Ali George Artist

The paler side of intense orange and blue transitions in my hand dyes led my to the almost washed out pinkiness of muted oranges. Definitely not my idea of making a statement, yet they carry quite the story for one of my exhibition quilts - tales of trees and log cabins. Enjoying the process, the experiments and the constant learning in this exhibition adventure.  

Experimenting with curves and abstract trees and branches. Part of a new quilt for my exhibition with Rebecca Staunton Coffey later in 2024. Lots of hand printed and hand dyed fabrics that, when cut into slivers, made really great trunks and branches - textural and lifted the otherwise flat appearance of each block.  

For years I've been dyeing and hand printing most of the fabrics I use in my practice. Each piece has been unique and, to an extent, difficult to replicate. I wanted to bring my drawings, prints and doodles to life and this is the first. I really like the feel of Spoonflower's Petal Signature Cotton, although the background would have been better as pure white - this piece has a blue-ish tone. I'm going to love putting this piece under the needle.  

I have kept nearly all scrappy offcuts and tidyings of my hand dyed and printed fabrics. Over time, I have joined these into what is a rather large ball. I added some other bits and pieces to create a colourful bowl. I love how the transitions of colour are so random and spin outas is from the sun. Serindipity at its best. I'll continue working back into this by hand to add marks and other embroidery. From a fairly quick and easy project, it has become a slow stich, comforting project.  

  I made a king sized quilt many decades ago for a friend and after many winters she returned it because of wear and tear. Instead of faithful service, stories and history, she saw something that no longer held value. There were tears and wear points, and the only other option if I couldn't repair it, was to throw it away. I suggested she give it back and I'd turn it into bags. Fifteen so far, and that used one of the side panels. Two side panels and the top of the quilt to go. I'll try to find some other ways of giving the quilt a second or third life, ever so glad it stayed out of landfill.

  Scaling up an image of the Brisbane River to develop the substrate for a new art quilt. Each square needs to be 6cm x 6cm to make a finished size of 5 cm square.  I created a "to scale" model of the finished quilt on drafting paper. I printed an image of the river (attribution below) and then scaled it up to get a fairly accurate flow across the quilt.  The substrate rightly tells the background story. It is the foundation on which the main elements or features reside. So it isn't the "hero" of the piece - it needs to be recognised and visible without overwhelming the piece.   I can now easily identify which squares hold a section of the river and start to experiment on piecing, applique, fusing, printing, and painting to learn which gives the best outcome for the substrate.  (Brisbane River original image: Magpie Shooter; edited version Paulguard at en.wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/indix.php?curid=9724127) My foundation piece might well end u...

  I've been limited for studio supplies and space for about two years,  confined to a 16-square Kallax and a sewing table. (OK, full disclosure, there are a couple of bolts of PFD fabric in a back room I have accessed for dyeing). Two boxes contain finished quilts tops in need of quilting, there are protein and plant based fabrics ready to dye, hand dyed and printed lengths, my mark making equipment and a box of office supplies. The open shelves contain the things that make me smile (top row) and the resources that inspire me like books, journals and sewing supplies (second row).  The restrictions have been in terms of available space, resources and time. I'm confined to 4 metres x5 metres after having access to a large, outdoor barn/studio and an internal sewing room/spare bedroom.  When we moved from Tarome we had pared down our belongings to such an extent that more than half the remaining cartons were filled with art and studio supplies.  There are about 25...

I find the process that resolves itself as a textile work challenging. In the beginning I am clueless. This is as much a strength as a source of mild anxiety. I have learnt persistence and turning up are as important as creative thinking.  I'm mindful  my first response is not going to be the best so I'm starting with a mind-dump. My focus is the Neville Bonner Pedestrian bridge connecting Queens Wharf to South Bank. Thoughts are scratched deep into journal pages. I'll find more connections over coming months. Right now I'm challenged and torn. What started as perfunctory research about Meanjin's (Brisbane's) newest bridge has developed into a sense of disappointment and WTFWTWPT (WTF-were-the-white-people-thinking)? I'm unpacking those thoughts in my journal - the architects and their inspiration, the consortium , what the bridge connects, where it leads, Yuggera and Turrbul people's connections to this part of the river, Mr Neville Bonner's  own ...

Priority #1: Create My CBD office sits on the edge of this mighty, murky waterway - the Brisbane River.  Over the next six months I'll be working on an exhibition piece as part of the Broadstrokes artists group.  Starting with the obvious, I'm making preliminary sketches to determine the substrate form. I need to consider how it will perform under the visual intent of the piece. That is, " substrate " can be used to convey those things which " underly " or " sit beneath " the  primary image. Infused by a river.  I need to consider the political, social, economic, ethical or moral connections.  I'll also explore which  materials are best suited for that purpose. 

Priority #1 Create Progress on the larger scale Kandinsky's Half Tuna. Testing border fabrics and how the eye moves across the design. Nearly every scrap or offcut has been used to create about 10 metres of border fabric. It is a change of scale and line as it comprises mainly straight, angular pieces in contrast to the curved blocks.  Inspired by a challenge piece (30cm x 30cm) for Quilt Symposium 2022 in Wellington, New Zealand based on two paint chips.   

Priority #1 - Create Progress on the upscaled block created for Symposium2022 (Wellington, NZ). This queen sized version builds on the Symposium challenge of using Reseene paint chips (Kandinsky and Half Tuna) to create a single 30cm x 30cm (12" square) block.   My exhibition piece was inspired by a Kandinksky painting - strong lines, curves and inspirational composition. The larger version comprises 9 blocks made in the style of the challenge piece. The finished quilt top will comprise a 9 patch (3 x 3)  framed in black and brought together by a wonderful green Kona cotton that was selected after the blocks were made.  The dilemma of finding the "right" fabric was solved using an app ( A Quilty Solid ) by Steph Skardal.    I uploaded an image of the constructed border which I made from block remnants - anything the size of a square inch (2.5cm squared) or larger was used. So far, about 9  metres  The app then gave me 20 colours from the image, an...

  Priority #1 Create: Making zippered bags from some of my art quilts is getting them out of storage and transformed into something useful. I'm using a technique from Design Matters TV whose re-imagined purse pattern is a delight to make. Every time. Each bag is lined with hand dyed and printed fabric. I'm enjoying saying "goodbye" and "thanks for your service" as I cut into quilts that, at the time, consumed every creative moment of my life. I'm enjoying the wooo hooo that accompanies the letting go. It's good for my (creative) soul.