Prompt 4-4, Martha Ressler
One of my dearest friends is blind. Except that once every two years, she has an operation to clear the deposits from her eyes, and for a few months she can see.
She describes the transition as sometimes alarming. She has known a faucet, say, by its touch – cold, metallic, with the function of starting a stream of water. Then when she is sighted suddenly it is, momentarily, startlingly, a foreign object.
This friend is an artist. She continues to paint, whether sighted or not. High contrasts are crucial for her. Sometimes in her season of darkness, say on a walk outside on a bright day, she can detect the contrast between sky and trees.
I wanted to take her seasons as my theme. Of course I’d need strong contrasts, and a dark and a light side to my quilt. I also chose a background fabric with a lot of texture. Almost like a storm of braille letters.
I’ve been hiking a lot and in the winter, looking down to mind my step, I’m intrigued by the shape of the fallen leaves: mostly oak, maple and beech where I live. That was what was on my mind. Those shapes were my alphabet.
I am hand quilting it, and I can show you what is waiting for me to continue to hand quilt this evening as I cuddle up and watch some TV.
闇の季節、光の季節
プロンプト 4-4、マーサ レスラー
私の親しい友人の一人は目が見えません。 ただし、2年に1回、目から沈着物を除去する手術を受けると、数か月間は見えるようになる。
彼女は、この変化は時として憂慮すべきものであると説明しています。 彼女は、たとえば、蛇口に触れると冷たくて金属的で、水の流れを生み出すことができることを知っていました。 そして、目に入ると、突然、それは瞬間的に異物になります。
この友人はアーティストです。 彼女は目が見えるかどうかにかかわらず絵を描き続けます。 彼女にとってハイコントラストは非常に重要です。 時々、彼女は暗い季節、たとえば明るい日に外を散歩しているときに、空と木々の間のコントラストを感じることがあります。
彼女の季節をテーマにしたいと思いました。 もちろん、強いコントラストと、キルトに暗い面と明るい面が必要です。 背景生地も質感のあるものを選びました。 まるで点字の嵐のようだ。
私はよくハイキングをしていますが、冬になると自分の足元を気にしながら落ち葉の形に興味をそそられます。私が住んでいる地域では主にオーク、カエデ、ブナです。 それが私の頭の中にありました。 それらの形は私のアルファベットでした。
私はそれを手でキルティングしています。今晩、抱き合ってテレビを見ながら、手でキルティングを続けると何が待っているのかをお見せします。
Martha, your words and work reveal how thoughtful and observant you are and a person who cares deeply about others. You describe the fallen leaves as your alphabet – so insightful and I am certain that your friend will appreciate the shapes and textures and sounds that your leaves make against your background fabric. It looks very beautiful but looks are not the only beauty in this work.
As someone with macular degeneration in both eyes, I know this time of sight as a blessing and I watch the birds of different colors trying to capture them in my mind along with the dying leaves and furry cats and blooming bromeliads. Textures like you are doing with your stitches will be the braille book of memories for your friend. Beautiful in both the photograph and the cloth.
I can’t wait to see this finished!
Stunning! I especially love the different textures you created for the background. Ihopeyou post a picture of the finished piece. Thank you!
Martha, your work has aways inspired us and yet, this is a very special focus on friendship, learning, feeling and the way we walk through life with those who mean so much to us. To your artist friend comes the beautiful and precious gift of your art and precious connections.
Thank you. I wish you could meet Kara! I no longer live in Pittsburgh with her nearby, but we speak on the phone every couple of months. They are treasured moments.
This is already GORGEOUS! I so admire people who are challenged but still live beautiful creative lives! This is a beautiful tribute to your friend! BRAVO!
Thank you. She said she’ll get another “Season of Sight” this spring so she can see the final quilt then.