Sunday 1 August 2021

Opposites Attract

 My initial idea for this challenge was to do something whimsical of two things attracted to each other, but I decided to think on it a bit longer. I asked my family and friends what came to mind when I said "opposites attract" but no ideas sprang up from their suggestions. I kept thinking about clamor vs. calm, or noise vs. quiet, initially brought on by everything we hear these days out there in the big wide world we live in. In the end, this quilt ended up being much more personal. 

I came across this quote on a blog this past week: "Art is not always about pretty things. It's about who we are, what happened to us and how our lives are affected." --Elizabeth Broun. 

So this quilt is not a pretty thing; it's quite homely, actually. But it does tell a bit about what happened to me and how it has affected my life. 

Ever since I was born, I have had very little hearing in my left ear. Up until my kids had left for college, I was able to cope with the hearing loss without hearing aids. Now I wear them, and while they help, sometimes they hinder. 

The left side of this quilt represents noise - what I experience when I am in a very noisy environment. The background print represents everyone talking; the circles making me think of word bubbles. The red bias tape are my thoughts - sometimes just a jumble, but sometimes full of emotion, but it can also mean angry voices or shouting. There is an additional word bubble, and you'll notice in a later photo that the words are all upside down, because sometimes that's how it feels when my brain is processing what is being said to me. In the upper right, there are big, jerky stitches in yellow - which represent my frustration as well as loud noises, like horns, dogs, whistles, kids screaming or crying, etc. 


On the right side of the quilt is calm, which for me is represented by water - waves lapping on the shore in the quietness of a morning. The quietness of sitting with my morning coffee in a quiet room. The peacefulness of simple things. The small writing you see along the curve between the two is "come away", the reminder to come away from the noise - or from the quiet - and enter the other now and then. The other writing on the quilt, on the bottom right, is a notation of Matt. 11:28, a Bible verse that is meaningful to me. 

Often after being in a very noisy, talkative environment, I am extremely tired from all the work of listening, and I just need to be somewhere quiet and peaceful. 

Here's the close up of the word bubble, which I stitched on with the blue, to suggest how much I want to go someplace quiet rather than try to decipher what is being said to me: 


And here are the yellow, jerky stitches: 



This was an interesting theme for me. I hadn't planned on processing quite so much while I constructed this quilt. I should add that most of the time I am very happy and thankful for my hearing aids. This is just a reflection of what it's like at times when the noise is just too much and I yearn for the quiet. 

So a not-so-pretty quilt, but meaningful to me. 

Wendy




18 comments:

  1. It's perfect, Wendy. Great interpretation of the theme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, thank you - I struggled with this one a bit. Glad you feel I interpreted the theme well.

      Delete
  2. I think that this is amazing work. It's a very expressive quilt. I looked at the images before I read your explanation and I thought that the contrast of chaos and calm is very clear, and then I wanted to know what it was all about. I think the way all the details reflect your experience is really clever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Catherine. I had no idea this challenge would end up so intensely personal. Now that I've finished it, I'm quite happy with it.

      Delete
  3. I think the quilt is perfect. You accomplished exactly what you set out to do. This also gives me a few ideas for a painting. Thank you for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm delighted that I gave you inspiration! I'd love to see the painting when it is finished. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I love the way this quilt strikes a balance! If it was all like the quiet side, it would be a little boring -- it's a good reminder that even in a quiet life, we sometimes need to venture into the noisy side where lots of things are going on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - yes, it's good to find balance. I'm glad you understood my interpretation!

      Delete
  5. This quilt seems to me to provide an entirely clear and perfect visual expression of the way you describe your hearing. Although you say, "this quilt is not a pretty thing", it really is a most beautiful illustration and something I will always keep in mind in the future :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Janine. It was an interesting challenge, and my finish is certainly not anything close to what I first thought I'd make. I really enjoy the process of thinking through the challenge prompts and seeing what comes of it.

      Delete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is a beautiful quilt Wendy. Love how you represented the quiet vs the noise. I think we all yearn for some peace and quiet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Martha. I think you are right. It's good to balance a little of both, too!

      Delete
  8. Lots of good symbolism. I like the change from one side to the other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I was surprised where this challenge took me. It was an interesting process!

      Delete
    2. By the way, I think it's not ugly. It's expressive. Many of the art pieces in museums are the same. One just has to know the story behind them to appreciate them.

      Delete
  9. Wendy, your quilt is a representation of my life. I have sensory-processing sensitivity -I am often overloaded by what I see and hear and I have to go off by myself to de-stress from the bombardment of stimuli. This is a brilliant graphic description of how I feel. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm so glad you like it, and you understand it! It definitely takes time to figure out how to balance the noise vs. quiet!

      Delete