Alice lawton

Artist Statement

My sexuality was formed in a twin bed dressed in floral sheets. It blossomed in the backseat of my girlfriend’s father's car, parked at the drive in theater. It matured in my childhood bedroom, in the arms of my best friend. For me, the eroticism of Lesbian sex will always be shabby chic. Shabby chic is everything floral, lacey, lived in, an abundance of comfort. In my work I seek to capture this balance between soft and sexy through the use of textiles. The images in my work cannot be used for nor necessarily understood by male pleasure; they come from the mind of a Dyke.

I work in the spirit of Lesbian artists and craft makers that came before me. Honey Lee Cottrell’s photography, Eileen Myles’s words, Young M.A’s verses; they are all present in what I make, but so are all the women who have quilted and embroidered for hundreds of years. Lesbian sex, like craft & folk art, has always been thought of as less than or unimportant. Lesbian sex and craft art’s proximity to women has been utilized to delegitimize their worth, or even deny their existence. It’s important to me to use fabric as a medium to show Lesbian sexuality as it connects me to these histories.

The graphic quality of my fabric collage is contrasted with the delicateness of the stitches. Choosing fabrics and patterns is an almost spiritual practice; I let them speak to me and they tell me where to use them. In my book, different fabrics and techniques are used to represent different stages and explorations of my sexuality. The fabrics used for the applique on my quilt imitate my own bedding and place the act depicted within my experience. My quilt is the ultimate expression of the shabby chic lens through which I view Lesbian sex.

I am deeply indebted to the work of Debi Sundhal, Myrna Elana, Susie Bright and all who contributed to On Our Backs magazine for paving the way for Lesbian Erotica.