Fire and Ice

When I was searching for inspiration for my Geology piece, a good friend suggested the Paint Pots at Yellowstone National Park. I had never heard of these colorful mud pots but the organic shapes and bright colors instantly drew my attention. Paint pots were my starting point for this piece.

As I worked, the shapes and textures spoke to me more than the colors. I challenged myself by using silk fabrics on a background of Minky (a soft, synthetic, plush polyester). I’ve used silk as an accent fabric but never as the main element. Here I used silk velvet, dupioni and charmeuse in both reverse and traditional applique.

Though I attempted to stabilize the fabrics, they frayed with impunity. The velvet created its own colorful dust which stuck to the black background. I decided to embrace the messiness as part of a natural evolution. My stitching includes cotton and polyester threads.

Only at the very end of construction did it strike me that my piece was more reminiscent of land and sea than the paint pots. When I looked at my piece I thought of fjords. My title “Fire and Ice” is homage to Iceland which is known as the land of fire and ice because it was, and continues to be, formed by both.

36” L x 24” W