TRINA BARTIMER BRUNO
My grandma came to this country from Russia at four years old. She told me
about a memory of being on the ship as it was leaving and seeing the design
pattern of the woman's dress who was waving good-bye to her on the shore.
This story marked the beginning of her desire to create beautiful things and
she became a master seamstress, hat-maker, furniture painter and quilt-maker.
As a woman of the depression and war years, any household materials she came
across were saved and used to make something beautiful out of nothing.
My grandma's generation was part of the original repurpose movement that is
now so prevalent in today's society. Over the years we've learned that the constant
cycle of throwing things away only to be replaced by new things cannot be sustained.
Her work, along with a book I often read to my children, called "Joseph Had A
Little Overcoat" by Simms Taback became major influences in my own work.
I love to experiment with different materials, textures, colors, and techniques which
I collect and then arrange into compositions that evoke an experience. In this way,
I often feel that I am continuing my grandma's legacy by making something beautiful
out of nothing.