We may think we have a corner on the market for quilt making in Utah, but at the Art Festival, Michigander Chris Roberts-Antieau has perfected the art of the “old quilting technique,” and has been doing so for more than 25 years. ---

 

At first glance, booth #46 appears to be a collection of brilliantly colored, boldly rendered, playfully styled paintings of various sizes. This in itself might be tremendously satisfying, as one views a freedom of images rendered with a child-like sense of imagination yet with a very adult sense of mature creative energy.

However, as one looks closely at these images, one finds them not to be paintings, but actually quilts using the “old quilting technique” and the process of appliqué that does not use batting. When combined with detailed embroidering, the effect is an astonishing product of exciting images that are, at root, an expression of joie de vivre.

When I asked what these paintings represent, the answer was that they are a manifestation of Roberts-Antieau’s life. This lifetime of experience is manifest through color, symbols, stories, interesting characters, pattern and representations of all sorts that allude to a life well-lived, and quilting that beautifully and masterfully attests to it. Each piece is unique, and has something different to say. Each may tell a story, suggest an idea, recall a memory, reflect a point of view, present an allegory or relive a journey.

As an ensemble, they are a most fantastic visual memoir of a lifetime of experience told through expression. While you are at the Arts Festival, take an opportunity to stop by and experience the masterful “old quilting technique” style of Chris Roberts-Antieau, as well as an extraordinary life.