Zebra

Zebra, like Cheetah, is a part of Rhonda Denney's The Eyes Have It series of quilts focusing on the eyes of animals.

Unlike Cheetah though, which was an appliqué quilt, Zebra is a whole cloth quilt. Both however feature Rhonda's pigment patchwork technique. Each quilt is mounted permanently to a wood panel, at the request of mentor Carol Ann Waugh, which Rhonda says was the scariest thing she ever did due to the unchangeable nature of the action.

Artist Statement: "Most animals use their sight to survive, either to find food or to avoid becoming food. Not all animals see the world in the same way and eyes are unique to each species. Animals are constantly alert to the environment around them; their survival depends on that.

Zebras are prey animals and must keep vigilant of any predators in the vicinity. Their eye pupils are horizontally shaped, allowing them to see a panoramic view while foraging.

Martin Buber said, "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." For this series, I want to focus on the allure and power of different animals and their eyes, be they mammal, bird, reptile or insect, and try to capture it in my fiber art. To me animal eyes are a large part of their distinctiveness and character, and I love the challenge of recreating that in my art."

Technique: Whole-cloth technique using silk noil fabric hand-colored with inks with thread sketching.

Construction: Silk noil and cotton fabric; polyester batting; pigments; cotton, polyester and monofilament threads. Mounted on a painted wood panel.

Designed (using photographs as inspiration), created and stitched by Rhonda Denney. 2015