Music Series
Patchwork Blues
The Story Behind Patchwork Blues
Artwork Details
Technique: Constructed Textile Sculpture
Dimensions: 18" wide x 40" high
Collection: Music Series
Availability: Ready to hang sculpture
When people look at a finished piece of artwork, they see the final result.
What they don't see is the research, experimentation, problem-solving, and engineering that happened long before the first stitch was made.
Patchwork Blues is a good example.
After completing Where Music Lives and The Red Violin II, I found myself wondering what instrument I should tackle next. The answer appeared while I was visiting a friend. Sitting on a shelf was her old acoustic guitar, quietly gathering dust.
Perfect.
The guitar was the first instrument I ever learned to play, and it seemed like the ideal subject for my next sculptural piece.
Learning from the Masters
Every project begins with research.
Before building anything, I spent several days studying how acoustic guitars are actually constructed. Since I wanted this instrument to be playable with real strings, I couldn't simply build something that looked like a guitar. It also had to withstand the considerable tension created by six tightly stretched strings.
That meant borrowing more than a few techniques from traditional luthiers.
Building the Body
Like my other sculptural instruments, the basic structure was built from foam core.
Using my friend's guitar as a model, I created separate front and back sections for the body. The front was designed to fit over the back much like the lid of a carefully fitted box, creating both strength and a clean finished appearance.
Creating the Neck
The neck presented a different engineering challenge.
Unlike the body, it couldn't be allowed to flex under the pull of the strings. To reinforce it, I attached a flat metal bar along the entire length of the neck, bending it where it met the headstock. Additional wooden supports were added inside the head to provide a solid mounting point for the tuning pegs.
Although hidden from view, these structural elements are what make the instrument possible.
Bringing It All Together
Once the neck was completed, it could finally be joined to the body.
With the structure assembled, I added the remaining details: the fretboard, tuning pegs, nut, bridge, and finally, the strings.
One by one, the individual parts transformed a simple foam core structure into a recognizable, and playable, acoustic guitar.
The Finished Instrument
Like The Red Violin II, Patchwork Blues was never intended to replace a traditional handcrafted instrument.
Its purpose was to explore a different question:
Could a playable guitar be created from fabric, thread, and a little engineering?
For me, the answer was yes.
Creating Patchwork Blues combined my love of music, fiber art, and problem-solving into a single piece. It reminds me that some of the most rewarding projects are the ones that challenge you to learn an entirely new set of skills before you can even begin.