The Mt. Lebanon Series Quilts by Artist Denyse Schmidt
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.
(From the Book of the Hebrews)
Artist Denyse Schmidt works in a medium often fraught with either sentimentality or novelty in its contemporary idiom. It is an art that tends to exist at extremes, rich with an enduring humanness but laden with aesthetic baggage. Even the staunchest modernist is moved by the memory a quilt can uniquely evoke and, in a culture scrambling for a narrative, they are totemic objects that provide story.
So it is amidst this landscape that the work of artist and quilter Denyse Schmidt appears in a most compelling fashion. It shows up in this conversation-filled room not unlike a very quiet, beautiful girl whose reserve makes her allure all the more powerful.
Of course, Schmidt is inspired by the cultural and social traditions of this craft. What is notable, however, is the artist’s virtually unerring sense of what to keep and what to leave behind. As a result the work directly connects to a rich and storied lineage but moves steadfastly forward through her well-informed and restrained aesthetic.
This work is about the one perfect moment experienced intimately, personally and perhaps shared thoughtfully with most loved ones. It is in this way, perhaps, that she most honors her craft creating works of undeniably fine art while offering themselves as heirlooms for a more modern age.
Entitled ‘Hope As the Anchor of the Soul’, the artist’s recent project was inspired by a 2007 visit to the Mt. Lebanon Shaker community. While there, she was drawn to spaces less-than-perfect; buildings left untouched and in need of repair; the breaking away of plaster from board; the weathering of surfaces.
These patches, layers of paint, gashes, exposed ribbons of lath and door jambs inform these works in ways as much about what is not there as what is, what is spoken and what is left unsaid.
As such, it is at once wholly Shaker in its reserve but confidently modern in its vernacular.
Drawing on traditional techniques from 19th century whole-cloth quilts and cold-weather petticoats in which closely placed stitching served a purpose in holding together the fabrics, the completed works reflect a mastery of craft by an artist who is drawing line by eye rather than careful measure.
These are, as Dickinson wrote: Truths told slant.
For more on the work of Denyse Schmidt, contact GUILD.
Also, visit the artist’s website at …
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
prguitarman
dededos
dailybridgerton
kianamaiart
2087
