Frida

I have kind of a "thing" about Frida Kahlo. I have been intrigued by her painting for years, then several years ago we had the opportunity to see quite a lot of her work in a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. Seeing work in person is often such a revalation and it was in this case. When the movie, Frida came out I was eager to see it. A wonderfully creative, beautiful movie! I ended up buying the DVD. I never do that. I have watched it several times.

A couple years ago, when we went to Mexico City, my friend, Muriel, and I went, one day, to visit the home that Frida and Diego Rivera lived in. It was also Frida's childhood home and is now a museum. What a wonderful day that was. She was a very eccentric woman and loved to dress in a very exaggerated ethnic Mexican style and many of her dresses and much of her jewelry were on display, as well as her paintings and the furnishings of the brilliantly painted house. The gardens were gorgeous. You can read my account and see photos of our visit to the Casa Azul and also my misadventure at the museum home of Frida's onetime paramour, Leon Trotsky, here, on my post titled Frida's house and Trotsky's bathroom.

When the current theme for the 12 x 12 group was announced as "passion" I was at a loss for weeks. One evening several weeks ago Ray and I pulled out the Frida DVD to watch for probably the 4th or 5th time, and I suddenly knew what the subject for my piece about passion would be. I have done several quilted pieces that are portraits, and I must say that achieving a recognizable likeness in fabric is not easy, so it was with trepidation that I began this piece. I also needed to be respectful of copyright and create my own image, rather than slavishly copying an existing photograph, so I used many photos, as well as many of her self-portrait paintings to guide me. It isn't a perfect likeness, but I am satisfied that it is recognizable. It was an extremely satisfying piece to work on.

I hope you have had the chance to see all of the "passion" pieces done by the 12 x 12 group. They are so clever and diverse! I know you will enjoy them.