A Collision of Quilting and Rock Music
Faith Salie introduces us to the work of a music-loving artist on what you might call the FRINGE: �I like this machine,� said quilter Ben Venom , �because once it gets going, I liken it to shooting a machine gun. When it�s at full throttle, like R-R-R-R-R!� Sit down with Venom in his studio in San Francisco�s Haight-Ashbury, and it doesn�t take long to realize he isn�t quite like other quilters. �There�s a right way, there�s a wrong way, and there�s the way I just decided to do it -- which is my way,� he said. �You know, I�ll listen to music or try to watch movies, but ultimately the noise of the machine kind of drowns a lot out. Because my head�s right in it. So pretty much my world is right around here .� His world is filled with arresting images on quilts. �Every Tear Drop,� a quilt by by Ben Venom. His quilts sell for thousands of dollars, have been exhibited around the world, and have names like Aces High and Iron Fist, which refers to a Motorhead song. And then there a