The heavens above us and all of the mysterious objects found therein are the inspiration for the pieces in this gallery.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children?
That the earth is our mother? What befalls earth befalls all the sons of the earth.
This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life,
he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

Chief Seattle in a letter to President Franklin Pierce, 1852

 

Studies in Orange and Blue: Triptych
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8” x 10.75 “ (each)
July, 2005
Private collection of Charles and Jackie Hicks

These 3 works continue my planetary theme. The partially obscured orbs are loosely based on the planet Jupiter
with its many orange and red striations. The 3 pieces incorporate lurex threadwork, Angelina fibers and seed bead work.



Rings of Saturn
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18.75” x 7.5”
May, 2007

This quilt is my interpretation of the C and B rings of Saturn as taken by the Cassini spacecraft  on June 30, 2004.
The different colors represent the differing compositions of the rings themselves from ice to debris.
I was intrigued by the gentle curve that represents the smallest portion of the magnificent celestial phenomenon
of the rings, an example of a small unit representing an unseen, much larger whole.  I think that the colors
have a satisfying and almost musical quality to them in their variation and repetition.


Splintered Rings of Saturn
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6" x 7"
May, 2007

The jewel-like trimmings from another piece were too beautiful to discard and so became an abstract representation of Saturn’s Rings in the vastness of outer space.


Remnant Abstract #1
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8.25" x 8"
December, 2007

An abstract composition in a collage format with some pieces sewn down and some merely glued.


Fabric of Space-Time: #1 and #2
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16" x 13.5" and 16" x 12"
November, 2007

The first attempt of portraying space-time is represented here, complete with seen and unseen forces.


The Transit of Venus
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31” x 47”
July, 2004
Private collection of Susan Riley

Awards: This piece won the first place in the adults category for August, 2005, in the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) SunWorks Competition.

On June 8, 2004, the planet Venus crossed in front of the sun. This crossing or transit is a rare astronomical event that last occurred in 1882 and is next scheduled to occur in 2012.  The news media broadcast many images of the upcoming event in late June that were very exciting since I have been working with sun images for the last year and so very naturally I felt driven to create a Transit image of my own.  Venus appears small and black as it floats across the large, almost overwhelming sun but despite its size it is still a highly significant main focal point. Astrophysical formulae that describe the sun’s corona appear written in gold along with the plotted pathways of other, unseen celestial objects and forces.



Suns: Seen and Unseen
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50” x 50”  (4 panels, each panel 24” x 24”)
April, 2007

Authentic images taken of our sun by the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
which is jointly sponsored by NASA and the ESA (European Space Agency) are the inspiration
for this piece. The images are different colors because they are taken with an EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) which records the solar atmosphere at several wavelengths, and therefore, shows solar material at different temperatures and levels of the sun’s atmosphere.  In the blank panels, unseen suns are alluded to by means of the black on black quilting patterns. The expanded observations made possible to us of the life-giving solar center of our universe is central message of this quilt.



Space Map
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43.5" x 106”
September, 2005 Space, string theory and the unknowable continue to excite my imagination. With the
larger size format I attempted to symbolize the infinite and continuously expanding universe.


Internal Universe
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16” x 16”
Summer, 2003

The infinities and complexities of one’s inner scape are represented tin this piece that was completed in workshop taught by David Walker .  The central (albeit background) figure is the life-force of the sun that gives off energy that vitalizes the universe.  Included also are the “natural” forms of the planets or moons that orbit the sun.  These are the pre-formed qualities or traits that help to shape our beings.   “Un-natural” forms are also present—they are smaller, less weighty constructs but are vigorous and compelling in their energy as they float in the universe and interact with each other and the planets.  These manufactured or space-station like forms represent the aspects of our being that we construct over time.


Distant Galaxies
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10” x 59.5”
May, 2005

The mysterious and intriguing galaxies far distant from our own were the inspiration for this piece.  They exist incomprehensibly far away and represent alternate realities that we can never know.  The views we have from so far away can only begin to reveal the smallest fraction of their secrets.



String Theory Reaction
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8.5 x 29.5”
February, 2005
Private collection of Ms. Lynda Rago

 This small quilt was created I watched an incredible NOVA program about the string theory, universe building and the Big bang. While I didn’t fully understand all of scientific theory, I was blown away by the efforts to animate and depict the strings and other components that make up all of the matter in our universe. I had just obtained the some Angelina fibers and other unusual supplies
which then naturally applied to this subject.

 

PLEASE CONTACT ELIZABETH BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTWORK AND AVAILABILITY.