My body is my trunk, supporting and protecting. It is an anchor that also provides nutrients. The second piece in my femina series portrays tree trunks as females while also containing the roots from the first piece. Materials used are hand dyed fabric and dyed silk rods. Techniques include raw edge applique and machine quilting. size 20 inches by 32 inches

Woman with a Pearl Earring For this piece, the second of our 20 Perspectives ‘Femina’, or Feminine, series, I again decided to look for inspiration in the artistic renderings of iconic females of other eras.    I landed on ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1665.  Vermeer is widely considered to be the greatest painter during the 17 th century Dutch Golden Age.  Scholars believe this painting is an idealized girl’s face rather than a portrait, although

For my second piece in the series Femina series I decided to finally tackle a long-held wish to interpret one of Ana Mendieta’s drawings. I have been fascinated by her art for many years, and her uprootedness from Cuba, her ways of expressing and exploring her feminine experience made her a natural inspiration. Screenshot of https://www.lempertz.com/de/kataloge/kuenstlerverzeichnis/detail/mendieta-ana.html , taken on March 4, 2026 I traced one of her linear goddesses and alte

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Working in 3D is not my forte, and I was very close to opting out of this challenge after searching for an idea for a long time. But one...

My mother was born in 1921 in a small village in the Potteries and so her 20s were inevitably shaped by the impact of World War 2.  Having left school aged 14, she began work as an office clerk and met my father in a cycling club in 1936.  Four years later the war started and they quickly got married before my father left to join the army. For a short time, my mother became a land girl and then, tiring of farm work, she went to London.  Here, she worked in the drafting depart

Challenge # 13 The Message is in the Quilt Femina - latin for woman is a very broad topic that we will be focusing on for the next three challenges. I have decided to focus on how women throughout history have used textiles and fibre arts to communicate messages, in times of confinement, slavery and resistance.  Documentation throughout history has shown the use of textiles and fibres arts have been used as a method of recording the current events and sending messages to oth

Artist Statement – Femina 2 -Good Shoes How do I define feminine? Many defintions and cultual norns have been used through the ages for female and male. How each gender dresses is one of the defining norms. Though men have worn high heels and ruffles in history, in the past century gender has been has been well defined by attire Age, stage of life and social standing, could be recognized by a ones mode of dress. By mid 20th century, most femine imagery shows a woman in

In this piece I reflect on the cycles of life. The organic shapes suggest movement and change. Red speaks of life, strength, and transformation. The lunar presence is a quiet reference to the rhythms of the body, to femininity, to emotions, and to the constant possibility of renewal. The Cycles Within - 20 x32 in - 2025 - full Detail 1 Detail 2 The Process: This piece, like the rest in the series, is made of repurposed quilts. Upcycling becomes more than reuse; it’s transfor

This quilt is an ironic look at the condition of women. To be a woman is to be constantly scrutinized, observed, and judged by the gaze of others (men and women!). Society has its codes regarding how a woman should be made up and dressed. Who among us hasn't asked themselves, "What should I wear to a job interview or a conference?" On a more personal note, working in a company that values youth, speed, and dynamism, I have to face daily the stares that scrutinize every sign o

by Mary Kay Fosnacht Overland Park, KS, USA PiecefulArts.com 20" w x 32" h (51 x 81 cm) Continuing my exploration of the Femina  theme, A Glorious Mystery  reflects on the layered complexity of a woman’s existence. The three distinct figures suggest separate individuals, stages of life, or even facets of one woman at a single moment in time. Constructed from layered silk organza, their forms are both delicate and resilient—transparent yet enduring. The interwoven thorny vines

As I mentioned a few months ago, I will deal with the female body, more specifically legs. My first Femina quilt showed the chubby legs of a baby, a period when women don't at all consider what their body looks like, and even less of what the society considers beautiful. They just exist: ignorantly amassing fat. But then at one point they are taught that they need to develop their muscles, not only to be able to walk or do different activities but also to show off and/or plea

Is ar Mhná a Ritheann an Domhain (This World Runs on Women) Loved this theme “Femina”! As there would be three pieces made for this theme, I decided to effectively make a triptych based on the triple goddess architype. Emphasising the strength of women is very important to me and our often overlooked place in this world. Inspired by the ornate artistic style of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha and his art nouveau stylised portraits of women, I made some sketches and selected my co

My chosen theme for this series, Femina, is loss. It's specifically the loss of my son. I looked for a somber fabric and chose this one by Robert Kaufman. The heavy sky reflects the feelings I wanted to convey. I wanted to keep the story of my loss simple and decided upon a wilting flower. It both symbolizes my son and how I felt at his passing: defeated. I looked on-line at flower blossom and then did sketches of my own. I ultimately drew the multi-petaled flower below. Next

I am as Free as My Hair When one considers the word, Feminine or Female there are many images that come to mind.  Old fashioned images of sugar and spice or ruffles and lace, other images of women are illustrated in dresses and skirts. Today’s imagery can be represented in a more androgynous form of bodies in trousers. I started to think about how I wanted to create artwork that symbolizes my definition of Feminine.  How do I define what my woman looks like?  Or how I feel ab

Modern Mona by Cindy Brendzel I was inspired by the story behind the Mona Lisa, one of the most famous paintings created during the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci. It is believed to be a portrait of Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo and widely considered to depict the epitome of 17 th century feminine expression. Is that why Leonardo kept the painting for himself?  Was he so taken with her that he couldn’t part with the portrait? How would we depict the embodime

by Mary Kay Fosnacht Overland Park, KS, USA Piecefularts.com 20" w x 32" h (51 x 81 cm) Throughout history, the image of Mary has been a source of solace and intercession, especially in moments of profound suffering and uncertainty. Rosa Mystica draws upon this tradition, evoking Mary as the Mystical Rose—an enduring symbol of compassion, healing, and steadfast presence amid human struggle.   The quilt’s central figure, radiant in blue and gold, recalls both icon and appariti

My series of quilts for Femina draws on my family history. They interrogate the lives of my grandmother, my mother and my own by asking what was life like for three generations of 20 year old women? Our family history is, sadly, rather sketchy, so I have been trying to piece it together. Stitching these stories is one way to do it. FEMINA 1 20 in the 1920s My grandmother was born in 1901 and so, her 20s were played out in the 1920s, a time of great change for women in the UK

My roots are deep and have a strong connection to those before me. Strong, resilient, hard working women. This is the first in the Femina series. I am using trees as a metaphor for female. I have used hand dyed and deconstructed dyed fabric. The fabric was twisted together to form the free hanging roots. Turned applique, Machine quilted with hand stitching. Close up

Challenge # 12 Femina - latin for woman is a very broad topic that we will be focusing on for the next three challenges. I have decided to focus on how women throughout history have used textiles and fibre arts to communicate messages, in times of confinement, slavery and resistance.  Documentation throughout history has shown the use of textiles and fibres arts have been used as a method of recording the current events and sending messages to others. For this first piece, I