Bonnie Peterson embroiders text on the surface of her quilts and textiles, she uses thick wool and rayon thread in a large cursive style, using her hands to guide the sewing machine needle through many thicknesses of fabric. Bonnie uses her textiles to tell stories about what she sees and experiences and about social issues that she feels strongly about.

Caption: Wedding Party Massacre, 40″(L) x 60″- 83″(W), 2006, Embroidery with hand and machine stitching on satin wedding skirt with sheer fabric and netting, hand quilted. The text is from a May 2004 incident in which 45-47 civilians were killed at a wedding party in western Iraq.

I want the work to resemble early 20th century Victorian crazy quilts, or old tapestries I’ve seen in dark museum hallways. From far away, the viewer is drawn in by the texture, richness and color; by the fantasy of touching the work. Closer up, the viewer deciphers a message, sometimes poignant, and sometimes just another adventure story.

Caption: War Crimes, 46″(L) x 50″(W), 2005, Heat transfers of photos from the conflict are framed in 9 traditional log cabin blocks, embroidery, appliqué and stitching on silk, satin, brocade, and velvet. The boarders are embroidered with text from the US Constitution, Geneva Convention, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Nuremberg Charter.

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