Artist's Statement

All the portraits in the Friends and Neighbors series are people I know. Most are my neighbors in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans. I begin by photographing the subject multiple times. Then I sketch from the photos, sometimes combining elements of several photos into one sketch. After the sketch is complete, I trace the drawing onto a transparency and enlarge the figure using an overhead projector; then I redraw it on a piece of plain muslin. At this point, I use acrylic washes to complete an underpainting. After the under-painting is dry, I load the piece onto a long-arm quilting machine and begin the process of appliquéing various combinations of fabric, thread, yarn, and hair. The underpainting serves as my guide for form, light and shadow, and color choices. I use the long-arm quilting machine as a free-motion, thread-drawing machine. After rendering the figure with fabric and thread, I cut it out of its background and pin it to the wall. The dichotomy between the vulnerability of these truncated forms and the strong presence they emanate speaks to the human condition. More than anything, in each portrait, I try to capture something of the essence of the person.

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Steve the Drummer, 2012 fabric, thread, ink, acrylic underpainting, 49 x 55 in.

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Jason and Manami, 2016 fabric, thread, acrylic underpainting, 69 x 32 in.

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Golda Green, 2012 fabric, thread, ink, acrylic underpainting, 69 x 36 in.

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Jason Reitz (detail), 2012 fabric, thread, ink, acrylic underpainting

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Jason Reitz, 2012 fabric, thread, ink, acrylic underpainting, 72 x 30 in.

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Matt Bell and Ladybird, 2016 fabric, thread, acrylic underpainting, 56 x 34 in.

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Joy Patterson and Ferdinand, 2016 fabric, thread, acrylic underpainting, 51 x 31 in.

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Sabine and Pima, 2016 fabric, thread, acrylic underpainting, 72 x 27 in.