Ali George Artist

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  I love the feel of lino giving way under the blades of  my Pfeils. I look forward to testing the print, checking for noise and tidying up until the print is perfect for textile printing. This beetle, inspired by a gorgeous book of insects by Ponsonby's, is cut into a 15cm x 15cm piece of lino. I'm creating a set of six or eight, connected only by the uniformity of lino block size - we'll see how that works in a monochrome print run on Kauffman PFD fabric.

Priority #1 - Create The new indoor studio and office is under construction. The whole build has been in the pipeline for 2+ years with delays due to everything from pandemics, to supply, to just because good things often take time. The beauty and curse of planning the new studio from scratch - I can take all the credit for the design, and it's only on me if something isn't right!  Recessed, sliding doors will open to reveal and 5m x 5m space divided by look-through Kalax shelving into two distinct areas. The practical creative space - for sewing, stitching, piecing, quilting and all things Bernina will take up about 60% of the floor space, while the office component will be used for ongoing paid employment, study and creative pursuits of the digital kind. Along the north facing wall (sheeted) I'm planning shelving with enclosed containers for my textiles and art plus a couple of lounge chairs to relax, read and be still. Steve Parcell Builders included a gorgeous recess...

Priority #2 - Turn up Our most recent exhibition, Connected by Thread , opens at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery , Cleveland on Saturday 2 March 2023. So excited to be exhibiting again with Broadstrokes .  Six of my art quilts are included in the exhibition, as well as bags and bowls made from repurposed art quilts and samples.  Read about the Broadstrokes artists and our individual inspirations on our blog  and take a sneak peak at the exhibition pieces. Hope you can join us for this fun event.

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.

  Priority #1 Create: Experimenting with a new carving inspired by brilliant Australian designer Francis Burke , Finnish artist Maija Isola and Swedish designer Stig Lindberg.  I am experimenting on a former hotel tablecloth. It is one of many end-of-life hotel linens I purchased through a disposals agent. They are mostly a cotton/poly blend. They are invaluable for test prints. The process ground to a halt when my assistant  tried printing with his inked up wirehaired haunches. After a few days of drying (the cloth, not the assistant) I'm ready to continue. Many lessons and tweaks from our session. The solid rectangles overwhelm the more delicate stem and bud shapes. An issue with scale perhaps. I'll continue without re-carving the block. Repetition of itself is pleasing to the eye and the registration quality could, in the wisdoms of Shunryu Suzuki, do with a little improvement. Textile: used tablecloth, 75% cotton and 25% polyester printed with original linocut design...