My mom was a hoarder.
A fabric hoarder.
She died a year ago
but the stashes of
folded fabrics
were no surprise.
Every time we were
at her house
and opened a drawer
or a closet
or a random box on the floor
fabric would spring forth
or spill out.
Colors?
Ohhhh baby.
Every color.
And pattern.
On fabrics
of all type.
Mostly your basic
cottons and blends
but the collection
also includes
tapestry-like
embroidered stuff
I swear came straight
from exotic ports
around the world.
Silk, too.
Inspired by the collection
I've been fussing around
with collages
implementing her material
with my love of
nature interpretations.
Today I finished
the big one I've been
messing with all winter.
My parents house
where I now live
was full of framed photos
and a variety of artwork.
None of which
was anywhere near
my taste in the kind of things
I love to see
on the walls
that hug me
when I arrive home.
So I've been dismantling
them, flipping the art
and doing my own thing
on the other side.
Fun.
My step-dad loved images of
tall sailing ships.
So the first piece
is a big print of
some famous ships
or something....
...flipped over
and turned into
a collage
I really like.
Good, bright colors.
Images
reminiscent of the yard
in which my parents planted
and mowed
and pruned
and raked
for years and years
and years.
It's my tribute piece to my parents.
When I look at it
I think of them
and the yard
and the home
where we shared
good memories
surrounded by the
beautiful things they grew.
They lived a really simple life.
You wouldn't know it by the accumulated junk
of 50+ years in this house
but at the heart of it
they just enjoyed life
side by side
doing simple stuff
like fussing over
flowers
and pulling dandelions.
This one's for you, Mom.
I think you'd like it.
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