I’ve finished this quilt, now titled, Not Persephone’s Pomegranate, for the East Bay Modern Quilters show at Bay Quilts. The show will be up the entire month of June, but the reception is June 8 from 1-3 pm.
About this quilt: In the Greek myth, Persephone, the Spring Goddess is kidnapped by Hades, the King of the Underworld, and while there, she eats three pomegranate seeds. After her rescue she has to return to the underworld for three months every year which “causes” the world to have three months of winter. Therefore, in Christian/ European iconography, the pomegranate is a symbol of death. However, in Jewish culture, the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility, abundance, and Torah. Why Torah? Supposedly a pomegranate has 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 commandments in the Torah.
In my first art history class the professor asked, “Who knows what a pomegranate symbolizes?” I raised my hand, but luckily he didn’t call on me. I was shocked to learn that it was a momento mori, a symbol of death!
This quilt is for the East Bay Modern Quilter’s show at Bay Quilts in June. The only requirements were that it had to have a particular red, called “blue-red” in it and had to be 24″ x 24.” So far, my title for this quilt is, Pomegranate Red, but that might change. This is the unquilted top, I’m working on the quilting now.
I won a 2nd place and a 3rd place in the small art quilt category! Here are photos of the winning quilts and t my other quilts which hung in the SF Quilters Guild show this weekend.
City of Peace.
Klee Picasso and Me.
This quilt is called Village and Sun. The blue sticker dots are from people who liked this quilt enough to put one of their five stickers on it to vote for “Viewer’s Choice.” I took all of these photos early in the day on Friday. All of my quilts received lots more stickers by the show’s end.
Still Dancing.
Vote. This was a challenge quilt. I wrote a blog post about this challenge to use three challenging fabrics.
Posted inQuilt Shows, SFQG|Comments Off on I won two ribbons!
I asked for a name for this quilt on FB. I got a lot of good suggestions, some of which I might use for new quilts. I named this one City of Peace. After naming it I appliqued all the archways that are a slightly darker fabric, to make it look more like Jerusalem. Then I went back to ChatGPT for help with my artist statement. This is the AI version, which was based on the name of the quilt, but not an image of it: City of Peace is a quilt that envisions an urban landscape not just as a place of steel and stone, but as a sanctuary of harmony, connection, and hope. Each fabric panel represents a building, road, or skyline, pieced together to form a cityscape that radiates warmth and unity. The intricate stitching mirrors the unseen threads that bind communities—acts of kindness, moments of stillness, and the shared dreams of those who call the city home.
The colors and textures were carefully chosen to evoke a sense of balance, where diversity thrives and differences weave together into a greater whole. Through this quilt, I invite the viewer to reflect on what it means to create peace—not just in the spaces we inhabit, but in the way we live, interact, and build a future together.
In a world often defined by its fractures, City of Peace offers a vision of urban life where every thread is part of the fabric of understanding, compassion, and hope.
This is my final version, using both my words and ChatGPT’s: I started this quilt a few years ago in a class by Krista Hennebury called Speed Date with Improv. On the design wall some of the blocks looked like houses. I eliminated those that didn’t look like houses, and made lots more. Then it looked a little like Jerusalem, so I added some appliquéd middle-eastern archways. I quilted it with a walking foot. I worked on this quilt while the latest cease fire/hostage negotiations were being publicized. The intricate stitching symbolizes the unseen threads that bind communities—acts of kindness, moments of stillness, and the shared dreams of those who call the city home. In Hebrew, Jerusalem means “city of peace.” I hope that in the future Jerusalem will truly become a city of peace. Through this quilt, I invite the viewer to reflect on what it means to create peace—not just in the spaces we inhabit, but in the way we live, interact, and build a future together.
Here’s my first quilt of 2025 again. I’ve added two vintage plastic buttons from my mom’s stash. I finished this quilt on the same day I had to enter it in a juried show. I needed a fast artist statement, and I hate writing artist statements. A week ago, I watched a SAQA Zoom about using AI for quilting. One topic was using it to write artist statements. I went to ChatGPT.com and asked for an artist statement for a quilt with a cubist face. I also wrote that the title was, “Klee, Picasso and me.” I added these sentences from my previous cubist quilt, “When I was 11 years old, I painted a self-portrait that my art teacher said was reminiscent of Paul Klee’s portraits. I’ve liked Klee’s work ever since then.” Then I pressed enter.
“Klee, Picasso, and Me” is an exploration of artistic influence, perception, and personal transformation. When I was eleven years old, I painted a self-portrait that my art teacher said echoed Paul Klee’s cubist style. That moment sparked a lifelong appreciation for Klee’s work and, more broadly, for the power of abstraction. This quilt is an homage to Klee, Picasso, and the legacy of Cubism—an invitation to see the world through fractured, multifaceted perspectives. It reflects not only their artistic genius but also the way art shapes our understanding of ourselves. Through fabric and thread, I weave together inspiration from the past with my own creative journey, celebrating the enduring dialogue between artist, artwork, and viewer.
I did change a few things and shorten it to 700 characters. It originally said, “through fabric and form. I changed form to thread.” It is also more pretentious than anything I’ve written. However, I did use it.
This is the second cubist face I’ve done. It’s inspired by the paintings of Paul Klee and Picasso. I used fusible applique. There’s no piecing at all, just fusing and then I quilted over all the pieces. There’s a SAQA show called Now that I want to enter it in. Wish me luck!
I mentioned the Prism Play show in San Diego in the previous post. The SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) show, Art Movements is opening in Folsom on 1/31/25. I’ll be at the opening. My quilt, My Cubist Friend is in the show.
