Beth Miller
Vessels

Vessels have existed for thousands of years and over that period have been used for a large range of purposes. Their uses have been as carriers, storage, decoration or simply reminders of travel, friends or family. We place within them our secrets - our treasures. They become a constant both inside and outside our homes and in the process our personal history is recorded for others to read. Some may have sleek lines epitomizing elegance or be textured with lichen or algae with age. Placed together they create a strong presence.

All the vessels in this collection, except one, are in alcoves. They are contained, but conversely are contained themselves within the alcove.

Texture has a powerful connection to the senses of touch and sight and I have continued to explore and experiment to create different types of texture. Each vessel displays a different technique. The design ideas for my quilts have come from the vessels I have in my collection and I have used my photographs as inspiration for the textural surfaces.

Technique/Materials
Each vessel has been constructed from silk fabric and has been embellished with hand or machine embroidery, hand or machine stitching, beads and felt buttons to create the various textural techniques used. The cotton canvas background and the cotton and raw silk alcoves have been machine quilted.

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