Another glorious day here in Montevideo,  and it began as it often does with an early morning walk along the beach.  These days the sun is up pretty early and if I get there by about 6am or 6-30, the textures on the beach due to the erosion action of the tides are highlighted with shadows that  fade and diminish as the sun rises higher in the sky.  Also, an early start means other things in the day don’t interrupt me or completely divert me.   The music from Dirty Dancing, The Full Monty, Manu Chau,  Hotel California or Beethoven’s Sonatas among other firm favourites,  plus any marching music are wonderful to walk along with, unless I am engrossed in my current recorded book.  I generally have my camera. 

As you saw in recent posts, some of the small works have distinctly land texture themes, as does most of my larger quilt work.  It’s one of my lifelong preoccupations. I studied a bit of geography and geomorphology, then married a geologist.  He and I see ‘landscape’ rather differently, as I concentrate on the surface, he sees it in terms of structures and historic processes to say nothing of composition of rock types.  Since I began seriously stitching as an art medium in the late 1970’s I have always found inspiration in landscape textures.  My first solo exhibition  of creative interpretive embroidery I called “Sunburnt Textures” (1987)  and the following three pieces are from that exhibition:

This ?1985 wall hanging/quilt was made many years before I became 'a quilter'. Using paint, soft sculpture and masses of french knots, it is approx 1.25m x 1.5m. In our many years of living in Australia's dry and remote Outback I missed the watery environment of my Tasmanian upbringing which is why I called it "Distant Shores"

"Simpson Desert Sunset" is about 30cm x 20cm, a freeform bargello needlepoint, highlighted with masses of french knots, dates from approx 1979. The frame is not visible.

 

"Outback Landscape" is a framed embroidery from c1985, approx 30cm x 40cm, using paint with stitch and found objects. collection QueenVictoria Art Gallery and Museum Launceston Tas.

 

 

 Today’s collages are of pics I have taken here in the past couple of years, in all weathers, or following interesting weather.  The first is of actual lines left on the beach by water and wind:

The second is of the wonderful linear sets of shapes highlighted by the early morning sun on the fresh sand.  These were taken in the last week or so as at the moment the tide is on its way out when I get there.

 Today, and this is probably an age thing,  I see landscape as a metaphor for Life.  In simple terms, throughout the natural world there is an endless cycle of young, mature and aging landscapes, whatever the scale, from vast deserts, lofty mountain ranges to coastlines and beach profiles.  For over 30 years this fascination with the physical landscape has been at the core of my creative inspiration.  I’m still not sure where the myriad of tiny jellyfish I found on the beach this morning fit into this, but with a better camera tomorrow I will try to capture some of these amazing little 1cm – 2cm sized blobs like small wet blisters all along the water’s edge. They will probably be part of another collaged group… perhaps ‘flotsam’.

“Fabrications #1” ,  3ocm x 30cm,  one of a series of framed small contemporary patchwork pieces.

I have just handed over a group of new small mixed media textile art works to Miguel, my wonderful friend at Galeria Los Caracoles, San Ignacio, Uruguay, for sale in the coming summer season about to get underway in the southern latitudes.  Including the example above, they are in several style groups, all of which relate to the much larger quilted wall hangings I have been making over the past few years.  So, from this and the examples below, you will see again:- piecing/patchwork pieces, other mixed technique works which include leather and burnt sheer fabrics, glittery thread of course, plus some hand and machine stitch.  In addition to being ‘small’ ie under 40cm, all are either framed or mounted.  My hope is that  my collectors, and other textile art lovers may consider buying them in pairs or groups.   The “Fabrications” are patchwork pieces, but there are other works, all landascape inspired, that are part of the “Timetracks”  series, or “Landlines” or “Tidelines”

“Timetracks #22”, 30cm x 30cm,  mixed media textile art.   (there are a number of other Timetracks quilted wall hangings in a gallery elsewhere on this website)

Tidelines #1,  20cm x 20cm, mixed media textile art.

I am working on more, and some of the samples from which they are being developed are shown below.

This last one, the black/gold and sheer group are being called “Landlines”.  The sheer surrounds have been burnt, the gold threads a bit clipped and they’re mounted on cream 20cm  pieces. But the final photo (mine)  was crappy, so when I do make some more I’ll re-post. 

What will the other samples lead to?  At this stage, I have no idea… but I like them, I’ll be thinking about them, (which is the main point) and in who knows in due course they probably will lead to something, somehow.

This week on the Quiltart list, there is a lot of interest in a challenge someone issued for members to try their hand at finding and using unconventional material (from hardware stores) in art quilts, by some specified time, and to photograph and publish the results online as a group – well I think that’s the gist of it since I haven’t  ‘done challenges’ these past couple of decades; and yet writing that I realise it is not strictly speaking true.  Everything I design and make is a challenge, of my own generation, really, requiring thought, possibly experimentation (samples) and commitment to achieve its completion.

There was a time nearly 2 decades back when I belonged to an experimental group in which the monthly challenges we took part in enabled each of us to grow, with more oganised experimentation, and through critique learn a lot more than what we achieved in our own individual works.  So this materials challenge will open a lot of eyes – the gee whizz factor being one result:” Who on earth would have thought to use tap washers/slices of garden hose/spray on weed killer/ etc in an art quilt?  Fancy that ….”  Participants will learn the positive and negative qualities of the materials they experiment with. 

But the treasure hunt for unusual materials and their use will not grant any of the works more artisitc merit unless the use of good design principles and the ability of the artist to connect with the viewer in some meaningful way is also pondered and employed. 

IMHO the art quilt world today is obsessively focused on techniques and materials, to the detriment of good design, and this challenge typifies the current imbalance in much of the work in this genre.

Dangling door handles from the lower edge, applying insect screen mesh or embellishing with tap washers may be technically interesting but does not necessarily produce something that is ‘art’.