Diane Thompson Skidmore
From Function to ART ...an artist's journey
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​Three themes describe the narrative of my Art Quilts:
  • retelling a story of the unexpected beauty found in nature
  • interpreting a story of visual imagery that arises in my mind from poetry
  • creating psychotherapy stories that come from the depth of my personal life journey
The thread of continuity that runs through my work is the exploration of these themes using my love for fabrics, threads, beads, papers, embroidery and quilting to create stories of intense, vibrant color, pattern, line, texture and light.
Once a piece is finished, my intension and emotions live in my work. I want viewers to be engaged as they are drawn closer into that piece by the layers of physical color, threads and beads … then, I want them to feel the emotions embedded in the work, sensing there is more to explore. Although they cannot discern my intent, by adding their own “stories” they can find a new, personal meaning in that moment.
Picture
My quilt, "The Place We Cannot Breathe" will travel until 2020 with the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) show, H2OH! The exhibit is currently back in the mid-west at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, MN from September 5th 2019 to January 19th 2020.

Check out the SJQ&TM website for more information. www.sjquiltmuseum.org/
​Also for a look at each piece in the show, audio artist statements, go to this link on the SAQA website www.saqa.com/memberArt.php?cat=8&ec=2&ex=63

"The Place We Cannot Breathe" draws its inspiration from The Well of Grief,​ a poem, by David Whyte.

THE WELL OF GRIEF
Those who will not slip beneath
the still surface on the well of grief,

turning down through its black water
to the place we cannot breathe,

will never know the source from which we drink,
the secret water, cold and clear,

nor find in the darkness glimmering,
the small round coins,
thrown by those who wished for something else.

Quilt artists come to this medium from all different angles. In this video, made for the Illinois Quiltscape show at the McLean County Art Center in 2015, Diane and 2 quilting friends share their thoughts about quilt making.