Off the Edge is part of a larger body of work, in which I have been exploring complex color relationships within a structure. It was my first exploration in which I used a painting to inspire the composition of a quilt. I studied the major directional lines in Paul Gauguin's Flageolet Player on a Cliff (in the IMA collection). I tried to distill the inner dynamics of various parts of the landscape by the placement of the angles of the two layers of my textile constructions. I was completely captivated with this particular painting, since each square inch of it is dynamic in its color and directional thrusts. I have tried to include all the major elements of the painting in Off the Edge.

Anne McKenzie Nickolson