Artist's Statement: Midnight & Noon (2 of 3)
The two sides of this quilt could stand separately, but I think they are stronger together. The navy background top, (side "A"), was finished first. Since it has a vertical, portrait, orientation, I deliberately approached the composition of the second top with a different vision. For side "B," I chose to do the reverse, making the shapes dark with a light background and a horizontal orientation. When the two sides were complete they evoked very different feelings.
The forms on side "A" take on a sculptural quality. This side brings to mind walking down the street on a cool night and seeing a streetlight up ahead which spotlights an object. Within that cone of light the form is illuminated but the environment around it falls away into the darkness. We instinctively know that there's more there than we can see.
In contrast, side "B" looks more like a landscape with structures. Its colors conjure up feelings of mid day; the heat and intense light, when the sun is at its brightest. We can discern general attributes of the structures but the sun is in our eyes, bleaching out the details. We would squint to see them more clearly, if we weren't busily going about our activities.
With the introduction of the quilted textures that trace the contours from each side, the new shapes add an extra layer of interest. These design elements speak to the little nuances and minutae that we don't observe as we move through the world, either because we are focused elsewhere or surrounded by darkness. Our lives might be richer if we took the time to look more closely.
I know people will bring their own sensitivities and interpretations to these compositions. But it would bring me such joy to think that people are drawn to take a closer look, observe how the two sides influence each other, and take in the smallest details.
That is my hope for this quilt.
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