Out of My Fathers' House
Senior Capstone Project
Alfred University |2018
The scenic painting for this project involved the painting of three quilts for each character, which hung on the clothesline in the background.
The quilts first began as simple sheets that hung on the clothesline and created the perimeters of the space. After a lot of thought and re-designing and blocking most of the show early on, I decided that the sheets needed to become symbols of each woman, with significant points of her life outlined and hanging behind her as she tells her story.
Elizabeth's quilt has a pile of books that have been soaked with a bucket of soapy water that rests on top of them. This is symbolic of her love for knowledge and books, and of the overwhelming duties of housekeeping that envelop her everyday life.
The quilt for Maria Mitchell features her telescope as the centerpiece, with stars lined around the edges as an ode to her work in astronomy and the discovery of the meteor that launched her career.
Anna Shaw's quilt is lined with a forest of trees, hinting to her life in Northern Michigan, and the experience in the woods. A cross is painted in the center, large and brilliant; pointing to her compelling need to preach and the sacrifices she made in order to do so.
The initial outline for Elizabeth Stanton's quilt
The colors and themes of each quilt directly coincide with the lighting effects and coloring of the costumes.
