Echoes of Tulips Summer, 36 x 36 inches, ©Nancy G. Cook

Nancy Cook is a North Carolina artist whose work I first became aware of a couple of years ago when I saw her piece in the SAQA 20th Anniversary Trunk Show. Titled Ankle Twister II (photo here), it was a tiny gem of a quilt that captured my attention in a big way. Nancy has been working with the quilt medium for 16 years, but she has really found a unique voice with her Seed Play series. She invites us to take a closer look at the exquisite details of seeds, pods, and fruits, whose subtler color is often overlooked in favor of the plant’s showier flower, but whose form is just as interesting if not more so. Nancy’s reverence for nature is evident in her lively composition, ethereal colors, and mesmerizing quilting lines.

Echoes of Tulips Summer, detail

The focal point of this quilt is the seed pod of the Tulip Poplar. Nancy says,

“

[It] shatters as the birds feed upon it. It will also hold some of the seeds from one year to the next. So you can find buds, flowers, this year’s seed pods, and last year’s seed pods on the tree all at the same time. The little seed stitches on the spike of the pod are where seeds have already fallen off the pod.”

Nancy left her career in organizational development and psychology to become a full-time artist in 2001. With more time to concentrate on her work, she was able to focus on her love of the outdoors in combination with her art. She says,

“I find the interconnected web of life to be endlessly fascinating, and I like working with one small piece of it to unravel some of the wonders. Recently, I have been working on a series that features tree seeds as symbols of the gifts that come with life’s maturity. I learned that my work was autobiographical when I noticed that I was creating autumnal images at the same time that I was aware that I came to my art in the autumn of my life. Fortunately, it seems to be a Southern autumn that is prolonged.”

Kousa: A New Dogwood in Town, 36 x 36 inches, ©Nancy G. Cook

Nancy’s heightened awareness of issues concerning nature and trees is a frequent source of inspiration for her work. Kousa: A New Dogwood in Town was inspired by the passing of one species in decline while another takes its place. She says, “Our native dogwood is succumbing to a viral infection across the country. In its place, the Asian Kousa Dogwood is being grown as it is resistant to the infection.”

Mockingbird’s Larder, 36 x 36 inches, ©Nancy G. Cook

“Mockingbird’s Larder is a deciduous holly. The Mockingbird carefully guards a food tree like this throughout the winter until either the Cedar Waxwings or the Robins descend in large numbers and strip off the berries and move on.”

Mockingbird’s Larder, detail

There are several things about this piece that I find intriguing. First, I love the way the darker areas of the hand-dyed background fabric echo the character of the tree branches, bringing a strong unity to the work. Second, Nancy has added depth and dimension by using hand embroidery to create the finishing details. And finally, in an unexpected and lovely master stroke, she has engaged the viewer by leaving some of the berry shapes unpainted, indicated only by quilting lines.

Nancy’s career is really taking off this year. She will have no fewer than three solo exhibitions and a featured artist exhibit in botanical garden and art center galleries over the next 12 months. She has also been selected as a featured artist in  Art Quilt Portfolio: The Natural World by Martha Sielman, to be published in 2012.

You can learn more about Nancy and see more of her work on her web site, and keep up with her work and exhibitions on her blog.