Too much Contrast

Although I like clear lines and a minimalistic decoration in a room depending where it is and what the surroundings are, I find this one to contain too much contrast. In tropical landscapes you have plenty of light and the abundance of vegetation often needs a counterpart of simplicity. In this case though the contrast is too harsh in my opinion and the placement of the two additional colour spots increases the contrast even

This could easily be softened by different artwork above the bed such as this wall hanging and the silkcarving on the opposite wall.

The wall hanging above the bed is an art quilt made entirely of silk and handquilted with silk. The small wall hanging on the opposite wall is a silk carving, also made of silk and hand stitched with silk. Both have been painted with silk dyes and metallic pigments.

"Apsaras"
52" x 69", silk art quilt
©Petra Voegtle

You can read more about this art quilt here. There are also more detail photos to see.

 

"Apsara"
( from the Angkor's Faces series)
silk carving, 14" x 14"
©Petra Voegtle

The above silk carving has been mounted on stretcher bars and is ready to be hung with or without additional frame.

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Exotic Flair on a traditional American Medium

What could be more decorative than this art quilt - which means it belongs on a wall not on a bed. It is entirely handquilted with silk and finally handpainted. Inspired by the apsaras bas-reliefs in Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Indian Epic Mahabharata this beautiful wallhanging will be an eyecatcher for every room. You can find the links to various stages at the end of this post.

There is something very personal about this art quilt because it brought me back to painting. While other artists, coming from the media “painting” suddenly turn their interest into working with fabrics and textiles, in my case it was totally the other way round. While I may go back to quilting from time to time and "test" my inspirations on rather unusual themes and materials again, it was the creation of fabric images and quilting that brought me back to painting, that I stopped doing for various reasons many many years ago.

The “Apasara” motifs existed in my head a long time before I even travelled to Southeast Asia. Memories from the 70′s and Indian influences that flooded the western countries during the hippy era already existed in rudimentary pieces in my brain. Through the years of travelling I developed a greater interest for the culture of the Khmer and I studied many photo documentaries in books and on film.

Although I have never been in Cambodia physically I got to know the country and its people through tales and contacts outside the country itself – many Cambodians still live in exile and have found new homes.

I have shown this art quilt a couple of times in various vignettes and now I want to show you the details of this piece.

"Apsaras"
52" x 69", silk art quilt

©Petra Voegtle

 

 

The following pic shows the back of this quilt which has been embellished addtionally with hand applications of satinee leaves.

The last 3 pics show the hand stitched, intricate details of the dancer's jewellery.

 

 

 

If you would like to know more about the background and "making of" this beautiful art quilt please check this link
Please use these links to get an impression of how this art quilt appears in the environment of a beautiful room: interior1, interior2 and interior3

Btw - this quilt has been juried into and shown at the main show of the big International Quilt Festival in Houston in 2004. Citizens of Houston will know what this means...

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Dreaming of foreign Countries and the most beautiful Sculptures of Women...

Quilts are for the bed! But there are silk art quilts which belong on a wall. Such as this one. And it is an hommage to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and its ancient art with hundreds of apsara sculptures, which have been carved into the stone walls of the temples. Ancient cultures, where silks were common in clothing and the interior of houses...

This silk art quilt is called Apsaras, it is completely handquilted with silk and painted. Gold pigments were used to highlight jewellery and ornamentation - but this is not all...

original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

"Apsaras"
52" x 69", silk art quilt
©Petra Voegtle