“Delectable Blues” by Nancy G Cook

“Delectable Blues” (2012) by Nancy G Cook 32x25"

I am so excited to finally own a piece of art by Nancy G Cook! I fell in love with this piece, “Delectable Blues,” when I saw it, right after she made it in 2012, but it was scheduled for several exhibitions. I told her I wanted it, and she said she wanted one of my pieces, so we agreed on a trade, with the balance to be paid to her in installments. It finished up its tour for exhibitions this summer, and today, I picked it up! (These are very quick photos taken on my phone, so they are somewhat imperfect.) Isn’t it beautiful?

Detail from “Delectable Blues” (2012) by Nancy G. Cook

Much of Nancy’s recent work has focused on tree seeds and fruits, “as metaphors for life’s riches” that come with maturity. One of Nancy’s hallmarks is dense echo quilting, leaving some areas unquilted to suggest things in the background. She works primarily with Tsukineko Inks and hand-dyed fabrics, but almost always includes a bit of hand embroidery or stitching.
 
All my life, I have wanted to buy art that caught my eye and stole my heart, but most of it has been too expensive for my budget. This was the perfect lesson in delaying gratification and paying over time to get a piece I love from an artist I love. If you are an artist, consider selling your work using this kind of system. It makes it possible for those of us with champagne tastes and beer budgets to consider buying a piece of art.

This piece reminds me of the last summer day I spent with my mother, in August 2010, picking blueberries at a farm in Tennessee. It was her favorite fruit. When I look at this piece, I remember the warm sunshine, the high green bushes, and how the berries, plump and dusty with bloom, rolled right off the branches with the slightest touch, and fell into our buckets with a pleasing plunk. We only picked for an hour and our buckets were full.

With Nancy today