Winter Diary, 37 x 80 inches, ©2006 Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer
This piece is one of my favorite works by Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer. It feels like a landscape but isn’t, necessarily. Its quiet beauty and luscious blues evoke a restful peace, yet the rhythm and movement of the circles and color blocks give a sense of movement and energy that keep the eye moving throughout the work. The exquisite red-orange stripe is just the right dash of spice, the icing on the cake. I can’t stop looking at it!
Last September, I had the pleasure of hearing Jeannette speak at a meeting of the Front Range Contemporary Quilters. She is an outstanding speaker, full of warmth and inspiration while at the same time being very organized and focused. Her words and manner are meditative and thoughtful, indicating a sense of purpose to everything she does. Jeannette says:
“ Once I clear the room of critics and exhaust all avenues of procrastination and finally begin, I love how the slow process of working layer by layer involves a rhythm of cerebration and handwork. … I love those moments, when all, or maybe most, is revealed, the design decisions click into place and life is good.”
You probably can’t see it in this tiny photo, but Jeannette uses a combination of hand and machine quilting for a unique result and an interesting contrast of textures. This was one of the things she talked about in her presentation, of using the quilting in a mindful way to enhance and integrate with the rest of the piece, instead of just putting it on randomly as an afterthought.
Winter Diary is featured in the book Speaking in Cloth: 6 Quilters, 6 Voices, by Jeannette and her co-author, Ann Johnston. I highly recommend this book for the beautiful work along with the wonderfully inspirational narrative by each of the 6 artists.
It is available directly from Jeannette on the Books page of her web site.
What a fantastic piece, Diedre, thank you so much for sharing it. It works magnificently and is a true inspiration.
Thank you for sharing information on this artist. Like yours, I greatly admire her beautiful colors and stitching. I have yet to master integrating quilting into my own pieces — your pieces and hers are a great inspiration.
Thank you for letting me know about this artist, what wonderful work, I had to purchase the book immediately. I am a long time admirer of your work, and am very happy that you started a blog. I remember seeing a piece of yours in Jeri Riggs basement (don’t remember which exhibit it was from) and I was just in awe of your fabulous textures and colors. Your art is absolutely amazing, thank you for sharing it…
Deidre,
Thank you for doing a post about Jeannette. I have not had the opportunity to hear her speak but would love to. She certainly writes so well about her work and process.
I also have the book and love it. In fact, I love every book that Ann Johnston has published. I have heard Ann speak twice and would do it again and again. She is an original and I love her work.
Great blog, hope you are doing well!
Becky
[…] had the book for awhile now, and I wrote about Jeannette DiNicolis Meyer’s work in a previous post. But it was a treat to see all the work in person, as photos usually don’t do justice to […]