Judge’s Choice – Art
Faculty and Healthcare Provider Category
© Daniel Hale, MD | Department of Pediatrics
Excerpts from Artist’s Statement
“In March of 2020, I was suddenly confronted with more free time than I had in many years. … I decided to organize the leftover threads from other needlepoint projects. … At this time, we learned that one of our cats, Bebo, did not have very long to live. Bebo had three littermates who also lived with us, Dixie, Pixie, and Ms. Handley. At the time, the four sisters were 18 years old — the equivalent of 88 years old in human years. Thinking about all of the pleasure that Bebo and her sisters had given us over their lifetime, I found my theme — four cats with lives closely linked. … Over the course of the next 18 months, four needlepoint pieces were created. The four works have a common color scheme and four panel layout. In each panel all four of the cats are touching each other — tail-to-tail, toe-to-toe or ear-to-ear — not only symbolizing their relationship but the full circle of their lives together. Thus, my leftover threads were regenerated into a celebratory piece of art that commemorates the four sisters and their lives with each other and with us.”
Judge’s Comments:
A great example of repetition and variation. Skillful graphic designs repeated and changed using beautiful color.