Shifting Strata II & Shifting Strata
Quilts - Each 71cmW x 107cmH (28”W x 42”H)
These quilts were inspired by photos taken on a trip down the Kimberly Coast in Western Australia. During the dry season the King George Falls is almost hidden in a cleft between these remarkable rock faces.
Shifting Strata II depicts the contrasting and distorted layers of strata that are a product of movement in the earth’s crust revealed by errosion over millennia.
State of Flow
78cmW x 129cmH 31”W x 51”H
Date: 2010
Materials : Hand dyed cotton and silk, hand-dyed jacquard sprint, crushed velvet, velour, moiré taffeta, gold lamé, some printed fabric, metallic organza.
Techniques: Hand dyeing, fabric manipulation, trapunto stuffing, soft edge applique, beading.
Owner: Cynthia Morgan
Design Concept: State of Flow was inspired by the golden extrusions of the sulphur springs in Yellowstone National Park. The design concept was a development out of the Ripples series- with the padded shapes leading the viewer’s eye through to a third dimension.
Ripples
75cmW x 127cmH 29½”W x 50”H
Date: 2010
Materials : Hand dyed cotton, gold lamé, some printed fabric.
Techniques: Hand dyeing, fabric manipulation, soft edge applique, beading.
Owner: Cynthia Morgan
Design Concept: The Ripples series was inspired by a photograph of water running over rocks and sand. I was drawn to the gold lamé to depict the colour and movement of the water across the sand.
Ripples II
77cmW x 127cmH 30½”W x 49”H
Date: 2010
Materials : Hand dyed silk and cotton, shibori-dyed cotton, beads, gold lamé, some printed fabric.
Techniques: Hand dyeing, fabric manipulation, soft edge applique, beading.
Identifying marks: Name on front and back.
Owner: Cynthia Morgan
Design Concept: The Ripples series was inspired by a photograph of water running over rocks and sand. For this quilt I wanted to change the pattern of the ripples and have the water rushing through a narrow neck.
Ripples III
78cmW x 138cmH 30”W x 50½”H
Date: 2010
Materials : Hand dyed silk and cotton, crushed velvet, velour, opalescent ribbon, beads, silver lame, some printed fabric.
Design Concept: The Ripples series was inspired by a photograph of water running over rocks and sand. In this quilt I used silver lamé instead of the gold lamé and a deeper palette of turquoise and blues to depict the colour and movement of the water across the sand.
Poppies
Design Concept: Poppies are a favourite flower of mine. I love their cheerfulness and fragility. The seem to reflect my positive attitude to life. This quilt was a commission made for Rod and Renee Hoare, who specified multi-coloured poppies.
Quilted By: Machine
Colours: Various greens, lemon, orange, and red.
Materials: Hand dyed cotton, silk and polyester, yarns..
Techniques: Hand-dyeing, fabric manipulation, appliqué, fusing, burning, couching.
Identifying Marks: Signature on front and name on back
Few mediums offer the same flexibility as textiles as an artistic expression of life itself. Through the age old traditions of quilting, the individuality of different fibres has been explored in detail, and a new artform is emerging. The artists’ talent is tested by their ability to express the personalities of the media, and through their craft create a personal bond between viewer and art.
Cynthia Morgan is a resident of the Sunshine Coast at Caloundra, an hours drive north of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. Her studio overlooks Tooway Lake, Moffat Beach and Headland and the sea. She dyes her fabrics to achieve greater subtlety for her art quilts, and loves to work in the ever changing sea colours. Cynthia is known for her Rainforest, Australian Outback, and Flower series, as well as the Barrier Reef and Sea series. Between teaching assignments in USA and working in her studio, Cynthia and her husband choose for their frequent holidays, interesting locations in the rainforest, or Outback Australia, or on the Barrier Reef to inspire her. Cynthia uses the photographs she takes on these holidays as her jumping off point for her designs. Through her quilts Cynthia wants to make the viewer more aware of the beauty of the natural environment which is being gradually eroded by man’s uncontrolled intrusion. This reflects her concern for the growing struggle between retaining the integrity of the natural environment while still allowing for man’s sustainable development.
