I Wish I Had a River I Could Skate Away On

''Winter Road'' 

by Georgia Okeeffe

I Wish I Had a River I Could Skate Away On

Designed and pieced by Bill Stearman

Hand-guided long arm quilted by Deanna Gaudaur

I am so impressed with Georgia Okeeffe’s ‘Winter Road’. 

For me, it represents the greatest lesson that I need to learn with my own art … to simplify.  In this painting, she has removed layers and layers of detail, until all that remains is line.  And the power of that simple, gentle, and beautiful line, tells a story that Georgia had no words for.

I start so many pieces with grand ideas of how the quilt will tell the story, yet much of the time they just fail … until I pull away the layers, and the details, and the excess. Until only the story is left.

Joni Mitchell is another of my favourite artists.  For me, she always has the words to tell my stories, simply, without all the layers. 

Looking at Georgia Okeeffe’s ‘Winter Road’ has always made me think about Joni Mitchell’s song (poem) ‘River”.

This quilt is my attempt to tell a part of my own story, using Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ … simply …  in a way that is inspired by Georgia Okeefe’s ‘Winter Road’.

And happily, I have skated away on that river.

And the back is pretty cool as well!