Introduction
I have found that a personal connection to the subject is important for me in choosing a subject for my quilts. Each piece takes about 3 months in execution time, sometimes more. It is not just an investment in time, but also in resources and connection. I feel like I live with these quilts.
My choice of subject matter varies. Since we have moved from Cambridge to the North Shore of Massachusetts, I have been very inspired by the nature here. The fields of boulders that recall the dolmens in Brittany. The Great Salt Marsh with its varieties of waterways and creatures. The beautiful rocky coast along the Atlantic. The Federal architecture for which this area is famous.
Or I may want to interpret the work of an artist in textile, such as the color fields of Mark Rothko, or the fantastical buildings of Michele Acquani.
I learn so much from my subjects, about color relationships, dimension, space, illusion. A symbiotic relationship, I hope.
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This is what democracy looks like, 2026
(13″ W x 13″ L)
My friend Dotty shared with me information about a quilt project launched by a fellow quilter in California. The project is inspired by the AIDS quilt, where quilters from all over the country submitted squares to express their solidarity with those suffering from the disease. Moved by the profound political and civic changes presently taking place in our country, the organizer is seeking to allow fellow quilters channel their connections to the current situation.
The theme of the project is This is what democracy looks like. Dotty and I decided to join forces and creativity in order to submit a square for the project. I was greatly moved by the monks who walked across the country, sharing messages of loving kindness with those along the way. Their colored robes are a quilter’s dream. Their message of we are all different, yet we walk together exemplifies their contribution of compassion to all. Dotty’s white stitches highlight the forward movement of the monks’ journey, led by their dog Aloka.
I had initially thought to do several squares for the project, but after completing the monks, I felt I could do no more.
Phyllis Follett and Dotty Seiter
Hamilton, MA
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Looking for Bonnard, 2026
(19” W x 16”L)
I love Pierre Bonnard’s paintings, especially his joyful use of color, which has served as his “raisonnement”, his inspiration, upon which he superimposes form. His scenes of gardens and water seen through an open window or door left ajar have fascinated me. In 2024, while we were staying in Provence, we went to Le Cannet where he once lived and the site of the Bonnard Museum. The museum had organized through the city a “Sentier Bonnard”, a trail that one could follow to see the scenes that he had painted. It was there that we found ourselves in this unexpected corner of color. The surprising brilliance of the walls framed by non-perpendicular lines, to me, celebrates Bonnard’s harmony of color and form.
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Street Scene in Goult, Provence 2024
(27” W x 20” L)
As Dick and I were making our way up the circular road which led up to the top of the Provencal village of Goult, I glanced over my shoulder to this narrow passage between two groups of houses. I fell in love with the vegetation growing up the side of each house, as if to be an integral part of the architecture. This is indeed the magic of Provence, the symbiosis of art and nature. The colors were understated and calming, reflecting the hidden nature of this village gem.
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Rothko’s Red 2015
This quilt was inspired by a painting that Mark Rothko executed in 1957, a painting that is untitled. However many potential ideas come to mind:
floating fields, red reflectance, boundless red, ambiguity, red vibrations, impalpable depth
In designing this quilt, I sought to capture the fluidity and movement that Rothko realized in his painting. I chose fabrics that had a painterly quality. Some resemble frescoes. The black central panels seem to pulsate. The black border emanates from the central panels and has the effect of lifting the central portion from the body of the quilt so as to float above it. The inner border surrounding the central triptych has a cosmic vibe. This fabric also is used in the bands which separate the three panels of the central portion, all the more to have it be a separate floating entity.
I love the pixilated aura of the outer border. Rothko’s borders were often in soft focus, as if to have the painting continue beyond the canvas. To that end, I chose to bind the quilt with the same fabric as the outer border, so that the effects of the pixels would extend beyond the limits of the quilt.