Quilt #150: Rehoboth Meander

Michael James uses commercial cottons and silks to construct his quilts, blending the printed patterns into his designs. He hangs the fabrics on the wall of his studio, intuitively piecing together the different shapes and colors as he works. This piece represents a period in the artist’s work when he was moving away from a more traditional grid format. The jagged and curved edges create dramatic contrasts between the dark and light tones, while the continuous stripes of color make the bold shapes appear almost translucent.

“This mode of working with the stripes is both challenging and exciting: I feel my way slowly, with no preliminary drawings, and let the work evolve in its own natural way. The finished piece is always a bit of a surprise.” Artist’s statement