Persephone

For me, the story of Persephone personifies many of life's key themes: love and loss, grief, joy and power. It illuminates some aspects of mother/daughter dynamics, the struggle between love and power (romantic and familial) and the cycles of the seasons, of relationships and of acceptance.

My first quilt about Persephone is called Harvest. The first section is about Demeter, the mother: sunshine on golden corn. The second section is Persephone, the daughter and the beloved: glistening pomegranate red of passion. The third section is Hades, king of the underworld, abductor and husband: dark brown of earth and night. In each section, the seeds of the next are sown: red seeds mark the harvest of Indian corn; dark seeds sprinkle the heart-red passion; and golden seeds in the dark earth lie like buried treasure ready to burst forth in life again.

The second quilt is called Persephone's Garden. A trinity of somber roses reign over rich and varied fields of colour.

Wild Rose is a song that I wrote many years ago about a woman of unique qualities who somehow remains alone despite opportunities for connection; this quilt reminds me a bit of that story.