Iina Alho – Decay #4
Job #4: Withering
In the Book of Job, papyrus and other plants serve as powerful symbols of human life, seemingly strong, yet profoundly dependent on external support.
Life may appear resilient, but without the sustaining presence of water, a symbol of God’s support, it begins to wither.
I drew inspiration from these two quotes:
Job 8:11-13
Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?
While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass.
Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.
Job 14:1-2
Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble.
They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.
“Job #4: Withering” is a whole cloth piece.
It is freemotion quilted, freemotion appliquéd, hand embroidered and painted.
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
It is very inyetesting how you developped the story of withering and how you represented it in your quilt. The contrast between life and death is well expresed and the texture in the background is just fabulous.
I really like this, the contrast between the differing plants and differences in the ground work so well. The colour choice is excellent as is the stitching. This merits being seen ‘in the flesh’. Great work!
This piece is fascinating and I had such a pleasure to look at all the details ! The color choices are perfect and I love how the heavy quilting gives texture to the background.
You have packed a lot of detail into your quilt and It is great fun to explore all of it. The embroidered elements are a wonderful addition.
I like the way that you have shown the plants as they wither in different soils and settings. You have taken great care with the details and produced a lovely piece. Well done
A bit of inexplicable difference in colour between the whole piece and the three smaller pieces? A lovely piece with a most beautifully textured background. The various withering plants serving the theme especially well. Beautiful.
There was something strange about the lighting that day – I couldn’t get the colors right in the close-ups. The largest image shows the correct colors.
Love the choice of fabrics, technique and quilting to tell your story.
Lovely work showing the distress of the plants. The stitching is so detailed and the colours are great. Well done.
I am very impressed with the search for verses appropriate to our topic in the book of job. I really like the use of the color family and the stitching is excellent.
Great composition and illustration of the quilt. I like the almost ghosts of the drying papyrus. Great attention to details and stitching. Beautiful colour palette. Bravo!
Lovely how you created the background. The papyrus is so well created. Very nice!
The earthy tones with the sharp blue contrast of the withered plants create a very harmonious piece. Beautiful texture and stitching. Very well done.
Love all the texture and depth your quilting creates. A thought provoking way to deal with decay and mortality. Well done.
Love the simple graphic and very complex texture!