When Devi Chapman visited us, some of her quilts reminded us of works of abstract art. We decided to use this as the inspiration for our latest mini quilt challenge.

Members were invited to pick an artist to inspire their mini modern masterpiece. It didn’t have to be an abstract artist, but the quilts did have to be modern – a Rothko might be easier to translate than a Renoir! They could pick one artwork, or be inspired by the artist’s style of work. The quilts measured 12 x 12 inches.

Here are the quilts – they’ll be split into several posts.

Inspired by Anna Dillon – Cari Dennis

Being a keen hiker I knew I wanted to choose a contemporary artist who was inspired by the rugged drama of the south west landscape, in particular, Dartmoor.

Anna Dillon’s work spoke to me because it manages to convey, through colours and shapes, the moodiness and majesty of the moor. The path that winds through the rolling landscape only to get lost in the bracken and soaked through with rain!

I tried my hand at improv piecing. I definitely found matching up segments of the work challenging! I found Anna’s use of colour really inspiring.

Inspired by Gaudi – Frances Grice

I fell in love with the mosaics of Gaudi in Barcelona on a family holiday in 2015. The gecko motif occurs in several locations but particularly in Parc Guell which inspired my mini quilt. The main challenge was to keep the half inch squares separated by colour shades when arranging the mosaic,  particularly when working by an open window! Special thanks to Angie Padilla for tips on technique.

Inspired by Paul Huxley RA – Molly Miller

Jacob’s Ladder, Acrylic on board.  The inspiration for my quilt came from a visit to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in June 2024.  When I saw this piece it instantly reminded me of a modern quilt with square blocks and negative space, ideal for our mini quilt art challenge.

I had to purchase some brightly coloured solids as they do not exist in my stash!  I don’t think that I quite achieved the perspective of the circles as they appear in the original artwork.  I enjoyed trying out matchstick quilting for the first time. 

The original artwork was listed in the catalogue for sale at £60,000!