Contrast, make your art quilts POP!

 

Put two opposites side by side, what happens?

How do you stand out in a crowd of people dressed in black?

Wear whit

I make art quilts for sale and  I do silk paintings. I want my work

to get noticed. Do you want art work that stands out on your walls?

Contrast can make a big difference.

Strong contrasts make things  stand out, they are noticed  immediately, commanding  your attention. A strong contrast will intensify the impact of the contrasting items.

The definition of the word contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association.

Why my interest? I’ve been thinking about contrasts lately and more to the point, how can they be used effectively in to create interesting fiber art quilts.  I’ll get to that query later. But first I have one of my little stories to relate.

   Sane or insane? Earthling or alien?

Update, Whew. I’ve Been Keeping Busy

I’ve been working fast and furious

I’ve been focusing on several quilts. As I’m wrapping up the Stained Glass Window quilt, it occurred to me that I may not have posted photos of  the other quilts I’d finished.They are both painted silk with thread painting.Here are a few photos. Both quilts are available on my website.http://barbaraharmsfiberart.com

They are both painted silk with thread  painted,

Pink Blossoms Blue Sky

Detailed view of the thread painting on Pink Blossoms Blue Sky

1. 

Pink Against Blue a fiber art quilt

Details of dogwood thread painting

The Red Egret art quilt 

              Here’s the other art quilt I’ve finished, the Red Egret, I began this art quilt with silk painting the                                   background. While doing that I roughly blocked in the color areas where the features of the design would later be placed. The egret was created almost exclusively with thread painting,

A pictue of the art quilt Red Egret in it’s entirity

The paints I mixed for the water I added a sprinkle of glitter to create the glints of  that are reflected off the glassy surface of the water. light makes when reflected

Red Egret fiber art quilt by Barbara Harms

               A detailed look at the thread painting that created the feathers.

Red Egret Fiber Art Barbara Harms

So there they are, a couple of the quilts I’ve finished. Next post I’ll show you the 3rd, a stained glass window quilt..  commission

Ann Fahl’s secret to amazing applique

Ann Fahl recently sent me her latest booklet, Applique Ann’s Way”.  I couldn wait to . get it out of the bubble wrap and packing.

I predict this will be welcomed with enthusiasm.

When the subject of applique arises many quilters feel intimidated, it seems so difficult. It can be like the old monster in the closet that we feared as a child. BOOO, scary. But in reality, there is nothing to fear. It is an imagined monster.

A iphone photo I feel a quilt coming on.

A follow up to my iphone “sunset out of a moving car window ” photos. I have gotten a good start on an art quilt using some of the car window pics as an inspiration. I’ll post the small beginnings tomorrow. It may work out nicely, got the silk painting about finished. Now I’m about ready for the next step thread painting and final quilting, which are make or break points in the outcome.

60 MPH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO PEONIES , POPPIES and a FOXGLOVE a botanical art quilt

TWO  PEONIES , POPPIES and a FOXGLOVE a botanical art quilt

I used applique to attach the flowers, which were thread painted to add body and detail.

Here’s the finished art quilt. I quilted it with MonoPoly clear thread because I wanted the texture but not added competing color.

SOLD