[Re] Connected

[Re] Connecting is the second in a series playing with screen- and mono-printed fabrics designed by me, and constructed on "hardware cloth" which is a 1/2" grid of wire usually found in the gardening section of a hardware store.  

For most, the immediate thought on seeing XOXO is the abbreviation for hugs and kisses, and that was certainly in my mind.  But for the past few years, and sometimes in life in general, you are put in a box.  Our houses are variations on the theme of square.  Our roads are variations of the grid in so many towns and cities.  COVID has kept us indoors, separated from our neighbors, friends and families.  

I have also been inspired by some innovative art quilts made on screen mesh or effectively creating their own lattice.  As my mind wandered one day the idea of creating a shadow play using "hardware cloth" came to mind.  Hardware cloth can be a 1/2" or 1/4" grid of wire and is used for many things, including to keep critters from coming into your house through vents.  I remembered my "Getty Museum" quilts, Conversations, inspired by the stunning shadows cast by the tables and chairs in the courtyard.  

I wanted this piece, a donation to the 2022 Studio Art Quilt Associates annual fundraising auction, to have a title with a positive message.  I received many brilliant suggestions for a title, but in the end found my inspiration for a title in the 2022 Quilt Canada exhibit, Reconnected.  After Covid, we are reconnecting with each other, but politically in the US we are so divided that it is time to re-connect there, as well.  I truly believe that we as a nation are better than what we have seemed to be these past years.  

Please visit the SAQA Auction page for more information. 

Size:  12 x 12 inches.