Asanta Sana Africa!

Warrior Cloth inspired by the Griot
In 1996, with three children under the age of 5, I decided that I needed to have a solo exhibition in homage to Africa, which had done so much to alter my life and change my journey. I will post some more photos over the next few days but these two quilts are my favourites from that Exhibition. The Warrior cloth was inspired by the coat of the Griot in the postcard , which I have posted previously. The cloth was printed with a lino cut and then overlayed with an applique grid inspired by Nigerian pottery. The kente cloth in the borders is antique, and I attached shells and beads as well. Dawn on the Ridge at Samburu was a reflection on one of the many magical mornings we had. On this occasion at 5 am in the morning we were privileged to see a mother leopard and her two cubs descend from a rocky ridge and saunter by our clicking cameras in the Samburu National Park. In the next few days I will post a photo of the real leopard as well.The purple tie dye panel represents the "soul badges" that the bearers of kings had to wear to show that they were worthy of the task. The leopard is the symbol of kinship in many African cultures.