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Artists « Yvonne Wells
Yvonne Wells (Quilter) From her first efforts at quiltmaking in 1979, Wells moved rapidly in the direction of picture quilts. Without patterns or templates, armed only with fabrics and a pair of scissors, Wells cuts freehand material required to construct the images. Whereas some artists require paint, Wells uses fabric. In her early picture quilts, Wells told stories using little stick figures approximately 8-10 inches tall. Gradually, as her confidence grew, the figures became larger so that, in later works, a single figure could occupy the entire quilt. Indeed, in a series of three self portraits entitled Me Masked, the face occupies the entire surface of the work. Being in Total Control of Herself is based on Wells’ first trip to New York City and explores the theme of exploitation of African Americans. In her politically charged Yesterday: Civil Rights in the South, Wells juxtaposes depictions of Martin Luther King Jr., a lynching, the Ku Klux Klan, and a state capitol dome flying a Confederate flag. In contrast, Wells’ quilt Going Home is a meditative, almost abstract study of four white birds in flight against a vibrant red background. In an assessment of Wells’ work by Dr. Cynthia Elyce Rubin, Rubin wrote, “With no formal training, only absolute determination, she [Wells] embarked on a personal journey of discovery. Within about four years, her unique style took shape. Reflecting her animated and lively personality, intense hues combine with unusual color combinations to enliven a rich design vocabulary.” Wells said of her work, “Oh, art is a way of expression. It is a way of getting the inner feeling out so that others can see it. It is a fulfilling event. It is like a baptism. It is all those things in one. It’s not what you learn in the halls and walls and the schools, but it is that which is learned out there in this vast world, and it’s also satisfying. It’s that inner peace or that inner thing that’s talking to you that you hear and others don’t hear. But when you make the quilt or make the piece of artwork, this is what the inside of you is saying, and you just bring it out and people can see the way you feel or the way you are hearing things.” Selected Exhibitions and Awards Birmingham Museum of Art Huntsville Museum of Art International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska Cultural Exchange with Pietransanta, Italy Museum of Folk Arts, New York City “Yvonne Wells: An Exhibition of Quilts” Rosa Parks Library and Museum, Troy, Alabama “African-American Quilts from Alabama” The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C. Alabama Arts Awards – 1998 Visual Craftsman Award - 1998 Items in the APT AuctionRelated Linkshttp://www.alabamaarts.org/wells.htmlhttp://blackthreads.blogspot.com/2007/12/yvonne-wells-quilt-exhibit-catalog.html http://www.textilemuseum.org/PDFs/QuiltsPR.pdf |
