Archive for December 25th, 2009

Merry Christmas, George!

Friday, December 25th, 2009

georges-quilt.jpg

George Davison was first encountered by me on a rooftop at a party in downtown Santa Barbara, CA in 1985.   There was a colossal sky full of stars. We were looking at the Milky Way, and had both recently read the “Electric Kool Aid Acid Test”.  He has a way of being in interesting places at interesting times.  As a raconteur, he is unparalleled. When I came home to SB he was one of the people to track down.   If anything interesting and worthwhile was happening in our sleepy beach town, he’d be in on it, would tell me about it, and often I was welcome to tag along.  His musical talent is undeniable: while I knew him, he played lead guitar for the aptly named Bitch Magnet, but his legendary status long preceeded that incarnation.  When word came that he’d been fighting cancer I figured it was time to rally.  A number of our mutual friends contributed fabric to the project.  Scott Williams, a Bay Area artist, created a number of amazing stenclied blocks which elevate this quilt to the fine art level.  Katherine, William and Cecil de Mille joined Patty Smith, Simone White and Robin Robinson in giving fabric.  One fun weekend found me, Harriet Mc Caig and Nicholas Croft in a fabric blitz, sipping champagne and listening to tunes while figuring out which block should go where.  All I can say is, the best projects have serious meaning attached.  The intent all along was to make something from all our disparate parts, something useful to keep our friend warm and to remind him we love him, near or far.