The kaleidoscope has been Paula Nadelstern’s inspiration for over 35 years. Whether as a toy, a scientific instrument, or a metaphor for change, it shapes what she sees and what she creates for all of us to view. Nadelstern refers to the kaleidoscope as both her design inspiration and a “classroom” that challenges her as an artist. As Nadelstern explains, the kaleidoscope has its own personality, and through her art she engages what she sees as its core traits: surprise, magic, change, and chance.
Working with these dynamic qualities is an exciting and sometimes tricky process. As Nadelstern explains:
In order to conjure an instant of luminous and fleeting spontaneity, I’ve got to trust in symmetry, rely on detail, commit both random and staged acts of color and understand that the whole will always be greater than the sum of its parts.
Working at the convergence of the ever-changing kaleidoscope and the fixed elements of a fine art quilt, Nadelstern captures the kaleidoscope’s element of surprise in a moment of visual discovery. In making kaleidoscope quilts, she merges control and spontaneity to spark something unexpected.
Paula Nadelstern - Kaleidoscopic XXXIII: Shards
Visions Museum of Textile Art
2825 Dewey Rd., Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92106
United States
619-546-4872