Some of the most interesting Memorial Art I have come across lately is an art project called "Grave Rubbing
Quilt Series" by Susan Lenz. Susan does rubbings and then using a combination of machine and handstitching turns them into amazing "wall quilts". I wanted to show you a few of my favorites.
"Weep Not For Me"
"Weep Not For Me".........reverse side
"In God's Care"
"In God's Care".....reverse side
"He Who Is"
"He Who Is" reverse side
I love that Susan uses various vintage textiles as the backings for these wall quilts. For me it's like Susan
takes a subject that could be considered solemn and through her use of oft times colorful textiles on the back
and the addition of buttons on the front , in her own unique way turns these art works instead into a respectful celebration of someones life.
A quote from Susans blog: " Mortality, especially my own, and MEMORY.....these are the feelings
I have when visiting cemetaries......and I love walking through graveyards. There are stories just beneath the surface....entire families who have left a mark, a name, a clue to their existence. I feel close to history and part of the inevitable evolution of life. I think about the work I want to make before I die. I think about the symbolic hourglass and the sands of time.....how do I want to spend the remaining years, months, weeks, days, hours....."
Susan has created a blog dedicated solely to this series, you can find it listed on my blogroll at the left.
This isn't the only art she does, she has other incredible series, and installations as well. If you would like to see more of Susans art you can go to her main blog, http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/ and from there you will be able to find your way to her other blogs and sites.
These are beautiful. Does she do the rubbings on fabric instead of paper? Very interesting!
ReplyDeletewow.. beautiful.. thanks for sharing.. I will def look her work up!
ReplyDeleteThanks so very, very much for sharing my work on this ever so appropriate blog. Did you know that I currently have a solo show at the Imperial Center in Rocky Mount with quite a lot of the Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series, my chiffon banners covered in free-motion machine embroidered epitaphs, and my "Book of the Dead". It is at: http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/2012/01/last-words-solo-show-in-rocky-mount.html The show is called "Last Words". It was curated by the Programmer at the Imperial Center ... who opted not to use my artificial flowers collected from cemetery dumpsters or any of the "Angels in Mourning Series". I mounted "Last Words" once myself. Actually, the I mounted two installations: "Blues Chapel" in the main gallery as if a real chapel ... surrounded by "Last Words" as if a real churchyard. A blog post about that show is at http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com/2010/02/blues-chapel-and-last-words-columbia.html. I hope you enjoy these images. Thank again for sharing my work!
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