Studio series: Forgiveness #6

Forgiveness #6 © Karen Thiessen, 1999; Photo credit: Julian Beveridge

Forgiveness #6 marks the passing of time. I dyed and stained the fabrics with rust, blood and onion skins over and over and over again. It has the feel of an old world map that is tattered and worn. When I exhibited it in my solo exhibition at the Anna Leonowens Gallery, two friends stood in front of it: one found it to be a happy, peaceful quilt and the other began to weep because she saw pain and suffering. I suppose it's a bit of both. Forgiveness #6 and #4 were in Fibreworks 2000, a national textile exhibition, and they won the top prize and were purchased by the Cambridge Galleries.