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 Michael A. Cummings [1]
The energy of Michael A. Cummings central appliquéd images threatens to escape boundaries set by his traditional pieced borders. Combining elements from his African American heritage, Yoruba mythology, and formal art training, his narratives focus on subjects such as jazz musicians, historical heroes, and the Yoruba water goddess.
Title (Year): African Jazz #5 (1990).
Materials and Technique: Cotton, blends, buttons, textile paint; appliquéd, machine sewn.
Size: 2.7 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Helper animal and spirit symbols also occupy Cummings' corners or edges of his works, sometimes crawling into the center in their eagerness to be a part of the story. Masks offer layers of meaning that echo the layers of fabric, while glowing yellow accents appear in almost every work, sometimes symbolizing the rhythms of jazz, sometimes the light of heaven. Visual tension is created through the contrast of the orderliness of traditional chintz fabrics and pieced elements with the organized chaos of his appliquéd forms. in trying to create a new aesthetic, Cummings has produced a body of work filled with energy, edginess and excitment.
Title (Year): Christ Bearing Cross (2003).
Materials and Technique: Fabric, African cotton print, satin, beads; appliquéd, machine and hand sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
'My African American quilting heritage is rich in traditions and characterized by storytelling and improvisational styles that were introduced by slaves. In slecting my themes, some may come from personal experiences. I've been influenced by the works of Romare Bearden, cubism, tapestries from Senegal, music, folk art, and many art forms from around the world.'
Title (Year): Take My Brother Home (1993).
Materials and Technique: Cotton blends, satin, African beadwork, velvet; appliquéd, machine sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Title (Year): I'll Fly Away (1991).
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, blends, African fabric, fabric, antique quilt blocks.
Size: 2.3 x 2.1 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Title (Year): Haitian Mermaid #3 (1995).
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, blends, fabric, velvet, rayon; machine sewn and appliquéd.
Size: 1.5 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Title (Year): Purplish Cooper (2001).
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, linen, blends, silk; machine sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Title (Year): Rear Admiral (2001).
Materials and Techniques: Cotton, linen silk, machine sewn, appliquéd.
Size: 1.8 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Reference:
[1] M. Sielman, Masters: Art Quilts, Larks Books, New York (2008).
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 Michael A. Cummings [1]
The energy of Michael A. Cummings central appliquéd images threatens to escape boundaries set by his traditional pieced borders. Combining elements from his African American heritage, Yoruba mythology, and formal art training, his narratives focus on subjects such as jazz musicians, historical heroes, and the Yoruba water goddess.
Materials and Technique: Cotton, blends, buttons, textile paint; appliquéd, machine sewn.
Size: 2.7 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Helper animal and spirit symbols also occupy Cummings' corners or edges of his works, sometimes crawling into the center in their eagerness to be a part of the story. Masks offer layers of meaning that echo the layers of fabric, while glowing yellow accents appear in almost every work, sometimes symbolizing the rhythms of jazz, sometimes the light of heaven. Visual tension is created through the contrast of the orderliness of traditional chintz fabrics and pieced elements with the organized chaos of his appliquéd forms. in trying to create a new aesthetic, Cummings has produced a body of work filled with energy, edginess and excitment.
Materials and Technique: Fabric, African cotton print, satin, beads; appliquéd, machine and hand sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
'My African American quilting heritage is rich in traditions and characterized by storytelling and improvisational styles that were introduced by slaves. In slecting my themes, some may come from personal experiences. I've been influenced by the works of Romare Bearden, cubism, tapestries from Senegal, music, folk art, and many art forms from around the world.'
Materials and Technique: Cotton blends, satin, African beadwork, velvet; appliquéd, machine sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, blends, African fabric, fabric, antique quilt blocks.
Size: 2.3 x 2.1 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, blends, fabric, velvet, rayon; machine sewn and appliquéd.
Size: 1.5 x 1.5 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Materials and Techniques: Cottons, linen, blends, silk; machine sewn.
Size: 1.8 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Materials and Techniques: Cotton, linen silk, machine sewn, appliquéd.
Size: 1.8 x 1.8 m.
Photo Courtesy: Karen Bell.
Reference:
[1] M. Sielman, Masters: Art Quilts, Larks Books, New York (2008).
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