Blood Sweat and Tears, The Menopause Quilt. 2020
Having in one household a peri-menopausal women and two hormonal teenagers seems like a recipe for disaster. Creating art is a lifesaver for me, a way of working through problems and concerns, a distraction, a challenge. In addition the making of Blood Sweat and Tears acts as a stimulus for learning and understanding about the menopause, both for me as the maker and the audience.
The fabric is silk- soft, silky, luxurious. It invites you to wrap yourself up in it, to take comfort. Painted and stitched onto the blood red quilt are objects you would not normally see on an artwork, but objects familiar to many middle aged women: a box of suppositories, panty-liners, hand cream, KY Jelly, hot water bottles and so on. Written onto the objects are quotes from menopausal women, advise garnered from the internet, common and less common symptoms. It’s a work rich in surprise, you think you see one thing, go a bit closer and see another thing.
Blood Sweat and Tears was exhibited as part of INSIGHTS in 2021 at The Festival of Quilts, Birmingham NEC.
