Wonderland Waterfall

I approached this challenge with the best intentions to learn and execute a 3-D piece.  In keeping with my theme of water, I decided I’d create dimensional rocks and cliffs over which the water would fall. I’d heard Peltex was a very firm stabilizer and would allow me to project out from the vertical surface so my water could cascade over the edge. I set about creating the perfect cliff: geometric, stable, stitchable. I made a paper prototype and then the real thing.

What a pain! After all my well-intentioned analysis, I’d created something boxy and symmetrical. Ugh, not only do I dislike symmetry, but whoever saw a box-shaped cliff? The next two rock protrusions were totally improvisational. I like them the best. I continue to be amazed that, as a very analytical person, my art life proceeds intuitively. This challenge, as all the others, provides such a great opportunity to expand my skills, my methods and my understanding of my personal evolution.

I named this piece “Wonderland Waterfall” because my husband said it looked like something out of The Hobbit. I was excited to use the hand-dyed silk velvet I acquired this year in Houston, along with my personally rusted cheese cloth, cotton fabrics, yarn, Angelina, Peltex, and cotton, metallic and polyester threads. The cliffs are Peltex, the dimensional rocks are trapunto. This is the first time I’ve used many of these materials and it was great fun to experiment. 

Despite the deadlines, I am always grateful to this amazing group and the opportunity to learn and be challenged.

Wonderland Waterfall is 20” wide by 40” high by 3.5" deep.