Art Quilt Workbook Chapter 4

Chapter 4 was about collage. I was definitely challenged! Creating a composition using my theme of water did not "flow" easily! I struggled to think how I could render the effects of water. I am realizing the programming that is stored in my brain about water; these are interfering with my

creativity. I tend to think of water mostly as a seascape, sunny and pleasant. I am realizing I need to think broader about water. So, I plan to do some more sketching, thinking and journaling about this subject.
In the meantime, here is what I created.

I used 8mm habotai silk to print an image I took of a pier in the Caribbean. The rocks are man made and had sharp angles which I thought looked sculptural. The water was crystal clear. I like the image completely so I could not alter it! Instead I added strips from a second image to the edge and quilted it. The quilting followed the water patterns. The finished quilt has a beautiful quality. The sheen of the silk and the colors are very reminiscent of the actual turquoise water.

I was not completely pleased with my work because the work was so controlled so, I tried again. This time I tried to create the effect of the ocean at dawn.

I am pleased with this collage. I used hand painted kona cotton for the sky area and some of the pieces for highlights in the water. Hand painted silk and organza overlap to create the water and clouds.
I actually go into developing the clouds as much as the water; after all, clouds are water too. Finally, I decided to cut the outside to reflect the patterns of the water instead of a hard edge.

I was still not happy with my controlled thinking so I continued with a third quilt just to push myself in the opposite direction and created the ocean at night. This was also challenging. I am pleased with the results.

The concept is something I had never tried before. I used several shades of organza. I cut them into strips free hand and overlapped them crisscross. The colors: red, purple, white created the highlights over dark green and black. I also mixed in slivers of sparkly multicolored fabric.
I actually like this one turned sideways. This orientation looks MUCH more abstracted, but nothing resembling water!
This Chapter stretched my thinking which is always welcome!