Prior to moving to the Asheville area, I hadn't belonged to a quilt guild for about 10 years....though of course as a speaker, I attended guild meetings all across the country about twice a month.
I'm now a member of the very active Asheville Quilt Guild. Martine House was this month's guest speaker. You MUST visit her website and check out the gallery section. She's given me permission to post some photos taken by Tim Barnwell here.
Martine grew up in France, married an American, and lucky us.....now lives in this area. She loves to do handwork, which is executed to perfection. Her lecture led us through her transition from a beginning quilter to a contemporary fiber artist. No picture will prepare you for how beautiful, complex, innovative, and well designed her work is.....so if you ever get the chance to see her pieces in person...jump at it.
She's been focusing on a series titled "Offerings". Bellicosa is one of these treasures. Each piece is unique, with clever designs which open to a special item within.
In the base of the open flower....you can see an 'offering'.....
It's a stunning beaded necklace.....her jewelry is as well crafted and beautiful as the artwork itself.
'Materna' is another style in the 'Offerings' series. Martine creates small complex cabinets using heavy mat boards covered with silks & velvets which are dyed, painted, heavily embroidered, embellished with beads and other objects. One could study them for hours and not be able to take it all in.
In this open view you can see another necklace and begin to imagine how detailed these pieces are. My appreciation for handwork has always been high.....but that has reached a new level after seeing Martine's extraordinary work.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing these photos with us. They are exquisite pieces.
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