"Moroccan Mosaic"         
by
Maryel Cowell

Inspired by things seen on a holiday in Morocco. I love Islamic art and it was there in abundance! This piece is a combination of Islamic art and modern imagination. One of the hotels we stayed in had the most amazing ceiling in the entrance hall and that was my starting point.  The arches were a nice idea but they nearly lead to a divorce!

Thanks to my friend, Yvonne, who helped me choose the fabrics and thought of the title, and to my husband, Bob, without whose help it would never have been made.

On seeing the finished wall hanging my son-in-law, Steve, said that it was a pity that you couldn't see into the garden. Well that was like a red rag to a bull, and now it has a gate that opens!

The Responses

 "Flight of Fantasy"
by
Terry Donaldson

It took me a while to gather inspiration for this piece. I didn't feel as if I had travelled anywhere for a long time – certainly nowhere exotic. I started to think about where I would like to go – Penwith in Cornwall, Barcelona, Venice – and began to draw pattern, colour, impressions.

One day I started to think outside the box – what do these places have in common? – what draws me to it whenever I travel somewhere? – what is the common thread? The sea. And the idea was born…

The panel on the left is inspired by patterns found in Gaudí's fantastical architecture, which, at the time, I hadn't seen first hand (hence the fantasy), whilst the other panel represents the sea.

The Responses

"Enalion"
by
Julia Gahagan

Kefalonia is a beautiful island with rocky coastlines, mountainous backdrops and pretty traditional villages. The beautiful location of Enalion, with its contemporary and modern buildings provided a huge contrast to the deserted buildings in parts of the island devastated by an earthquake in the 1950's.

The Responses

"India Explored"
by
Lois Bellew

On a recent trip to Northern India I was amazed to find so much pattern. Every surface of every building and every piece of cloth either worn or draped was adorned with pattern. Using many different techniques this piece of work is in homage to the expert skilled makers of India both ancient and contemporary whom I could never challenge but have loved to imitate.

The Responses

"Maya"
by
Kate Dowty

This quilt draws on imagery found at some of the major Mayan sites, especially Palenque, Tikal and Uxmal. These sites are vast with huge temples rising above the forest canopy. The sophisticated architecture and heavy surface decoration enhance the overall impression. The sites had been deserted and the surrounding forest had reclaimed the space. Although some areas have now been cleared, much still remains hidden.

I have tried to capture the effect of small sections of the structures emerging from, or perhaps being invaded by, the rain forest. The techniques used are similar to those experimented with in Built to Last?  - a smaller piece which was also displayed in our 2009 exhibition. Both began with line drawings on very lightweight cotton which were then positioned before building up the background areas and adding additional embellishments.

The Responses