Power Suit Challenge part 3: The Comic Book and traditional quilting influences

Deo

The theme "Power Suit " bought comic book heros to mind.   Here on the upper left you can see Superman's bright "S" is Diane Murtha's (Springfield, VA) "The Power from Within".  Here's her take:
When I asked my husband, what "power suit" meant to him. He said,  "that‘s easy, the ultimate power suit is Superman‘s suit." I then realized it wasn‘t what Clark Kent wore on the outside that made him who he was – it was what was inside and hidden from everyone that made him a great man. Real power comes from within and I am blessed to have grown up with three Supermen in my life: My Gandpa, a simple farmer from Iowa wore a suit for church on Sundays. My Dad, a loving father, wore a suit for work every day. And my husband, who wears the suit of a soldier.

Something which intrigued me about this show is that several of the artists used traditional quiltwork in addition to their arty quilty side.  Notice three of the four quilts shown here, the background of Diane's piece, Victoria Sheskey's "Fashion Wizard Twists Out Fashions from the Past" , and even the streak of lightening in Marilyn Knepp's  "Power Clashing" inspired by an episode of 30 Rock.

On the upper left is SallyAnn Morrison's (Springfield, VA) "Catwoman in a Grey Flannel Suit."

"The words ―Power Suit leads me to our Nation‘s Capital which is full of Power Suits. For example, Congress, business, and lobbyists who exercise or influence the legislative power granted by the Constitution. I thought it might be fun to have an iconic image like cat woman (a powerful figure) come to Washington, DC in a grey flannel suit, with her cat of nine tails in hand, to bring some order and sanity to the process of government. I am sure the outcome would be positive."

Here's another traditional pattern, the hexagon used in Lita Haven's "Power Suit a Global Outfit."

Cheryl Sleboda (Plainfield, IL) actually works in the comic book industry and likes things Japanese.

Cheryl chose a girl animae figure (Japanese superhero comics) in her power suit.  Cheryl used her power suit sample swatches on the back ground.  "These 'power suits' usually house a tough, pretty girl with rockets at the ready. My Power Suit girl is 'Armored and Ready' for any adventure!"

Cheryl is well known for "powering up" her quilts with lights.  You can see more of Cheryl's work here.

Delores Hamilton of Cary, NC did a wonderfully shaded version of  Wonder Woman for her "Glass Ceiling? What Glass Ceiling?"  She wrote: " In the mid-80s, the Wall Street Journal ran an article in which the term "glass ceiling" first appeared, referring to the invisible barriers that impeded the career advancement of women in the American workforce. Despite our adopting men's power suits, we made little progress. In thinking about who could have smashed through that glass, I thought immediately of the iconic Wonder Woman. KA-POW!"

Several others, including Patrice Smith's also took on the superhero theme.

Another note:  Go back up to the shot of Cheryl's piece with her exhibition neighbors.  The bottom right is Marilyn Owendorf's "Power in Any Suit."  It won the "It makes me Laugh" award....for details, go to Cyndi Souder's reveal of the winners and the show on her blog here.