Channeling Cave Paintings!

My attempt to go back in time and create like a cave dweller! 

I created a piece of confetti dyed fabric that I thought was too plain. I lived with it on the design wall for a few days and thought it looked a little like stone.... mmm.. something prehistoric was creeping into my mind! 

I pulled out a thermofax screen created from pictographs. A few years ago on a family vacation near Moab, Utah I took a photo of the ancient symbols.
Terri Stegmiller custom made the screen - check out her shop!

The design is a group of antelope (?), horseback riders and a dog (?). I am not 100% sure what the story is telling but the area in Utah has many similar stories left behind by our ancestors. 

I wasn't quite satisfied so I laid the fabric on cement and rubbed it with Shiva paint sticks. 

I checked out cave painting books from the library to research the tools, colors and typical subject matter our ancient forebears recorded. It is amazing to me that in such a primitive culture artists were active in making marks and recording their stories in the caves they used as dwellings. 

Thank you ancient artists - I hope today's mark makers  do you proud! 

The Family Themed Series Continues!

I enjoy designing pieces that allow me to think about my family as I create! This piece is titled, Seattle. We all met in Seattle, WA over Mother's Day and each of the red triangles represents a family member who was there. The fabrics are from my hand dyed stash. The colors remind of the luscious greenery in Washington and all the water, water everywhere! 

Seattle 
39" X 24"

Detail - artists hand dyed cotton, cheese cloth as well as deconstructed screened fabric

Art Cloth vs. Art Quilt

I've been experimenting with my style as a fabric artist and seem to be gravitating towards producing Art Cloth vs an Art Quilt. As an artist our craft needs to appeal emotionally and be so exciting you can't wait to keep going! I feel that way when I'm creating fabric. I like the way the cloth hangs and flows with a slight breeze and it's less taxing for me to complete a piece. 

Don't get me wrong - I also love designing Art Quilts and when the textures come alive with the quilting it is without question a fabulous treat... but... I have to go where my passion takes me and at the moment it's with Art Cloth.

The below piece is titled, "Pond Ice" and is 41" X 16.5". I began with 100% cotton and painted the fabric surface and then ice dyed. To achieve the crackled surface I used the flour resist technique. I made the leaf stencils by tracing leaves from the yard and I lightly sponge painted the leaves. To create depth I added a few layers of tulle to the completed piece. 

Pond Ice - detail

Pond Ice
41" X 16.5"