Home at Last

After nearly a year of false starts and missed connections, Postcard from Rajasthan has finally been delivered to the man whose photography inspired the quilt, Henry Dallal. I wrote this to accompany the wallhanging:

Captivated by the craggy-faced man and beautiful Mawari horse, I was inspired by Henry Dallal's photo to create this 45 x 60 inch wall hanging. I worked on this piece for about a year. The photo was enlarged to create a pattern, from which various commercial fabrics were cut and assembled on a muslin base. Intensive thread painting defined features and provided dimensionality.
In a nod to traditional quilting, I pieced the sky from half-square triangles in a close range of blues. The beaded fringe was created over many July evenings, while watching the Red Sox on TV with my father-in-law. The ornate frame, quilted in hexagons with gold thread, harkens back to Persian hand crafted woodwork known as Khatam-Kari.
Completed in 2007, the quilt was exhibited at several venues including: Maine Quilts: Augusta, Maine (Judges' Choice)
Northeast Quilts Unlimited, Arts Center Old Forge, New York
Road to California: Ontario, California (Honorable Mention)
Art Quilts Maine Exhibit, Saco Museum: Saco, Maine
World Quilt Show-New England: Manchester, New Hampshire

While I derived a great deal of pleasure creating and exhibiting this piece, I always knew it would ultimately be a present to my dear friend and inspiration, Henry.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

I've Got to Crow!

I've got to Crow! I received a copy of Sarah Ann Smith's book, Thread Work Unraveled in the mail today, and right there, on page 73, are two photos of my quilt, "Postcard from Rajasthan" One is a full shot and the other a close-up. How COOL is that! My quit pictured in the same book with Sarah's "Bijagos Warrior", which inspired me to begin "Postcard", and quilts by such renowned quilters as Hollis Chatelain and Jane Sassaman! I'll be cozying up with the book tonight to begin reading it, but it is a super thrill to see my work in print.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Postcard from Rajasthan

The horse quilt, Postcard fromRajasthan, returned from Deer Isle today. It was on display at the Pearson Legacy Gallery as part of a "Portraits" exhibit (the quilt got in for the guy, not the horse.) At any rate, thinking about what to do with it now--send it to Henry, who took the photo on which the quilt is based? Look for more exhibit opportunities? I think it will probably go back on the wall at the office, since there is enough space for it to hang there while I think about next steps. I'm sure I would be able to part with it if a buyer came along, which was not the case when I first completed it. But it has been on exhibit several places, won some ribbons and accolades, and it would be nice if this horse and handler found a home.

See more of my quilt photos at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts