One year to the day, the project that began as patchplay has become Land of Flood and Drought ...
Finished, which is to say backed, quilted and edged ...
64 inches long by 10 inches wide, representing over five feet of rainfall in the year 2015.
The winter/spring months of January through April ...
The first flood of May ...
The drier summer months of June through September, especially July and August when only one inch of rain fell ...
The second flood in October, one month which had rainfall equal to the entire year of 2011 ...
Ending with more dry times in November and December ...
But the cloth can also be "read" from top to bottom. The thermals and clouds in the skies ...
water flowing from Hill Country creeks to rivers ...
The earth rippling with the heat of summer sun ...
cooled by rain ...
water moving through cracks in the land ...
roots reaching for the water below ...
There's so much more I could say, so much more I could stitch. So yes, it's finished, but I hope it will never be done.
beautiful colours
ReplyDeleteThe land ...
Deletethis is All of It and now, it will dance the days again, how it goes,
ReplyDeleteover and over and you witnessed and marked it. Yes.
To make a mark ... to be able to return and read its meaning ... and yes, to dance with the sheer joy of it
DeleteAn extraordinary year!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming along for the ride ...
DeleteThis is really an incredible work of art, Liz. Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour work is always such an inspiration.
Susan ... thanks so much
Deletewhat a powerful piece. such a testament to what is changing/compelling/demanding notice about our lives and our world. we are mid-drought in the Boston area. Temps in the scorching 90's for more days than ever during July. It's hard to accept as 'the new normal'. Your stitching, as always, is just lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dee ... I agree with Thomas Friedman's use of the term "global weirding" to explain our new normal weather. It's been fascinating to compare this year's rains to last.
DeleteIt's an amazing cloth, the natural colours, those pointing stitches and the ragged blue frame! Nature-reality and your personal thoughts inside.
ReplyDeleteThank you ... I'll never forget how excited I was when realized I could dye the patches with native Prairie Tea (Croton) and end up with colors like the rocks on the floodplain.
DeleteWow Liz, I just want to reach thru the computer screen and gently run my fingers over all your stitches, to use my hand to feel the weight of the work. It looks so lite and airy, like it could float. Exquisite!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb ... it does feel good, but I'm a total linen lover. Didn't iron it after washing, just prayed the whole time it went through the delicate cycle in my front load machine, then smoothed it flat to dry (luckily we have stained concrete floors).
Delete