I am very thankful for coming upon Mandy Gerth in the overwhelming sea that is the annual Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair. I bought this collage called 'Flower Stripe Dot' several years ago, when the fair was held in the empty McCarren Park Pool. It hangs in the bedroom now, and I go through periods where I barely notice it, to times of deep appreciation for its homage to fabric and texture and elevating the utilitarian life of the quilt square to art. How high and mighty! Obviously, I'm noticing it now, but I think Gerth's square has made its impact on me while in my peripheral vision, whispering in my ear about the sentimental qualities of fabric and sewing, and, how on paper, this media becomes a comment about itself that is sweet and giving. For that, it is one of my prized possessions, and I am very aware of it's influence in my own work.
This collage is part of a kind of preservation series that was inspired by the handmade quilts created by Gerth's family, which were aging from daily wear and tear. I am glad to give this small bit a home, where it looks much the same as when I first acquired it.
The photo is my own.
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