NANCI ADAIR ART
My friend, Steve Addario encouraged me to join a self-portrait contest and I did.
I made my first-ever self-portrait and I did it all in fabric. I didn't win the contest and I had a lot of fun.
This is my first attempt to create
a self- portrait in fabric.
This self-portrait in fabric combines a few different quilting techniques. First I used a glue technique I learned from Holly Dominie, a Maine quilter I met at Ferry Beach Quilting By The Bay. You can see Holly's work at hollydominie.com. Holly taught me to select color fabrics in small prints and then sort them by values. I used many different batik and Aboriginal fabrics to create my self-image. Then I used a mosaic quilting technique for the background. If you look closely, you can see there are a number of different white and off-white fabrics cut to be less than an inch square. These squares are then lightly glued down and I machine quilted over them with a free motion, footer creating the illusion of one fabric. The third technique is the illustration with thread. These images, the goddess on a turtles back, a flying whale, and the crow are then appliquéd onto the larger portrait.
ComfortHER Quilts
The capital HER stands for human engagement and resiliency. These seven art quilts are designed to empower those who have suffered from abuse.
As an artist, survivor of abuse and healer I have a unique perspective that abuse is an imbalance in power and control. The need for power and control results from unmet needs and the lack of human connection.
My big picture for the ComfortHER art project involves reproduction of one or more of the 7 quilts in order to have them distributed among domestic violence shelters and women’s prisons. The end goal is for women to sleep under these empowering images.
The Project is made up of 7 quilts. 1 wall hanging and 6 bed size quilts. Two of the quilts are titled for the front and back of the quilts.
-
Finding Her Voice
-
Women to the Rescue
-
Creator of the world
-
Seer of the Unseen
-
I am a Miracle and Sky Whale
-
Soul Naked Goddess
-
Chaos Out of Order and World Upside Down
The ComfortHER quilts incorporate a unique technique I learned from Stacey Chapman, a quilt artist in Margate, England. You can see her work here www.stacey-chapman.com. I call this tecnique "illustrating in thread." I use black thread on white cotton to create stark images that are then appliquéd onto vibrant colorful quilt backgrounds. These images emerged from my own dreams and meditative reflections and bring to life the essence of resilience, healing, and empowerment.
Finding Her Voice
Finding Her Voice is the first of the seven quilts that became the ComfortHER quilt project. This quilt was birthed with the idea of incorporating my first illustration in thread, that of a woman riding a polar bear. The fun backstory is that while I was waiting my turn to play pickleball in the S. Portland Rec Center I picked up a Quilt Now magazine. Stacey Chapman was featured in the magazine. I saw my own potential within her work. Here was a chance to learn how to illustrate in thread. I was traveling a lot at this period of time so I decided to take a workshop Stacy offered near her home in Margate, England. Before this first lesson in thread painting, I took a trip planned for Ecuador that actually landed me in the Dominican republic. One of the pictures below is of me working on the rooftop of my AirB&B in Punta Cana to construct the background image. I then flew to England. After taking the workshop I hired Stacy to come to the AirB&B where I was staying and give me private lessons for a couple of additional days.
The first image in this section is of me taking the class in England with Stacey. The second image is at home choosing fabrics for the background. The third my inspiration for the background. The next two images are of when I was at work in Punta Cana where I began glueing the fabrics I'd chosen to create the Tundra. This was all done on the rooftop of my AirB&B with the generous permission of my host. Finally the finished illustration in thread of a woman riding a Polar Bear. I titled this piece, Finding Her Voice. I have had to travel an arduous journey over a frozen tundra to find my true purpose in life.
Portraits
I consider doing portraits to be a practice in seeing. I use a Bic mechanical pencil on Vellum with a smudge stick and kneaded erasure. I find it easier to capture a likeness when the subject is a personal friend. In the four portraits featured here. The first is a dear friend, Reggie Osborn an artist and dancer who was the very first person to teach me how to dance the Lindy hop swing. Next are two portraits of Zoo Cain another Portland artist. The fourth is a memorial portrait of my nephew, David Shiller who died way to young.
Projects
As an artist with ADHD, following directions is challenging.
I have been quilting for approximately 20 years. 2024 was the first year I have ever attempted to follow a traditional quilt pattern. The pattern called for 31 blocks of printed fabrics and 118 black rectangles. I cut 75 blocks out of the printed fabrics before I realized I only needed 31 blocks. Thank goodness I wanted to make a quilt bigger than the pattern called for. Pictured below is the quilt on my sister's bed.
The fabric bag featured here also required following directions. Of course here too I wanted to change some aspects of the pattern. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
The 3rd project shown here began with a personal challenge to finish a Someday Project. You know those someday promises we all make? Someday I'll get around to reading that book, wearing that outfit or finishing that quilt. The center piece of this quilt was painted and beaded by a friend of mine. She left it with me years ago and we lost contact. At first I hung it on my wall unfinished. When I matured to a level where I no longer wanted unfinished art gracing my wall I stored it away in a Cedar chest. Nearly a decade passed during which I said, some day I will finish...Well someday arrived. Once finished I raffled this quilted wall hanging at the opening of my solo show of ComfortHER quilts at The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine. Karen Murphy, who won the raffle, is a sound healer has it hanging in her healing studio.
