As I make slow progress on “Material Girl”, I continue to be perplexed by the challenge of creating dollar sign striped wallpaper. A few weeks ago I shared my multiple attempts to capture images from the pages of fashion magazines using gel medium, and then cut them into shapes that could be applied to my new art quilt.
Having successfully cut out strings of dollar sings, the new challenge is how to apply them to the surface of the artwork. My first attempt was to stitch them in place. Knowing that the signs were essentially sheets of acrylic plastic, I assumed that close stitching would simply cut through the acrylic and shred it, so I used a blanket stitch that would only hop over into the acrylic surface every few stiches. I also lengthened the stiches to increase the distance between perforations. Stitching along, just off the edge of my dollar signs it seemed that all was going well. However. Once I had completed several inches of stitching, I stopped to examine the results. I found that the acrylic was holding up well in paces where it was relatively thick, but was already beginning to tear in the thinner spots. This would never hold up to time and travel.
Looking around the studio for ideas, I spotted my old friend tulle. I chose a fine champagne color to lay over the background of the composition and was able to stitch around the dollar signs. They are now held in place and protected. The tulle has minimal effect on the overall appearance. If anything, it helps to diminish the boldness of the background and put it in the supporting role that is was meant to play.
I hope to enter this piece in the Au Naturel: the Nude in the 21st Century exhibit, but the deadline for entry is fast approaching, and my next challenge is the foreground. A short description of this finished piece will be: “ Material Girl: Surrounded by luxury, buried in debt, and still looking for the next shiny object.” Can you guess what I’m going to do? Here is another clue: Unfortunately, I, like this girl, am running out of time.