Queen Joker
Victim
Prostitute Gambler
Saboteur
King Guide Judge Child JannServant Glisson Mother Vampire
Redmond WA
I
’ve always been a ‘Maker’. I grew up in Australia in a family where sewing and knitting were de rigueur – economical, practical, essential. I followed the patterns. Conformance was required in all things. My Rebel emerged early, but it had nothing to do with Art. I did my Aussie Walkabout for a couple of years in the US, returning to Australia via Europe. Love and romance brought me back to the US in 1970. In 1974 I took my first quilt making class and joined guilds and groups. I pursued this creativity joyfully, mostly ‘coloring within the lines’, but never duplicating what someone else had made or the dictates of a pattern. In 1990 I began incorporating photos into my quilts. My Child archetype card reads: “Embrace now the play of the Magical Child who did not know the hurdles that lay ahead … don’t dwell in the shadows.” When I decided to submit this piece for the exhibition, I was thinking it represented my Child (and how does our Adult not include our Child?) I considered my Artist journey, begun in 2014 when I took my first drawing and painting
92
classes. As I glanced back, I realize the 2009 roots of this piece represent my first steps to becoming an Artist. We moved in 2010 and the unfinished triptych remained in the ‘WIP’ box until 2020 (nowhere to display in our now home.) I was proud of the work. Jane Dunnewold inspired me to rework it. My red high-tops were gathering dust in the hallway. Purchased especially for wearing to my Tuesday Art Tribe gatherings, worn only once before Covid shut down the Studio. The creative juices flowed strongly as I deconstructed the earlier work and played with composition. The red zigzag spoke loudly. Pathway/Journey/Put your shoes on/Leave footprints to show you’ve been here. The quote I chose was a message to myself inspired by the author’s story. Being a member of CST for several years has given me the courage and support to keep on my creative journey. Adding hand stitching to this piece as the final step seems to bring it full circle and complete this chapter of my Artist story.
