Friday 11 November 2016

The Art of Quilting

I am more of a fan of traditional quilts - SAQA and the  like with one or two exceptions do little for me though I do recognise the consummate skill and artistry of the makers. I do like some of the more decorative pieces especially huge blown up flowers but of course some items do catch the eye and if I was in that purchasing league I should like to hang them on my walls.
The energy of children by Australian Ruth de Vos; her source was the title words - " if I could bottle it I could make a million". I like the loose outlined graphic style of this one. Painted surface section???

Although this is a typical art quilt in its two sections and nature of the painted surface - little new there - I do find it a
particularly pleasing, beautiful and calming example. One to contemplate while practising mindfulness and a definite candidate for my wall. "Alike but not the same" by Peggy Brown inspired by the crumbling walls and surfaces
seen on a trip to Italy.

This appears very closely inspired by traditional quilts.
There was a challenge by a French publisher to 10
invited artists to make a contemporary response to 10 quilts
in the Nebraska museum collection, 59" square, using the
original colours and the log cabin motif for at least a
third.
Les Lanternes du Palais by  Elisabeth Nacenta de la Croix,
Geneva. The original was made circa 1870 -90

Here you can see the strips have been raw edge fused to form the design.

This is instantly recognisable as the work of Australian Diane Firth using a
repeated technique of raw edge bias strips curved and caught down
with stitching. Arrogantly, I think it looks easy and I should try it sometime.
I suspect I might be proved wrong.

Detail

These two look as though they are by the same maker but I think I'm wrong.. The man is labelled "Chuck Close Two" by Sandra Bruce. "One" belongs to Chuck Close himself. This is done with squares but by eye, not computer and is so successful and compelling and BIG. The other has been quilted with words relevant to the subject by Sandra Bruce but is a self portrait by Trish Morris-Plise - "Portrait Noir" and very endearing too.

1 comment:

Julie Fukuda said...

I also prefer the more traditional but sometimes find these pieces of fabric art interesting. The gathered squares show up now and then in exhibits here.