Aullwood 2011: Susan Nash

Susan Nash, Primordial Sea, 19" x 24" $350.

Susan Nash, Primordial Sea, detail.

Susan Nash, Main Street Mandala #3.  35" x 43.5"  $500.

Susan Nash, Main Street Mandala #3 detail.

Susan Nash, Koi Pond.  30" diameter.  $450.00

Susan Nash, "Koi Pond," detail.

Yesterday, the Aullwood art quilt show closed, and today is my last post about the quilts there this year.  At left, is Susan Nash's "Primordial Sea."  Susan had three quilts accepted this year and of the three, this is my favorite.  I love the action of the swirl in the primordial soup...the textures she's used, and the color..but most of all I love the fact that use used an ammonite, a fosillized shell of a close relative of the chambered nautilus.  This is Susan's rendition of the early "waters" from which all live came back a gazillion years ago (a technical term ;) ). 

Susan used commercial cottons, hand dyed wool, acrylic yarn and beading, She hand embroidered it and used machine quilting and applique.  It's really hard to catch the sparkle on this one, but I think it is a very successful piece.

At left, the circular piece with the gridding is "Main Street Mandala #3."   Susan has constructed a series of works based on man-hole covers in and around her home in Zanesville, OH.  You can see others on her website.

Susan did a reverse sun print of the manhole cover using Setacolor paints. She embellished it with acrylic yarns and buttons.

This particular part of the series represents  a rainy day along the street.  I think it evokes more of a marine or lake image, which is highly appropriate because what we put down our storm sewers ultimately ends up in a lake or ocean.


The last piece is "Koi Pond."  I admit, I love goldfish and have my own pond.  Of her three pieces, however, I like this one the least.  I think because of the way she handled the fins and the eyes on the fish.  It's difficult as the fish eyes are on the side of the head of the fish and while you see them when looking down from above, it is hard to represent them when working in fabric.  The pectoral fins bother me a little too as they don't really stand out from the sides of the fish as they do in real life, but they make instead (especially when combined with the eyes) something reminiscent to me of a frill necked lizard.

I realize that this sounds harsh and I don't mean it to be so, but these are just elements which bother me.  They probably didn't occur to you.  It is also probable that I am being to literal and realistic and what Susan was doing was conveying an abstracted vision.  I often find it interesting to see pieces with someone else because what they see and what I see are often interpreted differently.

Her lily pads and water lilies are very realistic and are dimensional.  I also really like the netted effect of the lace.  The waterlilies are made of silk, the body of the quilt from commercial cottons.  She used acrylic lace and yarn as well as buttons to embellish her work.  It is hand embroidered and machine stitched, appliqued and quilted.

Texture through embellishment at Aullwood

In the last several posts you've seen texture through embellishment with threads and with thread painting. This time we're going to look at a couple of other quilts which used other sorts of embellishment as well. Ok...so some of the other quilts used beads and things, but I think you'll get my drift as you look at these.

It seems that along with Great Blue Herons, ravens, crows or blackbirds were also the favorite bird at the show.

Here is another of Susan Nash's works. It's entitled Cross Country Flight. Susan did a masterful job at combining a patterned background composed of traditionally pieced strips, with the crow grasping a coin. Your eye is moved around the quilt by several different points. The darkness of the blackbird draws your eye there first. He is pointing up, so your eye goes there, then you pick up the golden coins (just like the magpie and the crow, our eyes are also attracted by the glinting. Now, were up on the left hand side. The use of the feathers, although subtle, are placed so that they, plus more gold coins brings our eyes around, down to the lighter side where the ginkgo leaves now bring our eyes down and we begin the circuit again.


The gold coins are masterfully used. Not only are crows attracted to them, but the difference in texture (the hardness) against the soft quilt and the suggestion of softness of the feathers offer wonderful counterpoints.

The are a perfect choice as well as they harmonize with the palette of the quilt.

The ginkgo leaves and the feathers floating in space add that wonderful sense of movement which was started with the crow's flight.

Here too, Susan uses large cross-stitched threads to add more texture to the quilt as well as using the blanket stitching along the top.


Look too at her use of the swirling quilting patterns over the bars of the strip pieced background. This is also a fantastic choice in order to emphasize while still softening.

I also particularly like her choice of the fabric for the crow.


Next, we have a whimsical collage by Sandra Charles of Rising Sun, Indiana. Sandra's piece is called Tribute to Alverta. I chose to include this one because of her use of buttons, which like the gold coins Susan Nash used, glint and bring your eye around. Of course, her fabric placement and the shape of the pieces with the viney points also move your eye as well.

Here's what Sandra said in her artist's statement:

"Alverta loved birds and spent a lifetime studying and enjoying them.

She could identify over 300 species by sight. To her, I am very grateful.

Making though provoking art through the medium of fiber and textiles has been very rewarding to me. I prefer to lead viewers to draw their own conclusions about my work as translated by the manipulation of color, balance and texture.

Public benefits of my art come through teaching. In addition to the instruction I offer in surface design foundation and three dimensional piecing, painting, fabric discharge, basic and advanced fiber art classes, I have recently developed an occupational therapy program offered to local agencies helping the disadvantaged. This program encourages the development of dexterity, eye and hand coordination, complex planning and design through the use of various recycled materials. "

Here's a closer look at the bluebird and the buttons.