Sidewalk Zen

Graffiti, even on pavement, is common near my urban home. The top section first delighted me with its personal yet universal message as well as its prosaic site. Some time later, it was amended with a more crudely lettered "not," so that it read, "You are not perfect." Contemplating the stories that might lie behind this change led me to further modify the words myself. The linear pavement breaks are enhanced with piecing and quilting; reds and blues echo the subtler shades of the concrete's neutrals. Curvilinear free-motion quilting adds texture and offsets the harsh "canvas." My intention was to capture the startling effect, delightful and dissonant, of both the words and the off-center geometric composition.