Art is a Bridge

The spring issue of Quilting Arts Magazine included a Reader's Challenge to create a 10" x 5" work with horizontal orientation on the theme "Art is a Bridge".  This of course was open to any interpretation of the word "bridge" - literal or figurative.  Sue is always up for a challenge and decided to give it a try, with a specific literal interpretation in mind.  On her trip to Scotland last year, a stop in Queensferry provided a photo op for several bridges crossing the Firth of Forth, one being the Forth railroad bridge.  

This is the photo Sue took of the bridge, which is the world’s longest cantilever railway bridge.  It was built between 1882 and 1889 and restored in 2012.  The red of the bridge was a striking contrast to the blue of the sky and water.

It was fairly simple to recreate, with only a few elements - water, sky, a bit of land and the bridge itself. The challenge was to create the bridge in a way that would visually allow the background to show through the lines of the bridge.  It appeared the solution to that would need to be a Thermofax screen, but rather than printing directly on the background, printing on something sheer so that the background would show through.  

The first step was to crop down to just the bridge and convert it to black and white.  Then the background would have to be eliminated to get to an image suitable for a screen.

Once that was done, some test prints were made on a sheer fabric to make sure the concept would work.  Then constructing the small piece could begin.

The photo below shows the background elements.

After the bridge was printed on Extravorganza, some MistyFuse was applied to the back.  Then it was cut out close to the shape of the bridge and fused in place on the background.

The last step was adding the quilting and embellishment.  Some yarns were couched to create a wave-like effect on the water. A bit of pen and ink were used to darken and complete some of the lines of the bridge.

Finished piece.  Even though it didn't make the cut for those selected to be published in the magazine, we thought you would enjoy seeing it and the process in making it, particularly creating the Thermofax screen. It will serve as a fond reminder of the trip!