Ellen KochanskyThe first of a series of quilts commissioned by Hines Interests for a David Child skyscraper in Cincinnati. There are four sets, each on a different season, so the tenants of the building have a change in their view all year long. Each season reflects on a different aspect of the quilt tradition.nine separate framed […]
One of the earliest full-size quilts, built the oddest way, by quilting two sections, then slicing them up and reassembling them. This was part of a series of four Elements, a theme I’ve used often since.mixed textiles, machine pieced and quilted hand-guided quilted collage 6′ x 8′ ca1982
Each year my team produced about ten or twelve new samples in Queen size, adding styles and colors to the line of about 30 quilts. I’d bring home orders, and redesign as fabrics became used up or irreplaceable. The team of 3 to 5 employees was headed by Lois Evans for 18 years.mixed textiles, machine […]
A familiar theme, assembling fragments from previous works, creating dinner from available leftovers. This structure, and its wooden frame generated many a car payment.collage from couching, assembled, cut, reassembled, many times, quilted 4′ x 6′ ca 1990
One of my favorites of the EKO designs. It was inspired by a depression-era quilt, in tatters but still eloquent, owned by dear friends. The menswear flavor recalls the frugal years when textiles were kept in service long after their original use. The design honors the Asian wrapping cloth, made from the diagonal scraps cut […]
This is a commission for Cynthia Boyer’s window, looking out over the Potomac from Alexandria, VA. I included several fragments from her studio, including some actual “chads” from the 2000 election. Silk, bookbinders glue, found objects 36″ x 72″2005
A commission using photographic images of leaves, rocks, and botanical elements, combined with the actual materials, made denser by the dark stained silk. Somehow the natural and artificial seem at home with each other here.Tea-stained silk, bookbinders glue, stitching, printed photographs, plants, feathers 36″ x 41″2005
Homage to a profoundly influential book on the social implications of architecture. The background is made of patterns I acquired during research for my first job, as an assistant editor for the Vogue Sewing Book. This is where I applied and honed my skills at writing, re-writing, and page layout, and where I made my […]
Scraps of old projects seem to form the most fertile compost for my recent work. Many inspiring leftovers from the past 20 years are captured here, part of the handwritten saga. The many layers of glued silk approximate parchment, but no goats died, only silkworms. Silk organza (12 layers), bookbinders glue, found materials, linen thread […]
My father collected my mother’s letters, written every day during WWII, including the ones the army shrunk for lighter weight shipping to France. After he died, she shredded them in a fit of emotional housekeeping, a profound lesson to me in letting go. Their mysteries are honored here.Silk organza, brown wrapping paper, beeswax, chile peppers, […]