Sustainability in a Self Portrait: Rain Quilt by Olan Reeves

Olan Reeves recently found a reclaimed Dylon Cold Water Fabric Dye Kit at The Resource Exchange and besides some rain, it was exactly what he needed for his latest project, a self portrait in the form of a Rain Quilt. Reeves is a local textile and surface designer in Philadelphia and his work covers a wide range of mediums including sewing, knitting, weaving, painting, and more.

“As a water sign, I’ve always been really drawn to the rain. I wanted to incorporate quilting with water in some way and dying was the first thing that came to mind. The trial and error aspect was endless due to various obstacles, but it was such a wonderful learning experience and I cannot wait to continue this journey called ‘Rain Quilts’.”

“I stumbled upon a portrait competition through the Smithsonian and decided this was a good excuse to give my rain quilt idea a go! I chose to create a self-portrait and I believe this project represents me as an artist very accurately.”

“I started with an idea and as you can see in the video, it doesn’t go as planned. I really wanted to call it quits but being a determined, stubborn, southern boy it wasn’t in my cards to not give it another go. With a week left before the deadline I really did give it my everything and I’m very proud of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.”

Video by Olan Reeves and Olga, @kidobot on Instagram.

Watch the full video with music by Grimes “Flesh without Blood” on Reeves’ Instagram @olanreeves or here:

“Rain Quilt” by Olan Reeves with music by Grimes “Flesh without Blood”