Friday, April 17, 2009

The First Annual Bloggers Quilt Festival is here!

Two posts in one day ☺ When I posted earlier I didn't know about the wonderful First Annual Bloggers Quilt Festival going on over at Park City Girl's place for the next week.


Click on that cute button and check out the many quilts on "display"!

I didn't have to think long or hard to know which quilt I wanted to feature in my post: my first "art" quilt. I'd been wanting to try my hand at interpreting a painting of some sort, and knowing my skill level had decided that cubism was an ideal place to start (there are big blocks of color and the corners don't have to meet). I'd also been wanting to make a gift for a dear friend who spent some years in Spain but is now living in D.C. So when I found the work of Juan Gris, I knew it was perfect! It was hard narrowing it down to which of his paintings I wanted to interpret, though. I love his work, and he created some wonderful monochromatic pieces as well as beautiful vibrant ones.

I finally settled on "Landscape with Houses at Ceret" because it is discernibly a landscape (not all cubism is identifiable) with houses and this was to be a housewarming gift. Plus the bright colors match my friend's personality! It was SO much fun to choose the fabrics and materials to use in this project, a chance to use some dimensional items (cording, buttons, beads) for a little more interest. For someone who'd done primarily very traditional quilting, this was a challenging and stretching experience! I loved every minute of it. Many months worth ☺ I didn't have a lot of time to work on it...a morning here and there, and an hour or so in the evenings a few times a week.

I carefully cut and pieced the top together like a puzzle. Literally!
Then I quilted it by hand, adding the dimensional objects as I went along. Each block of color is quilted differently, depending on my mood at the time. The finished piece is about 3'x5' (sorry, but I didn't measure it before I gave it away). It now hangs in my friend's dining room.
This quilt was a turning point for me, as I became more and more convinced of the value in making quilted wall art. I'd love to make everyone I know an art quilt ☺ There aren't enough hours in the day, but now I have several projects under way and I keep an expanding journal of original ideas. While it was a lot of fun to interpret an existing piece of art, I began to see the possibilities of designing my own. It liberated my creative side to be bolder with color, shapes, design...and the use of other materials (metal, stone, paper, found objects and so on).

It's also the reason I'm finally, after all these years, taking an art class. I'm hoping what I learn will translate into better art quilts.

24 comments:

Mari said...

That's awesome! I am so impressed. Nice job!

Anya said...

Great quilt. Thanks for sharing.

Skoots1moM said...

love all the colors and angles...my mother quilts traditional patterns...your choice of materials was awesome, especially when i enlarge the picture!
maybe this fall i will start my hand at it...i want to try free form and just see what i get...from the middle out!

em's scrapbag said...

Love the color and wimsy in this quilt.

Zonnah said...

Wow, what a great piece of art!

Tacha said...

I really like this quilt. You could look at it for hours and find new shapes coming out at you.

riTa Koch said...

You are sooooo talented!
Love the idea, the colors, the art!
Your friends (and family) are blessed!

Jocelyn said...

Absolutely amazing. It is a piece of art! Thanks for sharing.

Becky said...

Thanks for sharing your quilt! What an accomplishment!

Aunt Spicy said...

So I was in Southern France last year and could not get enough of Cezanne's landscapes...your quilt reminds me of them!

Kari V. said...

The quilt turned out great. I have never thought of interpreting fine art into a quilt. Your result is fantastic!

stitchinpenny said...

I love your art quilt. It has turquoise so that was a given, but the freedom you allowed yourself makes the quilt great.

Ilena said...

An incredible quilt! So beautiful, you've done a wonderful job.

Quilt Rat said...

Love the look of this BRAVO! and all that hand work is very impressive
great job!

Judy Alexander said...

Love your landscape! Great colors and design. I also do landscape quilts so please stop by.

Unknown said...

Wow! I love your quilt - the colors and quilting are so pretty! I really like your story and thought process that went into making it - thank you for sharing :)

Colleen formerly of South Africa said...

Lovely quilt ,the colors just pop out at you.

Jody Sanders said...

Very cool! I love everything about this quilt.

Isa said...

Oh I love it. Beautifull clear colors.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

What a great art quilt! You are a talented lady. Thanks for stopping by!

Unknown said...

Wow, very impressive.
Teresa

Susan said...

A beautiful artwork.

Granny Lyn said...

This is wonderful,,,your FIRST art quilt? what a great job!

SewCalGal said...

What an absolutely beautiful quilt. Great use of color & design. You have really done a fantastic job.

Thank you so much for sharing it.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com