I wanted to write a bit about holes. I’m a big fan of openings as they break up the surrounding space and provide a window to what might lie below. They give both visual and literal texture. I’ve burned, drilled, punched, ripped, used the multi-needled felting machine, and applied a heat tool to make openings. Recently, in a course I took with Debbie Lyddon, I’ve added rings (metal, plastic, etc.) to cleanly outline the holes. This is a different look from my previous methods. These openings are stronger, demand to be noticed and appear more intentional.
The first example is a quilt called CONCRETION. The righthand upper 2/3 has a flap through which I made the holes. Each window has a different element visible below. Concrete is a compound of many materials, and I liked the idea of showing some of these in the layer normally not visible. This piece also has images of holes which are printed and sewn but not actually open as contrast to the literal ones.
HOLEY (H)AIRPLANT is another recent piece that uses holes. I was thrilled with the piece of canvas I had dyed for the layer below the Lutrador and wanted to make sure that viewers would be able to see it. So I have stitched the hoops on, cut away the Lutrador and burned any remaining material inside the opening. I also burned a lot of smaller holes with the heat tool. I spray painted these outside panels so the hooped holes blend visually to their substrate; then I sewed each panel onto the underlying (dyed) fabric.
So many simple ways of adding depth and interest!
