Saturday, April 22, 2023

Art Quilts of Jane Sassaman [1]
Art Quilts

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
Art Quilts have featured on this blogspot and so for your convenience I have listed below previous posts in this series:
Art Quilts - Part I
Art Quilts - Part II
Art Quilts - Part III
Art Quilts - Part IV
Art Quilts - Part V
Art Quilts - Part VI
Art Quilts - Part VII
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part I
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part II
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part III
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part I
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part II
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part III
Art Quilts of Jane Sassaman
Art Quilts of Michael A. Cummings
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part IV


Art Quilts of Jane Sassaman [1]
Jam-packed with drama is how Jane Sassaman describes gardens, which underpin her work. The flowers, she says, display attitude and theatrical spectacle. In translating them into formally symmetrical designs, Sassaman focuses as much on thorns as on roses and joins them together in a stylized ballet. Often outlined dramatically in black, her meticulously appliquéd forms curl and coil around one another. While she had made numerous quilts celebrating the tree of life, Sassaman has created almost as many pieces focusing on nature's cycles of destruction and decay. A repeating element in many of her works is the spiky seedpod of the jimsonweed plant (also called angel's trumpet or thorn apple), which she describes as having 'wonderfully evil-looking spiky seed balls the size of Christmas tree ornaments.' In her later work, insects have made an appearance, becoming a part of Sassaman's continuing exploration of the garden's natural cycles.

Trouble in the Garden (Machine appliquéd and quilted)
Title (Year): Trouble in the Garden (1993).
Technique: Machine appliquéd and quilted.
Size: 1.6 x 2 m.
Photograph: Courtesy of Gregory Ganter.
Comment[1]: 'Most of my quilts are symbolic statements about cycles and spiritual forces of life. Plants are my metaphor. A plant travels the same cycle as a human: fertility, birth, maturity, death and rebirth.'

Metamorphosis (Cottons; Machine Appliquéd)
Title (Year): Metamorphosis (2000).
Technique: Cottons; machine appliquéd.
Size: 198.1 x 73.7 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Brian Blauser.

Iris 2 (Cottons; Machine Appliquéd)
Title (Year): Iris 2 (2000).
Technique: Cottons; machine appliquéd.
Size: 76.2 x 76.2 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Gregory Gantner.

Heaven's Gift; Machine Appliquéd and Quilted)
Title (Year): Heaven's Gift (1990).
Technique: Machine appliquéd and quilted.
Size: 1.5 x 2 m.
Photograph: Courtesy of Judy Smith-Kressley.
Comment[1]: Every day I give thanks that I am able to do what I love. Quilt making provides all the elements that satisfy my soul: color, fabric, bold designs, craftmanship, problem solving, and a challenge for my physical skills.'

Seeds and Blossoms (Cotton, Textile Paint; Machine Appliquéd, Stenciled)
Title (Year): Seeds and Blossoms (1998).
Technique: Cotton, textile paint; machine appliquéd, stenciled.
Size: 1.1 x 1.1 m.
Photograph: Courtesy of Gregory Gantner.

Tree of Life (Cotton; Machine Appliquéd)
Title (Year): Tree of Life: Spring (1994).
Technique: Cotton; machine appliquéd.
Size: 2 x 1.8 m.
Photograph: Courtesy of Gregory Gantner.

Sprouts (Cottons, Sheers; Machine Appliquéd
Title (Year): Sprouts (2000).
Technique: Cottons, sheers; machine appliquéd.
Size: 2 x 1.8 m.
Photograph: Courtesy of Gregory Gantner.


Reference:
M. Sielman, Masters: Art Quilts, Larks Books, New York, 2008.

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