Maria has been obsessing about the herons who have nested in our pond for weeks and their offspring.
I expected something artistic and original would come out of it. The “heron” will be a hanging piece, and Maria has already sketched the bird (on the wall) and is working on the background, carefully choosing between hundreds of fabric pieces.
It is not a simple matter to make her quilts or hanging pieces, they are like a complex 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, and I really can’t imagine how she manages to see a coherent and beautiful image in that stack of fabric.
She seems to know precisely where every piece should go. It’s a painstaking process; she just has a gift for it.
This is why I am a writer and photographer, not a fiber artist; I could never see the whole in that little mountain.
Maria is usually pleased when she is working. She is nothing if not versatile.
Last night, she was stacking wood; today, she is making a beautiful hanging piece destined for somebody’s wall.
The “heron” gets into my head as well.
It will, no doubt, be beautiful!! It’s already coming to life just hanging on the wall!
Hi Jon,
Two things. First I’m glad Maria is doing something with Herons. I’m a big fan of water birds growing up near the ocean and lakes in Oregon. I have several photos, displays, and signs with different birds you would find around the water. To me, the Heron is incredibly unique and cool. But I’m kinda different from most. Anyway, great for her and I will look forward to the completed work.
Second, The inside photos of her shop reveal what has to be some of the most beautiful use of wood I have seen. I believe I remember you writing that you had that built in an old outbuilding or barn on the property. If you are from the Northwest like me, the use of natural and old wood is very common for cabins. The walls and floor in your photo are excellent work, whoever did it!