design

To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” -Georgia O’Keefe

Because design underpins every artistic creation, this category is open to many types of expression in both 2 and 3 dimensions. We especially want to see your unique ideas carried to conclusion in objects of function and beauty, your intricate patterns, your ethereal illustrations, your skillful compositions with text and shape, your unusual and charming jewelry pieces, your…well, you get the idea. So design away!

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Hope for Afghanistan Jacket, by Ethel Swartley

Ethel Swartley is an English language instructor at the University of Denver (Colorado), a quilt artist, a daughter, a wife and a mother. Although she majored in writing as an undergrad student, she really began learning about creativity when her daughters were born. In trying to raise two confident women, and with the encouragement of artistic friends, Ethel began exploring what it means to be female reflecting the image of Someone whose first verbal revelation was, “In the beginning, God created…” Check out some of her other creations here.

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The front of this jacket (pictured on my homepage) uses an Afghani piecework pattern developed by Helen Bressler from a textile she saw while working in Afghanistan. Helen says the pattern reminded her of the missiles flying over her hotel during that stay. As I worked with this pattern, I felt depressed for all that the Afghani people have been through in their recent history. To combat that depression with hope, I got online and looked for hopeful images in indigenous Afghan textiles. As a result, I found the Tree of Life which I incorporated in the sleeves of my jacket, the sunflowers or starbursts which I included on the shoulders, and a traditional carpet star or cross which I used as the central figure on my back. The creation of this jacket became an act of meditation, a prayer for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

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The Light of the World Shines on Women, by Ethel Swartley

Ethel Swartley is an English language instructor at the University of Denver (Colorado), a quilt artist, a daughter, a wife and a mother. Although she majored in writing as an undergrad student, she really began learning about creativity when her daughters were born. In trying to raise two confident women, and with the encouragement of artistic friends, Ethel began exploring what it means to be female reflecting the image of Someone whose first verbal revelation was, “In the beginning, God created…” Check out some of her other creations here.

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This collaborative quilt is made from fabrics collected in the U.S. and Africa, with original multicultural blocks contributed by nine different women. The central brass medallion is a “woman’s passport” from Burkina Faso, a pendant worn by a tribal woman traveling as an official representative from one village to another. The center bottom block is embroidered with a Japanese word meaning “exalted one.”

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God: Not in Box

Jennifer Herrick is a visual artist and has had her own design business since 1995. She has helped many non-profits upgrade their image via logo and printed materials. She now finds herself immersed in all things web and on a never-ending learning curve.

This piece was created at the same time as her poem, God: Not in Box.
It was then translated into a similar painting on canvas.

detail from painting

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