Contemporary Art Images / Cochran.jpg

Fly Away

Jane Cochran, who studied at Centre College and the Cincinnati Art Academy, initially worked as a painter before turning to textiles in the mid-1980s. Since then she has become one of the country’s leading contemporary quilt artists and is widely admired for her embellished works that often include old clothing, buttons, beads, and other recycled materials. Many of her quilts include brown, black, or beige gloves as symbolic hands “reaching and searching for both questions and answers about race, the environment, and the human psyche.” Cochran considers herself a storyteller, though she encourages the viewer “to make up his own narrative.” Fly Away features a beaded bird juxtaposed with reaching arms on a patchwork background. Evoking images of aspiration and freedom, this work invites the viewer to project his or her own thoughts, feelings, and experiences.