The basis of the exhibit began when the two artists wondered what would happen if two artists whose names begin with the letter C opened the dictionary to words that begin with C, closed their eyes and pointed to a word on the page, and then created a work of art from the definition? This long-distance collaboration became C is for…, combining the talents of these two multimedia artists who have interpreted their "C" word definitions in cloth.
Calliope by Charlotte Bird
When the two artists imagined the exhibition in 2011, their goal was for each to create one small art quilt per month for 15 months. Now there are 15 sets of quilts, each set interpreting a different word that begins with the letter "C." The artists set the rule for themselves that they couldn't throw any words back and they each had to use the same word for that month.
Charlotte Bird's art quilts, one seen above, incorporate her hand-dyed and silk-screened cotton fabrics, which are constructed with hand-cut and fused appliqué, machine-quilted, and hand-embroidered. Their dimensions range from 12x11 inches to 26x20 inches.
Cathy Denton's art quilts are hand-painted, machine-quilted silk. Four quilts were drawn in Photoshop® and printed with a pigment printer on a variety of fabrics. Her diminutive quilts range in size from 6x8 inches to 10x13 inches.
Both artists infuse their work with much whimsy and humor. No two interpretations are alike. This exhibit is running concurrently with the Del Thomas Collection exhibit at VAM, both worth a first and second view.
