New Work - In Dreams I Went Fishing

In Dreams I Went Fishing

It's time to share another new work! This is In Dreams I Went Fishing.  It's one of the quilts making its debut at the Virginia Quilt Museum in my solo show, Beyond the Blue: Contemporary Narrative Quilts by Sue Reno. The exhibit runs from August 16 - October 23, with a reception on September 23.

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 1

Sometimes it happens that I feel compelled to make a quilt and I have a clear vision of what it should look like, but I'm not aware as I'm working of its meaning and significance. This was one of those quilts. I've finished it but I'm still thinking about it, and it's still very much open to interpretation. Seeing it hung in the gallery might help. It's large, at 49" x 77", so given the size of my studio I've never stood back at a distance to contemplate it.

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 2

I do know it represents a shift from my emphasis on making quilts about the Susquehanna to making quilts about the convergence of the three rivers in Pittsburgh. I visited the 'Burgh for years before I moved here, so I have some experiences and visuals stored up, but nowhere near the familiarity I had with the Susquehanna. I'm still exploring, which is tremendously exciting.

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 3

I began with the panel on the left, a print of mullein leaves. (I do adore a good sized leaf, bonus points if it is fuzzy!) The print is a mix of wet cyanotype and solarfast solar dye chemicals, and when finished it reminded me of fish swimming with the current. Next I worked on the needlefelted river panel, a mix of silk, wool, and mylar fibers, with wooly borders, hand embroidery, and hand beadwork. As I worked I thought not of the current urban landscape, but of the past use of the resources of the rivers by indigenous peoples, changes wrought by industrialization, and post-industrialization restoration efforts.

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 4

The right panel is made from obsessively hand stitched hexagons, with two colorways merging together, much as the two rivers merge to form a third. The stripes were making me very happy as I worked--there's a lot of movement going on with this one!

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 5

I moved across the state for personal reasons, but welcomed the idea that new surroundings would shake up my artistic perspective and practice, and this has proven to be the case. I love delving into the unknown. I'm glad this quilt is still a bit of a mystery for me, and I'm sure I've left plenty of space for the viewer to bring in their own personal narrative. 

In Dreams I Went Fishing, detail 6

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