What is Surface Design?

details of my surface designs: hand-dyed fabrics, recycled rags, and stitching

   Of course fiber artists (a.k.a fiber freaks and textile geeks) have their own lingo. Just like electrical engineers, neurosurgeons, and Big Wave surfers have theirs. So I'll spend a little time talking definitions and giving examples here.
   Surface design involves the creative exploration of processes such as dying, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, and papermaking. 
   In 1976 a national organization, the Surface Design Association, was founded to support the innovation going on in contemporary textile art. Today the SDA publishes a journal, maintains a website, www.surfacedesign.org and sponsors exhibitions.
   

Hand dyed, painted, and stitched surface by Polly Masaryk

Dyed, pieced, layered, and stitched cotton by Polly Masaryk

   Surface designers are community-oriented. We tend to share skills and technology. Many of us are teachers and historians as well as artisans. For this reason, many local surface design groups satelite around the national organization. Utah has an active membership. Check us out at www.utahsurfacedesigngroup.org

First Thought: Hello World!

FIRST THOUGHT Project with the Art Quilt Group in Cleveland, Ohio. 1995.

• Hang a piece of fabric on your workspace wall. It might be a piece of anything from unbleached muslin to a highly patterned piece that attracts you. This will be your canvas or foundation - your starting point.
• Keep a blank notebook and a pen handy to record your first thought each day.
• After you have been away from the fabric on the wall for awhile come back to it with fresh eyes.  Write down your first thought in response to what you see.
• Manipulate the fabric according to that first thought, idea, or feeling. Work from your first thought.
• Day after day, with fresh eyes, write down that spontaneous, first thought and create an artwork from it.