Yesterday I showed you some of my earliest forays into printing on fabric with my printer's type. Some years later I got into a new phase of printing on fabric, using the letters as abstract designs rather than to spell out words. Here's an example: I prepared the background by stitching the large letters into tight bundles and applying fabric paint with a brush; the paint wicked out just enough to make a fat initial. Then I printed the smaller letters on top.
I worked for 20 years at a company that was the world's largest employer of actuaries, and much of my work involved translating complicated actuarial concepts into terms understandable by our non-actuary clients. So I spent many hours hanging out with actuaries, and my son also trained to become an actuary. I was envious of their ability to think in numbers, and imagined that when they lay down to sleep, they might see numbers floating about.
I made a quilt covered with numbers and called it "The Actuary's Dream." It wasn't in the roll that I unpacked last week and I don't have a good photo, but the next time I come across it I will take a picture and show you. Subsequently I made a half dozen or more "actuary quilts" -- here are four of them.
As in the alphabet quilt above, I bound or sewed the fabric into bundles, then applied fabric paint to make the underlying patterns, before printing on top.
I love those maps. It so interesting to see the different series that have engaged you. I have also had the experience of having no recollection of a quilt I obviously made previously. I try to document as I go, but it doesn't always work out.
ReplyDeleteThis is not àpropos of this work necessarily, but your work in general – take a look at the Instagram "sarahjw70". She's vacationing in Menorca and photographed a quarry which reminds me of your work.
ReplyDeleteVancouver Barbara