This is the page devoted to my quilt "Love". This piece has a special meaning to me. I don't know this young girl's name or her daughter's name but the hour or so I spent with her left a lasting impression.
Our tour group, visiting the Copper Canyon in Mexico, had stopped in a small village to see a spectacular waterfall in the area. Normally the bus would have taken us right to the waterfall.
The area had experienced unseasonable cold and snowy weather and the road was icy. The driver would not chance taking the bus up the dirt road. Our guide made arrangements for those not wanting or able to hike to stay on the porch of a rustic lodge. I had experienced some medical problems during the trip and opted to stay at the lodge.
The women in this region made lovely double-sided baskets. As in all the areas we stopped, the local women and children set up shop with their hand-crafts. This young girl, age 17, came over to the steps of the lodge and sat working on a basket. One of our guides came back to make sure we were all doing well and struck up a conversation with the girl. After a bit she asked us if we would be interested in seeing this girls home.
About four of the women, myself included, said "yes". The house was in a field next to the lodge. When we entered there were about six people sitting around a metal barrel with a fire inside. The house was one room with five beds. (mattress' on a board lifted of the floor by post). Seventeen people lived in that one room. The floor was dirt and rock and the wooden walls had as much as one to two inches of light showing through.
Yet, when this young girl picked up her baby there was nothing but love in her face. I tried to capture that look of love in this piece. I also wanted to show them in a beautiful environment. Since the waterfall was near their home I chose to use it as a backdrop.
This beautiful young Mexican girl and her baby's image has stayed with me for three years waiting to find its way into my art work. I hope I have achieved what I started out to do.
I got my copy of MQU a couple of days ago. Your quilt was one of the things I found very special in the magazine. I think you were very successful in capturing the love between mother and child. I am so glad you posted about this on Quiltart so I could read the rest of the story. Thanks for a treat!
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