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- Teliza V. Rodriguez, MONA Curator —
- "Me in the Garden is an on-edge felt “painting” created by Jean Thiessen, in which she crafted a realist scene from varying colors and shades of felt. The image is a woman in a dress in a colorful garden. Today, the work can be considered part of the Fiber Arts movement that began in the 1920s and 1930s. It gained momentum in the 1950s, but was not regarded as a serious art form on until the 1960s.
This particular felt “painting” was a means of expression for Thiessen, although the artist began working with fiber out of necessity. At the age of 14, she was a dressmaker and continued in this profession until ready-made dresses became available. Because the artist had no formal training and her work was derived from utilitarian means, it is an excellent example of Folk Art."
- Daniel A. Siedell, Art Historian —
- "A work of art's power comes from its creative union of "form" and "content." This power, in other words, is produced not just by 'what' is made, but also by 'how' it is made. This is clearly seen by Jean Thiessen's remarkable work, Me in the Garden. The artist depicts herself where she is most comfortable, doing what she knows best, tending to her garden. Her intimate familiarity with her subject – her world – is masterfully expressed through her distinctive use of the medium of felt, in which the pieces function like paint-loaded brushstrokes, filling up every conceivable space with her subjectivity, individuality, personality. The brightly colored, swirling forms, packed tightly into the framed surface, testify to her love of the garden and art."
- Leslie Iwai, Artist —
- "My first impression of this work is its intensive narrative quality. I can walk through this work layer by layer. The varied scale in detail captures me and reminds me of works by Grandma Moses. It has a childlike quality of building around familiar images and the enjoyment of the simple shapes evokes joy and life. The actual materiality of the piece, turning a flat thing on its edge, reminds me of the pleasure of looking at stacks and rolls of fabric on a shelf and the tactile quality of that experience."
- Kimberley Jones, Costume Designer —
- "Using the tactile warmth of felt to create an imagery of swirling clouds, green foliage, and colorful flowers in this natural setting, Jean Theissen’s work encompasses a dimension of textiles that goes far beyond traditional use. The work uses end-use woolen fibers to tell a story within a story. A peaceful home, a flowing creek, a woman with an arm full of roses suggests a scene which encourages the viewer to move closer within the circles of life that have been created – circles which beckon to be touched by fingers that have dangled around yarn, by hands that have experienced being wrapped in warm mittens, by a face that has at some point been wrapped in a wool scarf.
Round and round they go suggesting that their course has no end but continues on and on. Likewise so does the gift of woolen fibers. It dresses us, it covers us, and even displays on canvas the beauty of life of which we from time to time need to be reminded. "
- Amy Ramos, age 16, Belize native —
- "I think the artwork is interesting. It looks like she is picking up vegetables, and her house is surrounded with green grass and vegetables. You can see the movement of the trees. You can tell that it’s windy outside – kind of a beautiful day to be out in her garden. Her sidewalk looks interesting because at the sides it looks like there’s water. I think her garden is fenced all around. She looks like a responsible woman because her garden is well cared for. The art makes you want to know what she’s doing – or what’s her plan on having a big beautiful colorful garden. I think the art is great."
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