ANTONIETTA GRASSI | PETTWAY'S PASSAGE (AFTER LORETTA PETTWAY, GEE'S BEND) | ACRYLIC, OIL AND INK ON LINEN | 72 X 30 INCHES | 2025
This works honours the quilters of Gee's Bend, particularly the bricklayer (or courthouse steps) pattern that appears in many of Loretta Pettway's quilts. Grassi approaches the composition intuitively, beginning with a general sense of where the edges will fall without fully planning them out. This method allows for a spontaneous flow, with adjustments and "mending" taking place after the rough structure is laid down. These visible "fixes" become integral traces of the making process. Like the Gee's Bend quilters, Grassi embraces spontaneity and as a result irregularities, allowing them to animate the work.