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Elizabeth ‘paints’ with thread and ‘carves’ with her quilting needle |
Yorktown Heights, New York quilt artist Elizabeth
Rosenberg’s new series The Fat Ladies draws its inspiration from rock carvings of the
Paleolithic era, or in more common terms the ‘stone age’ when homosapiens began making
tools of stone and creating art.
While developing workshops for quilters Elizabeth found
herself, “falling in love with African "style." I admired the rich geometric designs,
the vibrant colors, the mysterious symbols and motifs, and I developed a deep
appreciation for the artistic vision and spirit of Africa and its people.”
Little is known about the ancient artists who carved
these women on a rocky side of a cliff in present day Chad, Africa. The largest of the
ornately decorated female forms stands a statuesque nine feet tall.
One day while Elizabeth was searching the Internet for
African art forms, she came across the rock carvings known locally as "Niola Doa" or
Beautiful Ladies. Elizabeth remembers that moment as “love at first sight. I was head
over heels. I can't really say exactly why. There was something about those figures
that just felt "right" to me. “Maybe I found that I could relate sympathetically to the
decidedly middle-age spread of those big, beautiful bodies, or maybe it was the
geometric designs carved inside of the hefty ladies that reminded me of the shadow
that’s cast by a quilted line. I didn’t know why I was so fascinated by them, but I
wanted to find out everything I could about them. Where did they come from? How long
had they been there? Who put them there? Why?”
When it became clear there were no simple answers to
these seemingly easy questions, Elizabeth turned to her beloved threads and sewing
machine to recreate these marvelous images in sculpted cloth.
“As an artist who loves to "draw" with thread and my
sewing machine, I was at first fascinated by the richly detailed geometric designs
on the large and lovely bodies, imagining how much fun it would be to translate the
zigzags, spirals, and stripes with thread -- but as I worked on the figures, I found
the body shapes themselves to be irresistible, and so endearing that I've returned to
them again and again.”
Elizabeth is enamored with them, “Aren't they
spectacular? They just blow me away! There are lots and lots of other shapes and
designs in African rock carvings that I'd love to explore in fabric and thread -- and
rock paintings are amazing, too. I'll probably try some, but I don't think I'll mix
them with The Fat Ladies. They are so special to me that I feel they need to stand
alone.”
“The Three Fat Ladies”
Art Statement: This larger version of three of the ladies
uses many different shades of red and golden threads to highlight the
geometric designs in the bodies.
Many of the photographs that inspired Elizabeth’s artwork can
be found in the book African Rock Art: Paintings and Engravings on
Stone by David Coulson and Alec Campbell
© 2001 Harry N. Abrams, Inc. |

“The Three Fat Ladies”
36”h x 36”w © July 2003 Elizabeth Rosenberg
The Vehslage Fiber Art Collection |
When Elizabeth begins a new piece, she usually has a
vague overall vision of how she wants the finished piece to appear. “But nothing is
ever written in stone,” says the quilter who recreates images carved in rock by
sculpting her fabric with needle and thread. “I truly believe that too much planning
ahead of time can suck the joy right out of a thing! And the joy of creating is really
what it's all about for me.”

“The Little Fat Lady”
11"h x 8.5"w © Sept 2003 Elizabeth Rosenberg |
“The Little Fat Lady”
Art Statement: This tiny fat lady was Elizabeth’s "September"
entry for the International Quilt Association’s 2003 journaling project
"A Page From My Book."
Rock art of the "Round Head" style, found in the Ennedi
region of Chad, has been dated to before the seventh millennium B.C.
and, because of the tools with which the rocks were carved and the
scenes they depict, may represent the oldest evidence in the Sahara of
Neolithic industries. |
For Elizabeth, the ‘tools’ to create her quilts may be as
important as the artwork, “I love thread, and I collect it passionately. I guess you
could call it an addiction of sorts. I ask friends and relatives who travel to bring me
back threads from exotic places. I have a GREAT DEAL of thread. Many, many, many, many
spools.”
“I love all kinds of thread. I love natural fiber threads
like cotton and silk, synthetic threads like rayon and polyester, metallic threads of
all kinds, and thick threads that don’t fit through the tension disks, which can be
worked from the bobbin! And beautiful, lumpy or fuzzy threads that can be couched down
are wonderful, too.”
“The Fat Ladies After Dark”
Art Statement: This smaller piece is an experiment with using
a light thread color on a dark background. The yellow thread glows
beautifully on the dark, solid black background, making the ladies look
almost electric!
Scholars find the carvings "remarkably similar to the
clay-and-water patterns used by the Surma people of southern Ethiopia,
who ritualistically paint their bodies to intimidate opponents during
battles." |

“The Fat Ladies After Dark”
24"h x 18"w © October 2003 Elizabeth Rosenberg |
Elizabeth loves to use free-motion satin stitching as a
design element in her artwork. “I don’t know of any other quilters that use it quite
the way I do. My favorite tool is my sewing machine. I love the way it feels, the way
it sounds, and the way it sews. It’s just perfect. I’ve had it for about eight years. I
know it quite well from its limitations to its strengths.”
“One of my favorite things about quiltmaking is that
"Zen" moment that can only be described as a type of meditation. I've heard other
quilters talk about it, some claiming it comes to them during the methodical act of
piecing, others referring to the sensation of fabric under their fingertips or the
rhythmic rocking of the needle while they are hand quilting. But for me, it's the
hummmmmm of the sewing machine when I press my foot on that pedal. It blocks out
everything else, not just sounds, but problems, difficulties, pain, or whatever else
might be bothering me. It's just pure joy. No thought at all is involved.”

“The Pink Fat Ladies”
37"h x 37"w © Nov 2003 Elizabeth Rosenberg |
“The Pink Fat Ladies”
Art Statement: Dressed up in many shades of pink, these Fat
Ladies have escaped the desert for a new home in the savannah,
surrounded by lush quilted growth below their delicate little feet.
Yellow ultra-suede trim dances along the pink side borders.
Materials: cotton hand-dyed fabric, commercial fabric,
ultra-suede trim, and cotton batting
Techniques: machine thread-painted with rayon thread,
appliquéd, and quilted. |
Elizabeth finds that when she’s creating and designing a
quilt, the time just seems to slip away. “Sometimes, when I get engrossed in a piece,
I'll look up at the clock and realize an entire day has gone by and I haven't even
realized it!”
“The Blue Lady”
Art Statement: This lady is blue, although she was inspired
by an ancient painting in red. The original figure, painted thousands
of years ago, lacks breasts or any other determining features.
My blue lady is modestly covered in beads and thinly veiled
by a transparent lacy fabric appliquéd with free-motion satin
stitching. The mysterious plume rising from the top of her head might
symbolize some great spiritual power -- or perhaps she was having a bad
hair day?
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“The Blue Lady”
21.5"h x 15"w © Jan 2004 Elizabeth Rosenberg |
“I just finished a little quilt called "The Blue Lady"
which is based on a different rock painting. She’s a bit of a departure from the series
in that the inspiration is a rock painting, not an engraving. Although the figure is
presumed to be a man, to my eye it has a very feminine quality.”

Photo Credit David Coulson |
The Future of The Fat Ladies series?
“I have a few sketches in my journal that were inspired by
the “white skirted lady”
“The colors within the engravings were recent additions by
locals using chalk and charcoal, in an attempt to tap into their
ancestral power. Perhaps the white skirted ladies will be the beginning
of a new series for me in the future!"
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“I haven’t decided on what color schemes I’ll use for
future quilts in the series, or even what the subject of the next piece will be. It
will depend on the mood I’m in when I’m ready to grab some fabric off the shelves in my
studio! I usually choose color intuitively, without much planning or forethought. I
believe that color can express many moods; it can be joyful, or somber, or what-ever
mood is exactly right for the moment!”
Elizabeth considers the quilts in The Fat Ladies series
to be a tribute to the unknown ancient artist who craved out the mysterious nine-foot
tall ladies from the rocks in the Ennedi Mountains of the Sahara desert.
To see more of Elizabeth Rosenberg’s artwork or learn
about her lectures and workshops, visit
http://inventingtradition.com/
or contact her at
elizquilt@optonline.net
©2004 Carolyn Lee Vehslage
Carolyn Lee Vehslage’s award winning artwork is in private,
corporate, gallery and museum collections around the world. Her latest computer series
are viewable online at
http://www.clvquilts.com
www.thequiltercommunity.com
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