Time for a little update!
Benjamin Zephaniah is one of Britain’s most influential contemporary poets. I wanted this first of two pieces, to be a visual celebration and continue the theme of the Windrush series of quilts, all of which will be on show in Leamington in 2025, with their themes of settlement, identity and transformation. Benjamin, and the wider Caribbean migration of Windrush, has shaped the cultural fabric of the UK.
The private image I’ve used for this stitched and painted portrait was provided by Benjamin’s wife Qian, and captures a moment of pure joy - he looks so happy - and it is a terrific challenge to capture this happiness requiring all my technical skills both in stitching and painting and a hope that I’m managing to do justice to such a significant moment in his life.
The background will be 24ct gold leaf and I hope this makes it a little like an icon, and that it also brings luxury and significance. The words stitched on the quilt, with kind permission of Benjamin himself, will be from the poem “The Men From Jamaica Are Settling Down” and are a direct reference to Windrush and the problems and joys of migration, settlement and integration. Being a portrait taken from Qian and Benjamin’s marriage, I hope it also hints and love and partnership that is beyond cultural and national boundaries.
It’s important to me to show more than an image to the world which is why I quilt. It allows me to add value in text to what I do, becoming storytelling too. My quilts hopefully provide a visual and tactile representation of all sorts of cultural narratives, some that are often overlooked. I am driven by an emotional response.
Below: Drawing an outline on cloth, putting on the stitch and first wash of colour, building the washes using acrylic paint, and today, about half way through the portrait.
Excellent work Annabel, you've really got his likeness and I love the sound of the gold leaf background!
What a remarkable and challenging endeavor! Love it so far, and am eager to learn more about this poet!