Todays Insipration is Process and Technique. I make art that’s meant to be displayed on the wall, so in theory I could use any medium for my surface design work and get my message across with oil paints or watercolors or other types of works on paper.
But I work with fabric because I love its materiality, its flexibility, and its propensity to evoke emotional responses. I like the way fabric feels and responds to manipulation. I find that my favorite technique, cyanotype printing, is much richer and vibrant on cotton or silk than on paper. I feel the same way about screenprints and the other types of monoprinting I use to put imagery on fabric.
I like cutting textiles up and then sewing them together in new arrangements. I like layering them, and stitching on them by hand or machine, and seeing how the texture changes and enhances the designs. 
It just never gets old for me. In the rare cases where I am feeling creatively blocked, working with fabric, cutting and sewing simple shapes, is always a springboard to breaking out of the rut. For me the craftsmanship and the design go hand in hand, with each elevating the other. 
And what better way to learn some new and exciting techniques than to watch talented artists demonstrate their favorite processes? Check out the Quilting Arts TV DVD
And visit the Quilting Arts TV Website for information on when it airs on PBS stations.
Tomorrow’s featured bloggers: Carrie Bloomston (suchitysuch.blogspot.com) AND Catherine Redford (http://www.seminarandsew.com/)
Up next: The Woods
1 comment:
great article...gave me some thoughts to consider re my "stuck" times in the studio. Great to see once again some of your "building" images...I love all of those series of quilts you made with the buildings..such a divergence from your wonderful florals and so very well executed.
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