Here's the final instalment of photos from the galleries at the Festival of Quilts this year (from me at least - Hazel may have more when she is back from Scotland!).
First today is Contemporary Quilt's Elements gallery. Each year this special interest group of the Quilters' Guild has a juried challenge open to all members, with a theme and a set format. The interpretations of the Elements theme were wide ranging, and really illustrate the breadth of contemporary quilting, as you will see from the pictures.
First today is Contemporary Quilt's Elements gallery. Each year this special interest group of the Quilters' Guild has a juried challenge open to all members, with a theme and a set format. The interpretations of the Elements theme were wide ranging, and really illustrate the breadth of contemporary quilting, as you will see from the pictures.
Unfortunately I didn't note the makers of the quilts in my general views above - if you know who they were do leave a comment. You can read more about the setting up of this gallery on Claire Passmore's blog. Below are some close-ups of some of the quilts (click to get the whole image). There will be a book available later in the year from Contemporary Quilt's website.
And finally the Fine Art Quilt Masters gallery. An international juried competition open to all, celebrating 'those quilts that transcend craft and achieve art status', the gallery showed the seventeen shortlisted quilts. The winner was announced at the awards ceremony and as usual attracted comment and controversy (well it wouldn't be a worthwhile competition without controversy would it?!). Here are some that attracted my attention. Do leave a comment to let us know what you thought if you saw the quilts (or if you didn't).
The Winner: Susie Koren - Gravitational Force 1687
Susie Koren's winning quilt was striking in its simplicity. The maker used monoprinting with soya milk and raw pigment and minimal stitch to illustrate the repetitive force of the sea. It was inspired by Newton's explanation that the ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon on the earth.
Karina Thompson's The Leper's Skull is one of a series of pieces made after spending time with the collection at the Biological Anthropological Research Centre in Bradford, where there were artefacts from a mediaeval lepers cemetery in Cirencester.
Karina Thompson's The Leper's Skull is one of a series of pieces made after spending time with the collection at the Biological Anthropological Research Centre in Bradford, where there were artefacts from a mediaeval lepers cemetery in Cirencester.
Karina Thompson - The Leper's Skull
The next three quilts appealed to me because of their colour, the techniques used and the subject matter. I love the effect of breakdown printing (where a silk screen with dried procion dye on it is printed with wet medium resulting in a serendipitous, never-to-be-repeated, gradually changing pattern of marks. The skill is in how these fabrics are then used in composition. Leah Higgins employs a beautiful colour range and machine quilted detail in this stunning quilt inspired by what we leave behind.
Leah Higgins - Ruins
Using the same technique, this time combined with discharge printed fabrics and dense machine and hand stitching and a subtle colour palette, Audrey Critchley's piece was inspired by a challenge to dye a palette of pale fabrics.
Audrey Critchley - What Lies Beneath
And Cherry Vernon-Harcourt's hand-drawn and painted piece was inspired by the landscape of North Norfolk. I love the spareness of line in this - and the subject matter of course!
Cherry Vernon-Harcourt - Coastal Study
The final two quilts on our tour of the gallery contain another of our favourite elements: text. Claudia Helmer has used laminated paper screen-printed text to convey her feelings about the empty words spoken by politicians and the corporate world. The central panel was cut out and hangs in front of the main body of the quilt. Simple, dense machine quilting completes the work.
Claudia Helmer - Empty Words
Sara Impey takes machine quilting to another level with her meticulously free motion stitched words, this time on 'tapes' which were woven together. A former journalist, what she writes is as interesting as the way she writes it, and makes for fascinating reading. This piece explores the meaning of the concept of the stitch.
Sara Impey - Deconstructing the Stitch
Sara Impey - Deconstructing the Stitch (detail)
Well that is the last of my photos. We hope you have enjoyed our perspective on the Festival of Quilts for 2015. If you have, please leave us a comment.
Bye for now
Terry & Hazel
Bye for now
Terry & Hazel
RSS Feed
