Jeana’s Journal

  I was born and grew up in St. George, Utah. It is a community set in a dry, sandy corner of southwestern Utah. Ages ago there were some violent upheavals of the earth and active volcanos that shaped it’s beautiful, raw landscape. Within 30 miles in different directions from it are wide empty places, Joshua cactus forests, inactive volcanos, enormous red sand dunes, and majestic alpine mountains to retreat to during the summer heat.

  Growing up there it was just plain “home”. I knew nothing else and accepted it’s beauty as simply normal. These days it is one of the fastest growing communities in the country, but back then there was one stop light, two elementary schools, and it was an uncrowded and safe place to grow up. I could hardly wait to finish school and experience life somewhere else. And leave I did, as soon as I finished high school.

However, we never leave behind the teachings of our parents and the usually unrecognized influences of the place we are from. The red desert of St. George is a part of me in a way that is hard to describe. There is a quiet, pale beauty in a place where the relentless sun soaks all of the moisture from the soil leaving it many shades lighter than the rich coral it is when wet.

  The landscape of my youth gave me a driving need for clear, strong light and wide empty places. All of my life has been governed by that need. I could never move east where the humidity is higher and the trees close in upon the roads and houses. I love the beauty of such places, but on another level I feel trapped and almost unable to breathe when I spend much time there.

When we embark on artistic endeavors such as quiltmaking, decorating our homes, or even setting the table for dinner, we bring deep-seated influences, such as environment, into our decision-making process. There are no right or wrong answers when making such decisions, just a trust in the instincts that make each of us unique.

Part of discovering the artist within is learning to recognize, accept and embrace the different influences that have shaped us into the person we are.