Color Explosion Road Trip...

Three intrepid quilting friends and I took a two-hour drive to Dunedin Fine Art Center (DFAC) in Dunedin, Florida, recently to visit and appreciate some wonderful quilt exhibits. Top billing at the museum went to The Tentmakers of Cairo exhibit, shown here. Based primarily in "the market of tentmakers" in Cairo, Egypt, the men who stitch these pieces, are a combination of artist, maker, and entrepreneur.

There were a lot of quilts beautifully displayed. The color washed over us the minute we entered the room.

The art form, which features intricate applique motifs stitched on a whole-cloth background, began in a utilitarian way. At one time, the homes of nomadic people in Egypt were constructed with canvas walls and roofs. The tentmakers began to enhance the plain inner walls with bright stitched elements like those seen in these quilts.

You can see the detail, expressiveness, and imagination of the designs in this close-up photo.

Cotton textiles are used for the motifs which are accented with stitchery. You may be able to see that the background fabric is often a more canvas-like cotton, as in this example, which is heavier than quilting cotton. I couldn't help but consider how tough that is on the hands when sewing through the layers. And the men sew quickly and prolifically, which you can see in a 3-minute video from The Quilt Show I'll link here.

The profusion of color and design is very absorbing for viewers. While no longer used for walls and roofs of dwellings, the quilts still have a ceremonial use for weddings, funerals, and faith celebrations. And art collectors purchase them for wall art. DFAC offered a price list for any of the pieces that were for sale.

The tentmakers were teaching a class in their methods at the museum.

There was also an exhibit titled The Return of Velvet Elvis. Local artists could try their hand at painting on a black velvet background, in a style reminiscent of the 1950s when images of Elvis Presley were popular. I thought this entry captured our last year-and-a-half quite nicely! There were other exhibits at the museum as well, and we also attended the Studio Art Quilters Association show in nearby Tarpon Springs, Florida. More photos from those in my next post.