Night Games

Fear in the Forest is a “beautiful quilt” about a difficult subject. Using a motif I developed many years ago and strip pieced cloth, the “frame” for the piece was developed. It draws the onlooker in visually to the subject of the quilt – young boys running through the forest being chased by someone. The story of the quilt is based on fact – there is more sexual abuse of boys than people realize. One of the games played at Scout camps is called “Night Games”. Boys chase each other through the forest at night. That is what happened to my husband – boys were chasing him but the leader told them to go away and then raped my husband. I created this quilt to bring the topic of sexual abuse to the “table”. It is not easy but it has to be faced. The grief that goes with being the victim needs to be worked through. The first step in the process is to acknowledge that it happens. Then learn what you can. If you have been a victim – allow yourself to grieve. If you are the friend or spouse of a victim – grieve with them.

The body of the quilt is pieced strips that have been painted with acrylic paint. The human forms are machine manipulated embroidery. 

This piece was accepted into the Sacred Threads Exhibit when held in Washington D.C. I was told many onlookers left this piece with tears in their eyes. Artwork is created for many reasons – sometimes just for decoration, but also to draw attention to various human needs and concerns. 

Sacred Threads: Exploring Life’s Journeys, Juried Exhibition, Herndon, VA – summer 2019 with exhibition catalog, 

Divulge: A National Exhibition featuring Use of Art for therapy, Coping, etc. , d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA9/5 -10/3/2020, Honorable Mention.

Night Games detail and the Heavens Wept

Rampant violence and needless death amongst humanity must make those who look down from Heaven truly weep at the insanity of it all! People are killed accidentally and wantonly without regard to the importance and sanctity of human life. These deaths impact the victims, perpetrators and many others from families to friends to neighbors to police to peacekeepers. The news everywhere, everyday reveals ever more death and destruction. Killing and death among those of all ages, socio-economic levels, genders, sexual orientations, creeds, and ethnicities must end!

The background of this work is a black, patterned cotton fabric. Placed at the top of the work are the “heavens” represented very simply and abstractly by pieces of white starred lace over the base with the faces and tears of those in heaven machine embroidered on top of the lace. The artist’s original faces are not intended as realistic portraits, but as generalized representations. Over the last few years, the artist started adding human faces to her works. She was first inspired to do so by icons and by the faces of the winds portrayed on very old maps. The bodies are machine embroidered and the final work is simply quilted in an overall, vertical line pattern. Finally, red acrylic paints were added to represent the spilt blood. The design is restrained to focus and heighten the power of the work’s message. Created in 2018