Talking about mixed media

Following on from my last post here are pictures of 3 Journal Quilts with a Venetian theme which I made both for a challenge on the QuiltArt site as well as for a travelling exhibition by Grosvenor Exhibitions. I was notified yesterday that the 2 that are going to be at the Spring Festivals organized by Grosvenor had won the 3rd prize, which is always lovely to hear! The theme for this competition was Traveller's Tales and the masked traveller on my Journal Quilts comes from an Alpha Stamps stamp, called Art Deco Harlequin Girl. The yellow/pink and purple/green ones are the two I decided to send to the competition after much deliberation. They looked best together but I myself really love the silver/blue one. They were really made to be exhibited all three together which will happen in due course at my 2011 solo exhibition

These JQs really are very mixed media, encompassing fabric (cotton, silk, velvet and leather) fabric-paper collages, vintage pictures printed on fabric, inchies, beads, sequins, buttons and mask charms to name but a few but in other respects they are true quilts, as they have 3 layers one of which is wadding (batting in US speak). This is definitely the direction my work is taking me as I had an absolute blast putting these together! And that's what it is all about. Something I need to tell myself today as the quilt I'm presently working on is giving me a lot of pain and grief!