Hell and Hope

Valerie Paterson

50 x 30 inches

2019

ARTIST STATEMENT

Alice Sebold was brutally raped at knifepoint in 1981 as a freshman in college. In the midst of writing what became the bestseller The Lovely Bones, she wrote Lucky — her memoir published 18 years after the horrific events of that night. In Lucky she laid out her soul sharing her intimate thoughts and feelings in each meaningful interaction in the subsequent days, months, and years. Just knowing her struggle has created the atmosphere for rape victims — like myself — to acknowledge, heal and grow. Her self-described journey left her “in a world where two truths coexist; where both hell and hope lie” in the palm of her hand.

MATERIALS

Cotton, glitter tulle, satin, shrinkable fabric, metallic thread, shimmer paint, embellishments

Trapunto quilting, steaming, burning, raw-edge appliqué, free motion quilting