Dated 1998
2007.036.0001

As the first warm days of spring arrive our thoughts turn to the approaching days of verdant yards, parks, and farm fields. The lush greenery of M. Joan Lintault's Uncoiling Snakes only furthers our anticipation.

Lintault's piece was part of the exhibition "Quilts in Common," and has been a part of the collection since 2007. Notice that succulent fruits and multiple slithering snakes adorn the branches. They are indeed a reference to the struggle between good and evil illustrated in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

Lintault says of her work:

"My objective is to produce a series of quilts that are motivated by metaphors of paradise and the evocative use of nature to inspire spiritual and uplifting feelings. . . . I want to construct the character of nature and paradise from its smaller parts. I also want to bring perpetual summer indoors, the cool of the forest, the heat in the meadow, and the whine of insects in the grass."

In her pieces Lintault employs an innovative construction technique. Beginning with white cotton, Lintault dyes the bases for the individual forms. These she later embellishes extensively using appliqué, quilting, and embroidery. Finally the forms are affixed to a lace under layer, which creates the illusion that the objects are floating in space.