a summer ritual..

...that I do not get to participate regularly in and think wistfully about is perfect foil for an artwork about rituals, don't you think? I thought so too and thus created an art quilt about it for an invitational exhibit by Dinner@8Artists. I am honored to be invited once again and have completed this piece just in the nick of time as usual. I seem to work better and faster under the pressure of a deadline.

sky and roof detail

Summer in Russia. At least the summers of my childhood and the summers in Russian novels, revolve around a samovar at the table in the garden of a dacha. My dacha, or I should say my family dacha, is not available to me every summer anymore, but I did have the pleasure of introducing my kids to life on a dacha and they loved it. This summer we hope to visit again. A samovar, the full functioning version, I do have in my kitchen, and a small collection of decorative samovars. Perhaps in another blog post I will show my collection. Now there's a fabric samovar in my art.

an extreme close up of hand stitching

This art quilt was a bit of a departure for me. Yes, I still used the same techniques I always do. BUT! Believe it or not - there is actual batting in this quilt! I haven't used batting in quite a while. This piece asked for batting, it needed to feel more substantial. Maybe the size dictated the use of batting? I just listened and did as told, I always obey my muse.

recycled scraps are fun to layer like brush strokes

It also feels more "quiltier" than my other work. Maybe it's the layering of scraps? Or is it just my own imagination?

Dacha, (60"x24") Natalya Aikens©2012