Sunday, May 30, 2010

June Underwood quilt posted on blog 05-30-10

"Crow Caucus" June Underwood 2007 14.5"W x 12.5"L
Dye painted silk charmeuse, hand-dyed cotton backing and binding. Machine quilted with variegated thread, machine thread painting.
June may send me some corrections on this description - I don't have anything in writing, but am looking closely at the piece and this is what I see. The silk is so reflective that the sea/sky look very realistic and the multicolored thread used for the background (sand w/flowers?) makes a value change that is very striking. This is a quilt that must be seen in person because no photograph will do it justice.
See June's current work at her website: www.juneunderwood.com
I am not particularly fond of crows, but they have a presence that is both stately and sinister which compels me to notice them. These three sitting on a porch rail jog my memories of halcyon summer days at a South Carolina beach in the early years of my marriage. Maybe it was just all a book that I read in the distant past - thirty-five years ago does seem almost like the life of someone else. When we were at that Eastern beach my husband liked to fish in the surf and I was always up and out with him to watch the birds and look for shells. The crows there were fish crows that took advantage of the early hour to scavenge on the beach and in the Bar-B-Que trash of the night before. Just like these three looking out over an unpopulated beach in the early light.
Posted by Picasa

2 comments:

Patty ♣ said...

The crows look like the crows around here. I like the quilt a lot!...
I Love your memories!!

June said...

I think you have the description about right, Del. I'm terrible at remembering how I did things. I didn't use silk thread, but probably used some varigated, as I often do. I like these little pieces when photographed because the stitching shows up so well on them. And they get done so quickly.

I think crows are what I will be or was in some former life -- and they are just like human beings -- sometimes obnoxious, sometimes funny, scavengers, arrogant but canny, and smart. As I said, just like humans:-)