Family Life

Today we're featuring a stunning 2014 fabric sculpture by artist Susan Else. The work is part of a series on mortality, with more examples on her website. Susan explains that one of her purposes in creating these sculptures is to explore the world of opposites: cloth and bones, joy and grief, the temporal moment of family happiness on earth, versus eternity and the ultimate end. 

For us, this work brings to mind the upcoming Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festival that coincides with All Saints Day.

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Family Life by Susan Else (California)

Family Life shows a father, mother, and child skeleton enjoying "quality time" together, as they playfully interact with each other. The piece is made of collaged and quilted cloth applied over commercial plastic skeletons. The daughter of professional artists, Susan Else became intrigued with the world of fiber arts. She says, "I treat cloth not as a flat surface, but as a wild flexible skin for three-dimensional objects." 

Sayings and comments about the family structure are placed over the bones. The head of the child contains the vintage poem, "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace".  

For more information on her work, please check out her website, Susan Else Sculpture.


Image credits:  Photos of "Family Life" were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2015 Pacific International Quilt Festival.