# Rhoda Bennett > textile artist ## Posts - [Rhoda Bennett](https://rhodabennett.com/hello-world/): To see is to wonder; to create is to reveal an inner vision. As a textile artist I specialise in creating unique and intricate quilt art. My work is based on a progression of ideas and responses.  I choose a theme based on inspiration from everyday life and then explore it using line, colour, pattern and texture.   Working by hand and with a sewing machine, I use fabric, thread and sometimes paint to tell a story of how I see the world.​ These one-of-a-kind pieces seek to be both visually inspiring and functional. Feel free to browse the gallery and […] ## Pages - [signatures](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/signatures/): signatures In this series I explore the signatures of trees in order to highlight both the similarities and the differences. We see who is who through characteristics of colour, texture and form. Through this more intimate perspective I want to evoke the experience of hearing each tree telling its unique story.   We too are similar and yet different, each with our own story to tell. - [reconstruction](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/reconstruction/): Reconstruction In this series I explore the process of reconstructing self-identity through references from nature. These pieces reflect my own journey through grief and depression towards resting in hope. The inspiration for this series started with “Frozen Tears”. The day my mother died 18000 km away, I visited a calcium covered outcrop that was frozen with icicles dripping into the water below. The frozen tears were coldly brutal but the scene was serenely beautiful. There was peace amid the jagged pain. The images echo the emotional and cognitive processes involved in dealing with grief. Being immersed in nature gives me perspective […] - [what is a quilt](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/what-is-a-quilt/): What is a quilt? Traditionally a quilt was a home made blanket used to cover a bed. In times of no waste, they were necessarily made out of old clothing. Modern quilts may still be blankets, but many are also made to decorate a room or as artful expression. At its essence, a quilt is a multi-layered textile which is traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric and a fiber filling.  The fabric layers form a sandwich with the filling inside. The layers are stitched together by hand or machine to create a single item.  My quilt pieces use wool, cotton or […] - [Bed covers & Throws](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/bed-covers-throws/): bed covers and throws This collection includes large quilts suitable for beds as well as smaller throws to keep you warm on the sofa. The batting is natural fibre. - [Light Falls](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/forest/): Light Falls This body of work was inspired by my love of hiking in the forest and how being in a different place can create separation from life stress. The series began from images taken on travels, and then developed focus when we moved to live next to a UNESCO Global Geopark.    These quilts explore the ever-changing moods of the forest and how light carves form and creates a mood. The simple addition of one element, light, changes the emphasis of what is seen. I invite viewers to experience peace and wonder in the natural world and encourage them […] - [Contact](https://rhodabennett.com/home/contact/) - [Individual pieces](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/individual-pieces/): Individual pieces I use quilt competitions as an opportunity to take risks through new ideas, techniques or materials and create pieces that don’t necessarily fit into my current scheme of work.  These pieces were created within specific themes and size requirements. - [Press](https://rhodabennett.com/home/press/): presentation SAQA Textile Talk: Colour in Context Blue - [Patchwork stars](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/patchwork-stars/): Patchwork stars Stars are a common theme in patchwork which I embraced obsessively.  I was particularly drawn to repetitive pattern and the effects of tiling.    I moved into piecing works by hand to achieve more intricate designs.  The emphasis shifts from clearly defined colours and shapes towards blending patterns to soften, redefine or dissolve edges.  In this way new images are created from existing patterns. Works are Machine or Hand-pieced with cotton fabric and natural fabric batting; machine quilted (except Starry Starry Night which is hand-quilted). Machine pieced Hand-pieced - [Seasons](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/seasons/): Seasons Moving to the northern hemisphere was a revelation in experiencing four distinct seasons – from the lush weight of summer heat and foliage to the naked trees of winter and the amazing in-between.  This series sought to capture this experience of light, temperature and structure in terms of colour and abstraction.    Cotton fabric, natural fibre batting, machine quilted. - [Luxembourg landscapes](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/luxembourg-landscapes/): Luxembourg landscapes My favourite views from the fascinating city of Luxembourg. The old streets and built landscape are infused with colour and drama to represent the lifetimes they have seen across many centuries of stories. In this series the traditional method of paper piecing is used in a non-traditional way.  Fabric paints create fine details and shading.  Hand pieced with cotton fabric and textile paint; machine quilted. - [truncated](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/truncated/): Truncated These works explore the powerful imagery of trees.  They capture truncated glimpses of the forest from soaring tree trunks to spreading canopies which seek to emphasise the vertical and the experience of looking in and through the forest.  Fabric layering is a form of textile impressionism. Cotton fabric, wool, paint; natural fiber batting; machine quilted or stretched and framed. - [Art](https://rhodabennett.com/home/services/): Art you can explore my artwork here - [Home](https://rhodabennett.com/): To see is to wonder; to create is to reveal an inner vision. my Story As a textile artist I specialise in creating unique and intricate quilt art. I want to turn up the quiet. I have lived all over the world and always been fascinated by the contradictions of nature which can be both powerful and fragile, lush and stark, rough and smooth, unchanging and yet temporary. My art quilt journey was initiated by a need to break from the planned and precise world of traditional patchwork in order to express myself freely. Inspired by the brushwork of Impressionism, I use […] [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)