Arlinda's Art Quilting

People ask me what my criteria is for fabric for my landscapes. There aren't a lot of rules. If you wish to make a realistic portrayal I do have some suggestions:

First: Look around you. What are the colors you find in nature? If you look closely, you will find almost every color occuring in nature, plus all the manmade objects offer even more colors.

Second: Some prints just do not translate into anything you find in nature. But, you have to be careful here. I might cut a small shape from something you would swear could not be in a realistic landscape or seascape.

Third: What you do need are many shades(values) of a color and it helps if you find many different textures within that color range.

Fourth: Quite often realistic portrayals of natural objects do not work in my pieces. The lighting, the shading, the sizing might be all wrong.

I work intuitively, striving for a painterly effect. Fabrics that can give me brushstrokes of color make me deliriously happy. Mottled fabrics, handdyed fabrics, these give me good effects. Sometimes clear colors are what is needed.

You have to remember you are going to cut some pieces that later you will decide are not right and remove. You also have to remember you can subtly or sharply change the fabric: thread, fabric markers, paint are all used for that purpose. Twisting and folding fabrics help with texture.

Look at the work of landscape quilters you admire, really look at their work. One of the people whose work  I admire who used odd combos of fabric was Joan Colvin. I might use part of a flower for a rock, part of some sealife might be just right for foliage. When I am working I am looking for lighting and mood. I get these by the values of my color selections.

Bright summer day, bright vivid clear colors. Overcast cloudy day, muddy grayed muted colors. You are really trying to fool the eye into thinking it is seeing what you wish it to see.

So, if you are interested in realistic portrayals of the landscape, pull out your fabrics and practice making a little magic. If you are interested in non-realistic portrayals, the sky is the limit. No matter which you choose, the most impoortant fabric is your sense of fun.