Artwork copyright Sally Sellers. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Urban Flora, 1992

Sally Sellers
American (born 1951)

Location: Sunrise Elementary School, Enumclaw

About the Artwork

Urban Flora is part of artist Sally Sellers' series of quilts composed with repeating imagery of houses. Sellers began the series after her young daughter moved from home to a nursing facility due to serious illness. Sellers notes that she created this body of work to challenge the concept of what a home is, and as a meditation on the instincts to nurture and protect. This piece experiments with bold color and pattern. She composed this quilt specifically for a garden-themed exhibition. She notes, “My intent was to continue to work with the building/house shapes that I love, but through the use of color and pattern, create buildings that seemed constructed of, or containing, flora… I am intrigued by the way shapes interlace. Manipulation of foreground and background is one of my favorite techniques. It allows different viewers to experience different interpretations of the piece.” She notes that this shifting of perspective reinforces the series’ themes of ambiguity and embracing the unexpected.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Enumclaw School District.

About the Artist

Northwest textile artist Sally Sellers creates art-quilts that explore and manipulate color and form.