Marine Life in Art Quilts
Above all,marine life is front and center in my home town of Santa Cruz,California. For example,this is where three young princes of Hawaii first surfed in North America on July 19, 1885 on large redwood boards. In addition,Santa Cruz is at the top of the Monterey Bay with the world class aquarium just an hour away. The area is also home several national marine research facilities. Surf City, U.S.A takes its marine life seriously.
Art Ranks High too.
However,Santa Cruz is also listed as fifth in the nation as an artistic destination. That is to say that many artists live in the county. That is to say that marine life and art come together in this newer genre of art quilts. Come be inspired to try it yourself!
A Visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium
In the beginning when I first started making marine life art quilts, I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In other words, I wanted to observe the fish. What do their mouths look like? What shapes are their tails? My intention was to create a accurate picture of the sealife. However, that idea went out the window very quickly. In conclusion,there is no one way that a fish’s mouth looks. The variety of shapes and forms is endless. My underwater fantasy portfolio was born. In addition, I was free to create an animal in any way I wanted because there was probably a fish that looked that way somewhere.
Sea Dragons at the Aquarium
Similarly, I saw my first sea dragon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was that a plant? Was that an animal? It was impossible to tell. I was fascinated. Ever since that day, I have been incorporating sea dragons into my art.
Technically,sea dragons are cousins to the sea horse. What? It is hard to believe. Sadly for us humans, the sea dragon display is not longer at the aquarium. Happily for the sea dragons, they have been returned to their natural habitat in the waters of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. However, they may be on display at another aquarium.
https://www.annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/03/fabric-layering-technique-another-look/
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/https://montereybay.noaa.gov
Color,Texture and Movement lead the Way!
I explored creating marine plants and animals using the fabric layering technique. In the same way, I added texture and movement to each piece! Color,texture and movement lead the way! Lots of thick decorative threads add texture and life to the underwater rocks. In addition, in Sea Dragons in the Golden Kelp, I created the animals by thread painting on Sulky water soluable fabric stabilizer.This thread painting technique creates lacy and leafy animals. Use one’s imagination to see animals among the plants.
84 cm x 66 cm
Furthermore, underwater fantasies lend themselves to the use of sheer fabrics. Who knows what shadowy beings are lurking in the depths? Shiny, reflective fabrics cut into the shapes of fish and marine life add a dimension that often only becomes visible is a certain light. What a surprise! What fun!
43cm x 43 cm
In Conclusion
In conclusion, underwater seascapes lend themselves to different colors, textures, and techniques. Create a fun marine world!
In addition you may read more here about the actual fabric layering technique I use. Follow the step by step procedure to make your own underwater seascape.
https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/03/fabric-layering-technique-another-look/
https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/annbmayartquilts/
These sites may be of interest to you also.
