Sue Luke - Missing Man |
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| My first reaction to the idea of Necrotex
was horror, as our family were still affected by the recent deaths of several
close family members, and initially I thought I would not take part. However,
time passes and you move on, and from talking it through with friends, some
ideas began to form.
With my sister-in-law (a piece-maker of some note) I visited a quilters’ exhibition and saw some wonderful hangings by Australian artists. I was fascinated by two in particular where black had been used. The shadows and textures created were so interesting. I went home and made my own versions from memory (having committed the heinous crime of forgetting both camera and notebook). These set me thinking. Initially my ideas rested with a pair of trainers, now empty, sitting on the shoe rack at my brother’s house. To reflect this, I envisaged four lengths of fabric with descending footprints, one of which finished halfway, with the empty shoes underneath. This was too painful and I could not bring myself to start. Talking to a colleague and explaining how difficult it was she came up with the final appropriate idea. She, like me married to an ex-RAF pilot, immediately said “like the missing man”. This is a tradition dating from World War I, when pilots would honour a fallen comrade by flying a “Vic” formation with one space left for the missing man. It seemed very appropriate, as this year is the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Colours had to be RAF blue; I dyed some muslin and linen with Procion dye. I cut the thicker fabric into Spitfire shapes and attached them to backing fabric; this I covered with the muslin. Stab stitching around the shape defined the silhouette, and the addition of seed stitch and straight stitch has given the background substance. To complement the work, I have chosen my husband’s favourite poem, “High Flight”, written by a young pilot during World War II. |
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