I find few other subjects as fascinating as the individual. Personal identity is a central theme in my work. My quilted fabric portrayals draw on the complex interaction between subject and artist to capture the individual’s spirit. In the creative process, I strive to integrate prevailing attitudes on beauty, politics and self-image. Through the poignant interplay of gesture, vivid color, pattern, and a touch of voyeurism, I attempt to define the enigmatic in my subjects. I want to represent a perception of truth, the moment that will tell something of the subject, the viewer and the artist.
I place the subjects very close to the foreground, forcing a direct interaction with the viewer. When necessary, I utilize the traditional quilt technique of assembling multiple images of the subject to temper this confrontational sense with a meditative mood.
The non-traditional use of the quilt as a portrait canvas opens another circuit for the interpretation of the individual. I primarily rely on hand-dyed silks and cottons and commercially-dyed cotton fabrics to construct the art works. I love the drape and feel of fabric. The subtle variations in fabric color that are inherent in the hand-dyed process are equally as intriguing to me as a boldly printed commercial design. Each can be used to create the appropriate statement in the portrait. Even the most humble cottons can become incredibly expressive by varying how they’re handled in the designs.
© 2009 Cheryl Dineen Ferrin
