After enjoying the process of the Pojagi in the last challenge I was keen to carry on exploring layers and the idea of looking through. On a train journey from Cornwall I had plenty of time to let my mind wander and notes I made at the time include suggestions of monoprinting on cotton; building up layers of print on top; sponging; painting over stitched, quilted fabric, discharging, painting again; scribbled stitching. As the train slowly approached London we passed a Macdonalds' with its iconic arched logo and that turned a light on. Having recently seen Karen Turner's work I thought about layering fabrics over a textured basecloth and cutting the arches through to reveal the texture below. I think that would have been a fun way to go but when I got home and started looking at my photos of texture and architecture I found an image I had taken in Leicester near the New Walk Museum of a very decaying building.
As you can now see the image at the top caught my imagination and I decided to explore that with surface design on fabric.
Using my own printed , dyed and discharged fabrics I cut and bonded the pieces to batting layering one or two sheers with text on them below the dyed net curtaining that forms the 3 neutral columns. My free machining/quilting skills are distinctly lacking but I used a variety of stitching to describe the cracks that you might see as a building deteriorates. The 'quilt' is A3 size and there is no binding, the backing was turned through and the edge closed with top stitching all round.
The beauty of this challenge, as with the preceding ones, is that it has opened my mind up to so many possibilities and so many ways to interpret the texture in architecture and I could and hopefully will carry on exploring for many months to come. I am hoping that the next challenge will lead naturally into related areas of work and I still have to come back to how pojagi and archi-texture can come together.
5 comments:
I love the colours and texture in this, Julie - and the way you've isolated just those two pillars...
Wonderful effect, and I particularly appreciated your description of how you made this piece. Challenges like this just change the way you look at the world around you, don't they?
Thank you Liz and Kathryn. I have to admit to always having been inspired by the surface of things, especially rusting and decaying surfaces. These challenges are certainly making me view my own work differently and making me be more adventurous although I feel I must go further.
Oooh Julie this is so unusual, I love it! I will be looking at buildings like this with a new eye from no on!
+I'm fascinated by decaying buildings an I love your treatment of your source material: a rich and lovely interpretation :)
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