Art's Voice

Such a lovely piece titled "A Sudden Spring Wind" uses a discarded kimono as the base for art. But the story it tells certainly lacks beauty: genocide.

It is the topic of a new art display at the Brand Library in Glendale, CA . Artist Sumi Foley drew soldiers blowing away in the breeze. If only it were that easy to stop the killings.

Seventy pieces by 44 artists depict the horror and atrocities of genocide around the world, focusing on the Armenian genocide. The exhibit will run through May 8 with a couple special events planned in the evening. For more information about the event and the art, click here.

This particular piece is by Sumi Foley and lists at $10,000. Several of her art pieces can be seen online via the Square i Gallery.

Her gentle art, at least from afar, reminds me of Susan Shie and her delightful picture quilts with Quilta and the third eye and kitchen pots and pans and images of family and home. But when you see the words that fill every free space on the quilt, you quickly realize this is a serious discussion, important thoughts are being shared. Her art has evolved through the years and each phase is overwhelming in its complexities, yet beautifully simple in design. She teaches classes at her 'art camp' and home where she maintains her Turtle Moon studio in the middle of Ohio.

I had the opportunity to talk with and interview Susan for a Quilters World article. Immediately it is apparent that she's a talented and a serious artist who has much to say about our world -- her world. She takes ownership and strives to improve our planet.

Susan definitely sees it with a different perspective than most, I might add, because she has been legally blind since birth. That certainly hasn't affected her sight or insight as an artist. You can see this quilt and more of her work at her website gallery.