Fractured Quilt, "Young Buck"




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I have been working on pieces for the fractured art group which I belong to since last October.  It has been an enjoyable experience for me as I get to learn new techniques and utilize old ones in order to interpret the pieces as I see fit.  I have been very busy finishing up pieces for the other four women in the group and just began working on my own piece yesterday. 

I am very excited about it, as I have chosen to do a piece related to one of my many cultural backgrounds (I am what many call Heinz 57, as my parents were of various lineages).  I am an enrolled member of the Klamath,Tribe located in Chiloquin, Oregon.  Our tribe is made up of Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin people.  I have wanted to do something depicting a Native American Dancer for some time.  With God putting together all the parts, I am honored to do a piece featuring Jackson Bussell, a young man of Modoc descent.  Jackson was first and foremost a child of God, a devoted son to his mother Felicia McNair, a professional boxer, a Chicken Dancer, and a student of engineering at OIT in Klamath Falls, OR.   Jackson was also a very good role model not only for young people but for those of us who call ourselves Christian.  Jackson collapsed in the boxing ring at the end of a professional fight on September 20,2007 and went to "kick it with God" as his mom says.  His life story drew me in and I want to honor Jackson and the things which were important to him in this piece.  You can read about him  at: http://www.californiaindianeducation.org/sports_heros/jackson_bussell/

All of the other women in the group have been working on their parts for this piece which I believe will be titled "Sacred Ground" to  honor this God loving young man.  I have truly enjoyed working on another Chicken Dancer, part of my work for this creation,  who I call "Young Buck" in remembrance of a term my mother, Marilyn Hall, used when talking about IIndian men who were younger than her.  The pattern for my Chicken Dancer and two others which will be used in this work were drawn by Marc McNair, Jackson's stepfather. 

I enlarged the pattern, copied the pieces onto fabric which had been fused, cut the pieces out and began assembling him. After assembling his body, I added the apron and chest piece.  I used some braid to decorate around the edges of these pieces and then used some decorative stitches on my machine stitched with metallic thread to decorate the chest piece.  I have a little bit more stitching to do on it, but need some different thread colors.  I am in the process of stitching ribbons to hang over the apron.  The belt to the apron is a copper piece of leather which came from my stash.  The heart in his left hand will be trapuntoed, and the mirror piece in the center is a reflective material which my friend Joanne purchased in a fly tying shop. I will be adding more decorative stitching, arm cuffs, moccasins, roach for the head, hair, etc. in the next week hopefully.  I have to say that I am really enjoying working on this piece because it holds so much meaning for Jackson's family, myself, and the other women in the fractured art group.  It will truly be an amazing piece of art when it is finished.