The
central blue wave of fabric with cows flying through the night inspired Starry Flight. I immediately recognized the fabric as an opportunity to do a humorous version of Vincent Van Gogh’s classic masterpiece Starry Night (1889).

To extend the humor, I used fabric that repeats “moo” indefinitely behind the moon. Toward the bottom center of the quilt, a barn and a tree replace Van Gogh’s image of a white church with a steeple, and I placed a bull in the bottom right foreground – surely an attraction for the cows. A farm village was substituted for the more urban village that Van Gogh depicted. Additionally, many of the stars in the sky resemble fried eggs, common fare on the farm.

Technique was particularly important to make Starry Flight’s resemblance to Van Gogh’s Starry Night  recognizable. Proportions and forms had to be correct. The “flying cow” fabric had to be adjusted for color and content with overlays, fabric paint, and machine stitching. I also changed the word “night” to read “flight.”

From there, I took artistic liberties that reflect my personal style. Layers of fabric were used to “warm” or “gray” areas to approximate Van Gogh’s striking colors; stitches were used to emulate his spontaneous brush strokes. When finished, I better understood this famous painting and thought the great painter himself might greet my silly version with a smile.