"Henry the Goat" is a portrait quilt of one of the two goats that Rhonda Denney owns.

Rhonda took a collage class with Sue Carlson, and Henry was the design she wanted to make in the class. Rhonda changed the color palette from the original photo, and the quilt just came out of the fabric in a wonderful and lively way. The piece is one of Rhonda's most popular that people always take notice of when it is displayed.

Artist Statement: "This is a portrait of one of my pet goats, Henry. He is such a character and so full of joy! I wanted to capture his quirky personality. When the responsibilities and challenges of life start getting me down, all I need to do it take Henry on a "browse-walkabout" to ground me again and help me reconnect with my inner self. Henry is such a wonderful buddy. We rescued him as a kid and he has his own challenges (a misaligned jaw & deformed hip). It does not hold him back! What an inspiration to go and enjoy life.

The technique I used is called fabric collage, using lots of small pieces to create the design. I wanted to use more whimsical colors and his charm started emerging."

Construction: Various types of fabric including cotton and polyesters, tulle & organza. Collage binding. Monofilament & cotton / poly threads, batting, machine quilting.