ART QUILT GROUP: Surface Design

art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take risks. ~Mark Rothko

In volume 8 of Quilting Arts' e-mag, 'In Stitches', there is a fun article, 'A Collaborative Collaboration'.

Essentially six different artists conducted a surface design round robin.  My Art Quilt Group talked about it and four members decided to partake.  

Here are the rules from the original group:

• Each of us started with a plain white fat quarter.  
• Each artist added a layer of surface design to each fat quarter, using a variety of techniques.  
• We limited our techniques to surface design methods, so embellishing, cutting, sewing, and collaging were not permitted. 
• Surface design covers such a wide array of techniques that there seemed little danger in running out of new things to try. 
• Dyeing, painting, stamping, printing, discharging- and other techniques- were used by the participating artists.

So for our group, we each needed 4 fat quarters and performed the smae suface treatment on all four pieces.  The next month, these four pieces were given to the next person for them to add another type of surface design.  After four rounds, we each ended up with four different fat quarters.

As the round robin progressed, it became stressful to add an additional surface treatment. We asked ourselves,  "What if after three rounds, I ruin the piece?"  We all agreed that the experimentation was worth the risk.

Here are our results:

Techniques for above piece:

1. Fabric Painting: Setacolor transparent- Ultramarine Blue

2. Resist Dyeing: Flag folded with popsicle stick resist- Dharma's #15Magenta Dye

3.  Fabric Painting: Applied with texture roller- Jacquard Textile Color, #110 violet and #123 white

4. Stamping: Applied with circular daubers- Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow, 822 Sulfur green, Jacquard Textile paint, 123 White, and 568 Pearl

Techniques for above piece:

1. Hand-dyed with Dye Magnet: Dharma #61 Ice Blue

2. Over-dyed with flour paste resist: Procion Mx #086 Forest Green

3.  Printed:Printed with cut leaf shapes from plastic plates

4. Sponge print: Olive green acrylic

Techniques for above piece:

1. Hand-dyed: Navy Procion, double strength

2.  Paint: Yellow acrylic paint

3.  Foil: red foil with steam-a-sem

4. Discharge: Bleach pen on back side 

Techniques for above piece:

1. Hand-dyed: Procion, 072 Medium Blue and 192 Lilac

2.  Printed with Bubble-wrap: Mix of Luminiere Pearl White and Dye-Na-Flow Violet.  Applied with a brayer

3.  Stencil: Freezer paper stencils (used 16 times!)

4. Rubbings: Paintstiks rubbed over a rubber-stamp

We enjoyed this round robin so much we are talking about starting another one next month!  Until then, the challenge is to see who uses one of their fat quarters first!