Detail of Symbol of my Culture

Symbol of my Culture-

This isn't quite done, but I wanted to talk about the progress I've been making.

My first thought, when I was doing this quilt was to do one based on Bluegrass music. It seemed like it would fit well with, not only my family roots, which has to do with Mountain music, but also the area I live in now, the Missouri Ozarks. In thinking about what particular image to represent, I became more attracted to the behind the scenes view of a performance, or a solitary practice moment. So often, at outdoor festivals, you'll see performers, such as this, sitting alone or in small groups, playing for the joy of it. I think I captured the moment I hoped to share.

Technically, this is a painted image based on a photo I took. Along with the fabric paints, I used Prismacolor pencils to add depth to the image. Finally, I quilted it very tightly, almost like thread painting to add texture.