Wanderlust Week07: Suzani inspired art

Week 07 of Wanderlust brought us Suzani inspired art by Kasia. I must admit, I had to look it up, as I'd never heard of Suzani before. It's a decorative textile art form originating from Central Asia, typically including concentric designs.

We were supposed to use pens and markers for this project, in line with this month's theme, in conjunction with paper piecing, painting, etc. I've put a slightly different spin on this and just went with what came to me. I've created two versions as I thought the first one was a bit of a fail (again!) in terms of not achieving the class objectives. Then I realized it's not about achieving anything at all and the classes have no objectives other than to inspire us in any way possible.

Here are my two pieces, in reverse order, i.e. I did the first one second, but that's my preferred version. It's paper piecing (with inked edges) on a mixed media background. I'll also show you how the background was built with collaged tissue paper and layers of paint. I quite liked this background and toyed with the idea of using it for a different project altogether.

The design on the second page was stamped/painted and outlined on a quite busy background, which is why I chose just black and white for the main element. At one point I almost abandoned this page - the background just got too messy, but a quick wash of quinacridone nickel azo gold has saved it! Not for the first time, either! You can just slap this gorgeous colour on just about any doomed project to save it!

Both of these are very different from Kasia's sample canvas, but this is my interpretation. They're both in my 12" X 12" spiral album, back to back on the same page. I like how I can stand this album up and display it like an easel.