Quilt Composition: Kudzu Summer

I am a professional mixed media artist in Knoxville, TN; born and raised. I am currently working as one of the managers at Jerry's Artarama. I have a bachelors of arts in Graphic Design from Maryville College. I have participated in a numerous number of regional art exhibitions throughout my life in East Tennessee. As well, I'm teaching at a variety of art and crafts centers throughout the area.

Kudzu consumes everything. The land disappears into this incomprehensible mass of green. Growing up in east Tennessee, I remember how it seemed to explode in size during the summer, becoming a cornerstone in my memories. Giving a sense of security, like a blanket, one could crawl into the mass and disappear from the world. I wanted to create a piece that captured that specific comfort I feel when viewing the fields of kudzu. Composed as if the kudzu is the base of a block quilt that I would find in my mamaw's cedar chest, the cooling shade from the tiles which are painted in intense and smothering warm tones like the summer heat. A comfortable balance and peacefulness created out of the objectively unpleasant ideas of warming summers and invasive plant species growing out of control.