Moon Child
Diane Dresdner
Chantilly, Virginia, USA
Artist Statement
I have portrayed the Moon Child bathed in the glow of the moon. The element of cancer is water and the moon effects the tides so I included the ocean in the scene for this quilt. I quilted the ocean with two variegated threads in the needle to better depict the motion and strength of the waves. I enjoyed making the small crab appliques, creating the cancer constellation and quilting in a Zodiac wheel.
I am a “Moon Child”, born under the sign of Cancer. Cancer is the fourth sign of the Zodiac with birth dates from June 21 to July 22. I am glad I was born under this sign, but, not crazy about the name. Despite the unfortunate associations for us today, cancer is also the Latin word for crab. I am not crazy about the word crab either!
Curious, I traced back some of the history of the Zodiac we are familiar with today. I learned that the Babylonian name for the sign was AL.LUL, which translates to crayfish. Now I understand why the constellation for Cancer looks a lot more like a crayfish than a crab. The Babylonian astronomers began using 12 divisions early in the first millennium BC and did portray a crayfish. Sometime during the Hellenistic period, Greek astronomer’s changed the crayfish to a crab. I was not able to find out why. I am going to keep searching!
Techniques
Creation/Drawing of patterns and templates, Machine Applique, Machine Quilting, Fusing, Gluing.
Materials
Commercial cottons and batiks, my hand dyed cottons, commercial polyester and silk, Swarovski crystals, fabric paint and markers.