still waters run deep – wall art

Description

***this art quilt won a prize in the 2018 state quilt exhibition, Island Quilts***

ripples

stitch sinuous lines

around small pebbles

strange

I can’t see my reflection

just a few dead ferns

a swirl of leaves

shadows

This art quilt represents a stream running through bushland – rippling over rocks and pebbles, carrying fallen leaves along with it as it progresses downhill.  Sometimes, where trees overhang the edge, the water is dark and mysterious, full of shadows.  Its pace slows until the stream is barely moving at all.  No one can tell how deep the water is. There are no reflections, and it’s hard to believe that it will ever reach the sea. In life, it can be difficult to know the way ahead, even to understand ourselves and our hidden strengths.  The waters might seem deep and still for a time, but ultimately we find our way through the shadows and into the light.

Eco dyed/printed silk (vintage), linen, old handkerchiefs, lace and upcycled clothing. Glitzy scraps and tulle from a costumier’s scrap bag; organza from a friend.

Techniques include confetti collage, 2D and 3D applique cut from actual leaf eco prints, and free motion machine-stitched ferns and quilting.  My original fabrics and design.

39 cm x 87 cm (15.5 in x 34.25 in)

“I am a Canadian-born eco artist living and working in the island state of Tasmania. I hold a Bachelor of Education (Art Major, distinction) and a diploma of Art Craft Design; I taught within the state education system, did management and community work, and then found my true calling after having a work-related breakdown in 2002. I opened my gallery/studio exactly 1 year later to the day and discovered eco printing and dyeing in 2008. I have always loved textiles and stitching and part of my mission is to raise awareness of them as a valid art form. My underlying philosophy is to create products and source materials as ethically as I can. I find and reinvent vintage and preloved clothing, fabrics and other materials with natural dyes, paints made from the earth and deconstruction techniques, allowing them to inspire my work. Materials for natural printing and colour are mostly foraged from our own property, where I can manage the trees and plants respectfully. My business is based in northeastern Tasmania, Australia; this is where I display and sell my work.“

art is like breathing to me – life and thoughts impressed on paper, cloth, the air; fleeting sounds and images captured before they escape forever

(c) Rita Summers

Visit my website to see what is current in products and workshops. I do offer a few online workshops if you are not local to Tasmania.   Gone Rustic Studio