Saturday, December 12, 2009

Dripping in Diamonds

The Argyle Diamond mine in the rugged and remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia is the world's primary source of rare pink diamonds which attract, on average, 20 times the price of an equivalent white diamond. Argyle pink diamonds come in a range of stunning hues and intensities, from a purplish pink to a blush pink champagne. I endeavoured to capture this range in my dyeing exercise. However, I found it challenging to incorporate many different values into a small work whilst still retaining the diamond shapes inspired by the Argyle pattern from Scotland which is derived from the tartan of clan Campbell.

This quilt wanted to be a diamond, not square, but eventually I coaxed it into shape.


Argyle Diamonds © 2009 Brenda Gael Smith

10 comments:

Gerrie said...

I like this a lot. Wish I had made this, too.

Diane Perin said...

Gorgeous colors, such strong graphics -- and the handquilting really stands out, even on screen. (I've seen this one in person and it's stunning!) Beautiful, Brenda!

Kristin L said...

This is a s very Brenda quilt. I enjoy how you've distilled the story down to it's simplest shapes, and it still reads well -- plus it's just plain enjoyable to look at.

Terri Stegmiller said...

Very very Brenda! I wish I had made this! I love all the stitched texture and the diamond design is so fun and wonky. I have visions in my head of you coaxing it into shape.

Terry Grant said...

Yes, I too love the wonkiness of the diamond--it gives it a little sparkle! And love the idea of the argyle pattern being used to create the diamonds. Great color range.

kirsten said...

I love the use of Argyle! And I, too, wish I had made this :)

Cath Babidge, Sydney said...

brenda, beautiful - as are the others, of course!

Susan Brubaker Knapp said...

Gorgeous. There's so much movement in this piece because of the wonky-ness of the squares, and the stripes in the fabrics (or is that quilting?) Love it!

Karen said...

Susan is right, there is so much movement it just dances around!

Françoise said...

This is great, and very Brenda indeed. I like all the different values of pink you used, and the shapes, the quilting. Actually, I like everything in this quilt!