Any Way You Slice It

My friends and I went on a little quilting expedition today.  Specifically, we went to the University of Bridgeport's Arnold Bernhard Center Gallery to see the Quilts and Other Works by Denyse Schmidt.  

"In this exhibition, aptly title Any Way You Slice It, Denyse Schmidt shares a sampling of finished works and products made throughout her career.  The works range from one of her earliest signatures quilts Drunk Love in a Log Cabin (on loan from a collectoer) to two examples of new couture quilts from Schmidt's Hope as the Anchor of the Soul, Mount Lebanon Series."

One of her signature quilts - the Single Girl for Pottery Barn

Amazing quilts featuring Schmidt's signature bold lines and bright colors with twists on some traditional quilting themes and originality beyond what most mere mortals can even dream about.

Here's a close-up of Schmidt's What a Dish creation in red.  I think this is my favorite.  I'm drawn to the bold colors and dramatic design.  Plus I like the complexity of the quasi-concentric circles and am perplexed at the execution of such a design pattern.

Of course, this painting of a kitty on a quilt (oh look! It happens to be the aforementioned What a Dish quilt!) is the cat's meow.  

Here is one of the quilts from the Hope as the Anchor of the Soul, Mount Lebanon Series.  I like that it appears to be very simple when in fact, it is anything but...

Upon closer inspection, the multitudinous stitches of this hand-quilted creation give the simple color and lines a dazzling sophistication not first appreciated from afar.

If you can get to Bridgeport, Connecticut before the show closes on December 3rd, you'll be very happy to sit and view all the wonderful energy Denyse brings to the art of quilting.  There is more to see and you'll want to spend some time inspecting the stitches - both hand and machine quilting - and wonder about the assembly of such asymmetric lines and patterns into the rules and norms of quilting as we thought we knew it.  

You can also sit and marvel at the show of finished quilts found online (flickr perhaps?) from Denyse's fabrics and her designs.  I hope you'll make the effort to see her show.  You'll be glad you did.

Comments

[cynthia]

what a great collection. thanks for sharing. will definitely try and get over there.