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After
the Diagnosis
In
April, 1993, Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer. This had a profound
effect on her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also had
a major effect on her quilt making as she began to express more of her
anger, frustration, despair, hope, faith and joy through her works.
Her
style changed significantly as a result of the diagnosis. Instead of
the nice neat 'stay inside the lines' and 'do everything according to
the rules' (well, mostly) type of quilt making that she had been doing,
she quickly began to 'go outside the lines'. Gone were the nice clean
edges. No more square corners and parallel lines.
Sometimes
the colors got very dark. Those were the times when she was feeling
very despondent. But usually there was a companion lightness to go with
it, expressing her knowledge that there is yet hope.
Even
through all of this, she didn't stray far from her usual sense of humor.
Some of the pieces include parts of a Stanford Hospital gown that she
'forgot' to leave after one of her stays there.
Others
include pieces of necktie from her pastor, Steve Harrington. (He made
the mistake of visiting Ann in the hospital wearing it one day and she
said, "I want that for a quilt." Not even Steve could resist her charms.)
Some
of these quilts will be disturbing to people. Others will provoke a
sense of awe at their creativity. But it's difficult to not have an
opinion on many of these.
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Top
of page | Credits |
Copyright 2001 by Gregory L. Merrell
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