David Brown,
Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Rick Husband, William McCool and
Ilan Ramon
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Mary Louise Smith
Brooklyn, New York, USA
The border is of an Australian fabric with aborigine
motifs. The center background is hand dyed to resemble the hot
outback desert sand and is quilted in circular motif in gold
to resemble the journey to spiritual self realization. The abstract
motifs scattered around the two figures (lizards) are the "shedding
of the outer layers of self" as we travel towards our quest.
At journeys end (the "black hole") is the soul we
seek...it is in the reflection in the mirror.
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detail
"The Journey to the Soul"
23 1/2" x 23 1/2"
Batik, Broderie Perse, Hand Dyed Fabric,
Mirror Embellishment, Machine Pieced,
Machine Quilted with Gold Metallic Threads
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"Soul Hole Six"
30"h x 22"w
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Julie Zaccone Stiller
Boulder Creek, California, USA
Six holes for the soul to come
in and
depart once again
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June Underwood
Portland, Oregon, USA
Sometimes, when I see some kid's
sidewalk art, or I walk past a coffee shop and the scent fills the
air, or I catch the sun under a newly leafed willow, or even for
no discernible reason, sometimes I will feel a glow from deep within,
a positive joy that I think can be seen by the least interested
passerby. And then I realize that to most folks, I look like an
ordinary pleasant passerby, blending a bit with the foliage.
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"Lit from Within"
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