SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Association, is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art quilt and the artists who create them. Periodically SAQA calls for member entry. The current call is H2Oh! I completed my entry today ... the very last day of course.
Prospectus: "Water - it’s everywhere! The majority of the earth’s surface is covered by water, and more than half of the human body consists of water. But water also plays an essential role in our survival. This exhibition encourages the artist to interpret one of the most vital, desired, powerful, sacred, and enjoyed resources on earth in their own unique, individual style, whether abstract, graphic, or representational."
The Sargasso Sea is located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the only sea without a land boundary and is defined solely by ocean currents. The sea is know for it’s brown Sargassum seaweed which floats en masse on the surface and calm clear deep blue waters. The free floating Sargassum seaweed and the azure blue waters inspired the colors that formed the matrix for my art piece. A drop of water, the landscape of the seaweed, and the currents of the sea are depicted through choices in stitch, line and form.
What I loved most about working on this piece was the process of hand stitch. It is a slow process that allows me to contemplate each line I add. Sargasso Sea hung in our main room for over two months as each new day brought a new thought to stitch design. One morning I woke, looked at the art and knew it was finished.
The art quilt measure 17 wide inched by 52 inches long. I used felted wool as batting. The back side of the hand stitching is revealed through using white silk organza as backing. Materials used are hand dyed, wax resist cotton and silk, textile paint applied with a credit card and small brush, embroidery pearl cottons in differing sizes of 3 - 12, wool and silk yarn, felt wool batting, and backing of silk organza.
Wish me luck for the SAQA selection process is rigorous due to many gifted artist entries.
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| Sargasso Sea |
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| Detail #1 |
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| Detail #2 |
