IQFOI 2013: Art Quilts

As you may already know, I spent the majority of my weekend at the International Quilt Festival of Ireland held in Galway at NUIG.  I had very little time away from the shop to run around and check out the quilt exhibits, but I thought I would show you a few of my favorites.  Much to my surprise, I found several art quilts that were just amazing.  They're not my normal "thing", but I couldn't help but to stop and stare a while.  Hope you like them too!

First up a quilt by Denise Labadie from Co Clare.  This was just amazing and looked like a painting from afar.

Paulnabrone Dolmon (32x63 inches) by Denise Labadie from Co Clare

Up close you can see how she used both quilting and color to create texture.  It was simply incredible.

Next up, a quilt in the Tattoo and Graffiti exhibit by Korinna Schwerdt.  I was struck by the "cool" factor of this quilt. It's not your normal art quilt by any means.  Still, batiks make an appearance.  Interesting.

Fashion Kills Personality (150x120 cm) by Korinna Schwerdt from Bayern, Germany

She even had a little 3-D belly button ring!  Hilarious.

Possibly my favorite, a quilt by David Taylor of the bum of a bulldog in the snow.  Awesome.  Who would ever think to quilt a pup bum?  It works, doesn't it?  This piece really did highlight the skill of the quilter.

Maynard (81x54 inches) by David Taylor from Colorado, USA

Isn't it amazing the amount of quilting on this pup?  It gives a great texture to the fur as well as the fence post.

And finally a quilt by Lourdes Cruz of Mexico.  I'm so sorry I didn't get a great photo of the full quilt.

La Catrina en Michoacan (67x40 inches) by Lourdes Cruz of Nuevo Leon, Mexico

In the detail, though, you can see the variety of materials used and the time and attention that went into creating this beauty.  I just like how well this quilter was thinking outside of the box.

Even though I never envision myself making an art quilt, I do really enjoy seeing how these quilters use fabrics to create "paintings" and quilting to add texture and details.  It's clear the time and attention these quilters put into their work.  

Tomorrow I'll be back with a few of the pieced quilts that took my eye.  You can obviously expect a great splash of color...