cosmic illusions

by Salli McQuaid
lofty quilts and high art

Our CEO: Mr. Rings

Our Chief Executive Officer is an excellent people manager. And although Mr. Rings  indeed lives the "high life," his expenditures are negligible.

Running Horses is an artwork comprised of horses with wheels and a steering wheel.

The minute I saw the central horse panel -- actually intended to make decor pillows from -- I wanted to incorporate it into a textile piece. It so conveyed my feelings about horses. Running Horses is the result. I cannot tell you how difficult this artwork was to make. I knew I wanted to do a reflection in a lake and mountains and sky and to convey the feeling of horses in the wild. I wanted to convey their athletic ability and their will to survive. I wanted to show horses where they should be and not where they are most of the time now and what the advent of the automobile did to their (and our) way of life.

Many techniques, beautiful fabrics and arresting threads were used to complete Running

 Horses. There is difficult curved piecing, tucking, applique, and manipulation of fabric and trim. Tiny, sparkling ribbon is woven through stitches. Clear Swarovsky crystals are added to give the lake reflection more sparkle. I cut nearly every piece in the quilt individually to get just the image I wanted. A tiny, gold strip of fabric is inserted into the binding. I did the binding over two and and a quarter times to get it done the best I could. I spent days pantographing Running Horses, and used trapunto in several areas.

I did not do this to illustrate what I could do or how long a quilt can take, but because I loved the materials and the subject so deeply. I can only hope I did them justice.  

Collection of Darren and Nancy Wiley, Dorena, OR, USA