Manhattan Quilters Guild
Vertigo II
36” x 36”
2011
Applique, hand and machine pieced, hand quilted, hand painted, hand pleated
Silk, cotton, wool, metallic, polyester, organza
Born in Moscow and a graduate of the Moscow Textile Institute, I moved to New York City in 1998. My first impressions were of a vibrant city in exquisite harmony with respect to architecture, design and color. Vertigo II translates this harmony though texture and color, specifically by layering an array of different fabric types.
The Triangle
36” x 36”
2011
Machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand quilted, hand embroidered, stenciled, painted
Cotton, including 3 vintage prints. The quilt also includes acrylic paint.
The triangle is a shape often used for traditional patchwork. It also represents the Greek letter “delta,” used as a symbol to signify “change.” When it is capitalized, “The Triangle” represents The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory – the site of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of 146 workers, mostly women, on March 25, 1911, in New York City. In the aftermath of the fire, changes were made in labor laws to provide for greater workplace safety. This quilt includes 100 triangles to commemorate the centennial of the fire, and it was designed to resemble a postage stamp.
Units 31: Rhythm in Lights
36″ x 36″
2011
Fabrics monoprinted by the artist using fabric paints. Machine pieced and machine quilted
Cotton fabrics, fabric paints, cotton/poly batting, polyester thread
The Units series explores the construction of a whole piece using elemental geometric units which, when joined, create an abstract composition with lines, colors and movement. As the series evolves, it explores new ways of using color and scale. I design my own fabrics through the monoprinting process, cut those fabrics and as I reassemble them an imaginary abstract composition emerges reflecting my vision of a specific moment. This piece uses color and pattern to create visual texture and rhythm as I witness the exuberance of designs walking through the streets of New York.
Chasms 5: City of Contrasts
36” x 36”
2011
Machine pieced, fused raw edge applique and machine quilted
Hand-dyed cotton by the artist
Manhattan is a city of contrasts with its diverse architecture, materials, parks and people interconnected by the ever changing and overlapping reflections that surround us.
23 Witnesses
36” x 36
2011
Machine applique and quilting
Cotton canvas foundation, cottons: hand-dyed, batik, commercial; paper; cotton batting and backing
The eyes are focused on an event, the specifics of which are not clear. One can be sure that whatever happened got everyone’s undivided attention, and will be remembered for a long time by all 23 witnesses. What happened? Maybe “someone dyed.” You be the judge.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral – Means of Production
36” x 36”
2011
machine quilted and pieced with machine-free hand embroidery
Approximately 85% of the top is made of silk from Thailand, China, Nepal, India, Vietnam and Cambodia.
When I think of material I think of cloth, and when I think of cloth I think of silk. The production of silk is unlike that of any other fabric. Elements and processes go into its production, starting with the silkworm eating the mulberry leaf which enables it to wrap its cocoon; that is the source of our silken threads. Processes of weaving silk highlight its rich shimmer – threads of contrasting colors are cross-woven so that the color of the fabric changes with the shifting of light across the fabric. For me, silk is the ultimate material.
Other fibers are used as dictated by the theme (wool, cotton, linen and polyester). As I worked, I thought of all the other ‘silent’ witnesses who are behind the production of fiber: the flax from which we derive linen, the sheep which gives its fleece for our wool, the cotton bolls, and the chemistry of polyester. This quilt serves as a tribute to these witnesses behind the materials.
[Iconography #9] Material Girl 2
36” x 36”
2012
Applique
Fabric, batting, thread
Luke Haynes works with quilts to blur the collision of function and art. His works often depict Icons that play with the figure ground, relating the craft and history of quilting with the modern ideas of portraiture and painting. His background is in the architectural design field.
Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull
36″ x 36″
2011
Hand and Machine Stitched. Traditional and Digital Painting.
Silk and Cotton
We are but distant observers, unable to control the forces of nature that churn our world. We can only watch helplessly as natural elements meld, shift, rip apart, solidify and liquify. We fool ourselves into thinking our natural landscapes are forever constant, but clearly, the shape and texture of our world is ever-changing. There is a beauty to our folly: there exists an aspect to our world that can still activate our childlike wonder.
