‘Light and Life’

The Australian Quilters Association Inc. has an annual exhibition of Australian Quilts in Public Places. The goal of this exhibition is to enhance public awareness and appreciation of quilting. Entries to this exhibition are due 24th September and will be on show 13th November-22nd December 2015; Whitehorse ArtSpace, 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, VIC 3128. My goal for this quilt is to create a worthy entry to this exhibition.

What is my objective?

I would like the quilt to be usable. Ultimately, I would it to be used as a raffle quilt or in some way provide funds for UNICEF. The design and creation is ‘for me’. That is, there are no other requirements for the quilt than to “share emotionally and visually” my interpretation of the theme of Light and Life. I would like the quilt to be both artistic and practical.

How big will this creation be?

The rules of the exhibition suggest that the finished creation must not be wider than 1.5 mtr; and less than 6 mtr and more than 2 mtr. in circumference. I will have to lay this out as at present, I cannot visualise how it might go.

What resources will be needed?

I want to experiment with techniques, tools or materials as part of this creation. I have recently purchased a copy of  embellish magazine. It featured the work of Lynne Stone, a botanical fibre artist. I would love to see these in ‘hard copy’ instead of via images in the magazine or the net. Images in the magazine from the work of other artists also highlighted the use of felting in combination with embroidery and quilting. I would also like to use my felting and develop a few embroidery skills in the design of this quilt.

Embellish has a regular ‘postcard swap’. The next one is for a 4×6 depiction of “At the beach”. This morning while walking along the beach at Coffs Harbour I noted the purple hues in the sky, water, and even the sand. Foreboding of the stormy weather to come! But still very beautiful and demonstrating how the light can change the atmosphere and the appeal of a place. So different from when it is full sun and vibrating heat!

Do I need to consider the detail, craftsmanship, and evaluation criteria set by others?

Certainly, I will need to do a lot of research on what is contemporary in the art quilt world. I believe heavy quilting is favoured, as is mixed media and the use of a range of fabrics and threads. I think one way to experiment with this is to take the last piece I made and have a go at embellishing it and doing a heavy quilting on it. That in itself will be a ‘design’ task. I will certainly spend some time finding ways to express my joy in colour, adapting  patterns that I like, and experiment with non-traditional techniques? I think it will be a combination of old ideas and new.

What is the level of interactivity?

Is this to be a piece that can involve others? Is there a way that I can involve the viewer more physically, than just ‘looking’?

All in all, there are far more decisions to be made. Each step has many more questions to be asked and answered.

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