Horizon

This quilt was inspired by a 1957 photolithograph of a music program designed by Josef Muller-Brockmann, a Swiss graphic designer, teacher, and author (you can spend hours browsing through MOMA's online archive of images, so be forewarned).  I was struck by the effect of distance he achieved with such a limited use of shapes and colors. 

This is a quilt I didn't have time to make, but it just sort of flowed out of me, which I think is always a good sign.  It's certainly a great experience, when it happens that way.  I decided to make the quilt quite small (30 x 42), as an experiment for a larger quilt in the future.  If I get to come back to this design, I will change the proportions and quilting somewhat, but overall I am happy with what I was able to create improvisationally.

The binding, a text print from Mama Said Sew, is a nod to Muller-Brockmann's frequent use of typography. I used half inch straight line quilting across the whole quilt, changing direction to emphasize the illusion of a horizon line.

The back is a kind of psychedelic ombre dot. I think it echoes the feeling of depth from the front.

I hope to carve out some time to experiment with a few more ideas inspired by mid century modern art.