The textile part of this piece is the round section surrounded by beads. The square part is Masonite (or something like that), painted and with painted dots to match the background on the textile part. I purchased this from the online auction of the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, so I had not seen it "in-the-fabric" before it arrived at my house. I like this work very much, but I was disappointed that it is, in essence, "framed" so that it must have special storage and cannot easily be carried as part of the programs I do. When buying online or from a catalog I sometimes forget to check every tiny aspect of the quilt and thus have ended up with about ten that must be boxed and are not easily transported. Oh, well!
"The Unanswered Question" - Wendy Huhn - Dexter, Oregon 2010 12" x 12"
Hand embroidery on cotton, plastic screen, glass beads, plastic sequins, painted wood base.
I enjoyed meeting Wendy at a Visions gathering and am impressed with her great techniques. She uses all kinds of surface design and most of her pieces I have seen are done with paint, transfers, dyes, screens, discharging, stamping, and many other techniques. I was not aware that this piece was hand embroidered until I received it. The rings on the fabric are couched, the solid areas (tiger, stump, wooden horses, man) are split stitch with an outline of stem stitch. Then there is the tiny seed stitching on the rabbits. I said something to a friend about the crow made of screen and she didn't understand what I meant - she had not noticed the bird! I don't know what any of the figures mean and Wendy doesn't care if I understand. I like that about her designs - each viewer can interpret them in the context of their own imagination - their own experiences. I like the imagery and don't care what any of individual "creatures" means.
I assume this is her original framing technique, I've not seen it elsewhere, but then I don't usually buy framed works. The keyhole slot to hang the piece on the wall doesn't work for me, so I have put in a looped cord with a large knot I stuffed into the keyhole. I think this is not one of the quilts I sometimes hang backwards!
I'm glad this "Unanswered Question" is in the Collection, but it will not be traveling very much. A shame, because the needlework is quite wonderful.
I hope you will take the time to look at Wendy's website - it is very colorful and there is a large gallery of her work (clickable thumbnails). Notice the dismembered lady on her porch!
http://www.wendyhuhn.com/
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