“Patch Worked Series”
The act of
sewing colors of fabric together to create pattern is an old and worthy act
traditionally done by women out of necessity- some say a “labor of love” to
keep families warm when they sleep. I
have always been attracted to patch work maybe because my mother is a quilter
and I grew up surrounded by color and pattern.
As a child I remember making projects of 9-square patch work pillows and
I also took needlepoint lessons. The act
of arranging color into patterns is my passion.
I am most influenced by the African-American tradition of multiple
pattern quilts. The quilts are usually
divided into blocks of a repeat pattern; however each block is uniquely
interpreted and rarely contains straight lines.
These quilts exemplify the West African principle of protective multiple
patterning. Evil spirits would have to
decode the complex mixture of many patterns before they could do any harm to
the user. The idea of a physical quilt
used for spiritual protection has influenced me greatly.
“Patch Worked” is an ongoing
series of work that explores and celebrates color and pattern created from an
everyday object. I paint brown paper, cut it and sew it
back together in interpretive unique patterns.
I use recycled paper bags because
it is a way to recycle the paper and “make something from nothing” a theme that
has inspired my art making. This work is a contemporary look at the
traditional craft of patchwork.
My paper balls
are a reflection and influence of Japanese culture and an appreciation of a
simple object made beautiful. In Japan
paper is a national treasure. Many
objects, especially those for children, are made from paper like kites, fans,
and even paper balloons. Paper is
temporary material that brings play and beauty to one’s life.
Leslie
Ulrich's work will be shown along with pieces by glass artists Scott Darlington
and Patricia Davidson August 8th - October 7th.
