1958
2010.014.0025

Artist Jean Ray Laury cherished her roles as wife, mother and homemaker, but also realized her need to create. She balanced these two aspects of her life, aiming for excellence in her art rather than in her housekeeping skills, arguing that “Dust is a great preservative.” Nevertheless, Laury derived lifelong creative inspiration from her surroundings—family, household events, everyday objects and nature—infusing the ordinary with vitality.

One of her earliest quilts, “Child’s Quilt,” is filled with images of familiar items—foods, animals, plants and children’s toys. While similar objects also inspired earlier quiltmakers, Laury adds modern ones—a popsicle, telephone and a fireman—that bring a contemporary aesthetic to the design. Look also for whimsical subjects such as a sombrero, rolling pin, and exploding volcano.