Sandy Snowden (GB)
Ramshackled Houses
My piece for the SAQA Benefit Auction is a
continuation of my ‘Ramshackle’ series in which I have been exploring
Neighbourhood. I have been using houses with a sketchy look to develop the
character of a particular neighbourhood.
Past works in this series have explored
proximity and positioning of houses. I found I could show estrangement or
togetherness, depending on the lean of the houses and the placement of
‘accessories’ like a path or smoke from the chimney.
Along with these ideas, I am exploring colour.
Does the fabric used as background contribute to the mood or relationship of
the neighbours? For instance, in Ramshackled Houses, I haven’t added
paths, but I think the green gives a pastoral feel and a sense of
companionship.
Making
the work -
I seldom sketch before working, choosing
rather to develop the ideas in my head and then work them out in fabric. But
for my ‘Ramshackle’ series I make a little sketch of what I have in
mind. It helps me get a better feel of the positioning of the houses.
 |
| sketch |
To make the Ramshackled Houses I used
printed cotton fabrics. The top layer was fused using Misty Fuse before cutting
the shapes and positioning them over a dark fabric.
When everything was arranged to my
satisfaction, I fused the pieces into place. After this was the rest of the
quilt layers, securing the pieces with straight stitches along edges, further
quilting through the layers, and lastly the binding.
And the finished Ramshackled Houses piece
I sent to SAQA for the Benefit Auction.
