Michigoose's gander at quilts & life: Aullwood 2011: Bonnie Askowitz


Bonnie Askowitz Back to Basics Green 21" x 17" $400

Since yesterday I ended with Kathleen Hughes' piece which used photographs in her work, I thought I would pick up on the only other artist who used photographic prints in her work at the Aullwood Show. Bonnie Dubbin Askowitz is a quilter from Miami, Florida whose style reminds me somewhat of Jane Dunnewold's work...although the piece at left doesn't leave me feeling that way as much as her Turtle Island piece below.

The piece at left is entitled "Back to Basics Green". It's part of a series that Bonnie started approximately fifteen years ago using the same or similar image in different ways. Bonnie told me that Susan Shie started her on this path with a project Susan called "Green Quilts" which was intended to have the environment as a focal point and to send love and healing to the universe.

The concept stuck with Bonnie and has influences much of what she does.

Bonnie Askowitz Back to Basics Green detail

You can see on this detail the interesting combination of the appliqued organic shapes which strongly remind me of the sea morning glory leaves you often find on Florida beaches. She's highlighted these with golden and metailic colored threads. She has used netting over the image which gives it a sort of shimmering quality.

You can see on the second detail the dimension she's achieved with the straplike leaves.

Her statement for this piece is as follows: "Part of a series using these images, the quilt tells a story that only the viewer can determine. Is this the woman's daughter? Is she the woman when she was a child? Is she real or is she imaginary? What is happening is for the viewer to decide."

To see other pieces in the series, you can see them here on her website.


Bonnie Askowitz Back to Basics Green detail

Her quilt entitled Turtle Island is interesting because it uses images which have been reversed in order to create a new image, sort of a kaleidoscopic effect.

"A collage of heat transferred photos that included turtles and marine visuals which was compiled but sat unfinished until the border was added and all was machine quilted. The border fabric was hand made by an island woman and purchased in Tortola adding to the mystique of turtles and the serendipity of quilt making.

Turtle Island is the name used by Native Americans for North America. The quilt is not about turtles even though the turtle factor predominates. It is about keeping our waters pure and our continent clean, beautiful and fit for habitation."