Every year the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York curates and exhibits a show of contemporary quilts. If you have not seen it yet, Quilts=Art=Quilts is on display until January 5, 2020. “Desert Garden” was juried into this year’s show.
This work is the 18th in my garden series. “Desert Garden” was inspired by two things: a challenge to create a piece using predominately green figures, and a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I really loved using reds and greens together. In my early 20’s I spent two summers living and working on a desert island in the Caribbean. Deserts have a different kind of beauty. You have to look more closely and soak in the details. The color of the earth plays a major role. And when things bloom in the desert it is spectacular.
Metaphorically deserts connote hardship, isolation, and barrenness. Yet, it is in the most difficult times of my life that I have grown the most. Ironic, really. Adversity has helped me shed distractions, sharpen my focus and make hard choices. We all get one life to live. We all only get 24 hours a day. Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
One of the most important things I have learned in my metaphorical desert is that I must create. Creating brings me joy. Just ask my husband. If I have too many days away from my studio I get grumpy. When this happens he sweetly shoos me up to my studio and says he will be in charge of dinner. He actually knew I was an artist before I did.
When have you grown the most? How do you respond to adversity? Where have you been most surprised to find beauty?
Desert Garden 2018, detail