Today the Australasian Quilt Convention 2017 opens in Melbourne and I am delighted that my artwork Karkalla features as a finalist in the AQC Challenge Made in Australia: Flora and Fauna.
Karkalla aka pig face (carpobrotus rossii) is a succulent coastal groundcover plant native to Australia. From late spring into summer, it forms a vibrant carpet on the dunes at Copacabana where I live. Its daisylike form brings instant cheer with pink tendrils and a large yellow centre reflecting the sun.
If you have been following my Weekly Art Project, you will know that karkalla/pigface flowers have inspired two earlier works. It was fun to build on those textile sketches to create this larger work which is 90x90cm (36×36 inches). This graphic shows the three works to scale:
In terms of technique, Karkalla is pieced from my hand-dyed fabrics and intensely stitched with straightline quilting:
The textured centre is freeform cross-stitch with variegated perle thread. Pure sunshine!
The Australasian Quilt Convention continues until Sunday 23 April. I look forward to seeing the AQC Challenge on display at the Sydney Quilt Show at Darling Harbour (22-25 June 2017) as part of its international tour with the Craft & Quilt Fairs. You can also view the AQC Challenge 2017 finalists online.
Shasta says
I am still really enjoying your weekly projects. It’s funny that I’ve often drawn flowers this way, and didn’t know that one that looks like that really existed! Pretty!