Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Year Five!

Hello to all festival go-ers. Welcome to Kit Lang Art!

Today I am showing you a piece I finished earlier this year, called "Hiraeth".


"Hiraeth" (c) 2013 Kit Lang - 39" x 29"

Two weeks before Christmas in 2012, I came across the word "hiraeth" on Facebook. I'm an avid reader, and work with words for a living, but had never seen this word before. A quick Google search informed me that it was a Welsh word with no real English equivalent - but it's closed meaning was something like "homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost". 

This word really struck a chord with me and I immediately knew I wanted to make a piece incorporating the concept of "hiraeth".

This naturally led me to thoughts of my past, and so I knew that  the piece would reflect the little girl I once was. Though she is still a formative part of my adult self as I hold her safe and protected in my heart, she is nevertheless irretrievably lost to me.

That same evening, I drew up a rough sketch, wrote some notes and I got to work a couple of days later. 



As a child I spent nearly all my free time outside - especially in summer, when the seemingly endless sunny days allowed me to leave the house early in the morning before anyone else was awake. After packing myself a lunch and breakfasting out of the garden; I would slip into the woods, where I spent my days in the company of  trees with my imaginary friends.

Elephants were my favourite - and though I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting an elephant outside of the strictures of a zoo; Little Kit fervently hoped to see one one day; hiding amongst the trees.  

My dog, and sometimes my cat, accompanied me for part or often the whole of the day; and one or the other was never far from me even if I couldn't see them.


And I sometimes came upon them in quite unexpected places!

I loved otters passionately - and from the first time I saw one, I felt such an affinity with them that I was quite sure I had been one in a prior life!  Although I never saw an otter as I played in the woods, I often imagined that one walked with me wherever I went, as a kind of familiar.




As a child, I loved fairies, sprites and elves, and was quite sure that they not only existed, but came to sit with me while I napped under sun-dappled leaves. Sometimes when I woke I was positive I could hear their laughter as they flitted away - and having some dim from my reading that they were attracted to singing - many days I would sit under the tree and try to sing them back to me.



My love of fairies remains -and though these days I don't try to sing them to me; I *do* wear a silver fairy on a chain around my neck - a daily reminder to keep Little Kit and her wonder and belief close. 


Also hidden in the trees is a representation of all those who came before me - whose presence I have always felt, but never seen. 



 Little Kit lived in a pastoral world filled with all manner of friendly creatures real and imagined, in a place where the wind was always warm, the grass was always soft, and the sun shone lovingly on her face.

And she, and her world, are a large part of what forms me today.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for stopping by, and please take the time to look and comment on not only the wonderful pieces in the "art quilt" category, but the festival as whole!


Kit 120

Kit Lang

12 comments:

  1. Yay, I'm so glad you chose this one for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. It is absolutely fabulous, Kit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful - very evocative!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kit! This is so fantastic and your story is fun to read. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is such a beautiful quilt and story. Lovely to see it going to the festival :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fun quilt. I loved hearing about the different elements and the stories that go along with them.

    xo -E

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the detail in this piece.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such a lovey way to share childhood memories!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your work "Hiraeth" reminds me of the cover image of children's books "Pippi Longstocking" by Astrid Lindgren. They were my first books I could read alone as 6 year old child. Your work is very dreamy and tender. I think they are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Simplesmente maravilhoso!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love all the details and your story about the quilt. Just Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous30.5.13

    I love your story and your quilt ! Splendido !

    ReplyDelete

So, apparently I'm open for business again. :) Say hi if you like!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.