As many of you know, I love quilts. I particularly love Gee's Bend quilts. So, a few months ago, we had the brilliant idea to transform this RV shed (located in our back yard with no RV in it)...
... into a work of art. I wasn't sure where to find an artist for this very BIG project, so I started asking around. I got a few names -- AND THEN I walked into Clay Library to pick up some book from the hold shelf. Above the circulation desk was a new painting of the old (very charming) house that was the Clay Library until very recently. I asked who was the artist and was told, "it's Jenna, and she's setting up for an event in the other room." Jenna, who works at the library! Right then I talked to Jenna to see if she might be interested in doing our mural, and lucky us, she was! And so began the process of determining exactly what we wanted on the shed.
Jenna came out to look at the space and gave us some ideas -- her comment, "I had the measurements, but it's SO BIG!" But she wasn't scared off, she was ready to go! She told us her idea to incorporate the tree into the art and soon gave us a preliminary sketch to which we gave our comments.
Through that process we figured out what we really wanted -- a little chapel, sunflowers, a cat, and... Gee's Bend quilts on a line! I fell in love with Jenna's sketch, and we were off and running! Jenna's father (also an artist) helped her get started. It was sweet to watch them working together! Here's a few pictures of the process:
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| late April 2019 |
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| mid-May 2019 |
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| early June 2019 |
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| Jenna on the scaffolding, working on the chapel - early June 2019 |
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| close-up of Jenna's rendition of a quilt by Annie Mae Young |
and finally.... here's the gorgeous finished mural... didn't Jenna do an amazing job?!
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| close -up, mid-June 2019 (quilts from L-R after Annie May Young, Lola Pettway, Mary Lee Bendolph) |
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| our backyard! |
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| Jenna Clark, mural artist extraordinaire! |
We feel so lucky to get to enjoy this beauty every single day... I told Paul now we can never move. :) Thank you, Jenna.. .and thank you, Gee's Bend quilters! xo
This is fabulous, Irene. I love every bit, the quilts chosen, incorporating the tree, the hillside chapel! I never worry that 'things' will not turn out all right, like your story of finding Jenna that special day you dropped in at the library. It was meant to be! Thanks to Jenna for her creation, for you & your husband for wanting to do something special with an old RV shed!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda, for seeing the same things I do. xo
DeleteWow, that is so so wonderful! Don't you want to just sit outside and look at it all day long?
ReplyDeleteI do.... and I DO! Wish you could join me! xo
DeleteLove it!! Amazing and beautiful. What a great idea to have a mural done.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jama! Jenna did an amazing job... we need more art in our lives, don't we?? xo
DeleteIrene, that is just stunning! I too am a fan of Gee's Bend quilts. We are in the middle of renovating our back yard and am now inspired to do something similar to the back of our carport!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope you will, Cheriee! And please share it with me when you do. :)
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