Aullwood: Maxine Thomas and Maude Haeger

Maxine S. Thomas, "Japanese Spring", 24.25" x 20" $225

Maxine Thomas and Maude Haeger are two more of my friends.  Maxine is a member of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network and lives in Jamestown, Ohio.  She, like Maude, is also a member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates.

In Maxine's other life, she is a lawyer and she spent time in Japan as a Fullbright Professor  which influences her work.  In addition, Maxine almost always uses a bright color palette.

I saw the beginning of this piece in a thermofax screen printing workshop Shelley Brenner Baird held for us earlier this spring.  The "woven" background and the ginkgo leaves are both commercially available screens which then then printed on the fabric with thickened dyes.  She added more elements later.

Once again, Maxine's artist statement says it better than I can:  "Ginkgo leaves remind me of the trees I saw in Sendai and always bring back warm memories.  The art of Japan is very special to me and my quilts are ways that I can travel back to Sendai through art, illusion, emotions, texture and color.  Quilts appeal to my lawyer's notion of what is right and useful and my artist's love of freedom and whimsy.  Applique's discipline is new to me and I have done stenciling here for the first time.  The end result is my celebration and summons  to others to take their own evocative journey.

Maxine S. Thomas, Spring Iris I, 29.25" x 20" $250

This piece celebrates Maxine's spring garden.  She photographed her iris, then hand painted them on silk and rendered them into this quilt.  This is one of a series she is working on which "pays homage to (her) garden."   Even in the deep of winter, looking at the quilts will bring her back to the garden and spring and all that comes with that.


I had the pleasure of meeting Maude Haeger after writing about her work at last year's show.  Maude lives in West Chester, Ohio, so it is a ways from Aullwood, but not in midwestern terms.  After writing her, I found that her husband was also fighting cancer and we met at Aullwood to discuss that, and lots of other things besides! Maude is a teacher and is an exuberant, life loving person.

Maude Haeger, "Sunshine in the Garden, 58" x 40.5" NFS

Maude dedicated her Sunshine in the garden to her husband Walter, who has supported her in her artistic endeavors throughout their marriage.

"This quilt was created during the time he was going through chemo and radiation.  I was, of course, very worried and was not sure of what was going to happen. Walter loves it when I use bright colors and he loves gardens.  I chose to work on this piece as my way of pushing the cancer away.  Our earth is beautiful.  It also has sad and bad things in it.  We have to choose what we will concentrate on.  I like to try to overcome bad with beauty.  It is worth the effort of trying."

Maude Haeger, "Volcanic Rift in the Sea", 65" x 34" $1,000.

Her other piece, is just as rich and jewel like as this one....and I really love it.  Maude has illustrated the cracks in the ocean floor, a volcanic rift which oozes lava and gases.  I am afraid that this photo really do it justice as it glows with the reds, blues, and violets...

Maude heavily machine quilts her pieces, often using decorative threads.  She has also added quite a bit of beading to this piece to really make it come alive.

Here's a detail of her work...all of those little red dots are beads...