Graffiti

The term graffiti comes from the Greek word to write, and can be defined as images or lettering painted, scratched, carved, or marked in some way on property or natural landmarks. It can be anything from a scratch to words, to a wall painting, examples have been found all over the world and date from the earliest times. Ancient examples can be found in such diverse places as the ruins of Pompeii, the catacombs of Rome and the Great Wall of China to name just a few. Often graffiti carries a social or political message, or may just be the means by which the writer can mark "I was here". Considered by most as destructive vandalism that defaces property, there are also those who value the artistic merit of contemporary graffiti artists with their free expression, individual tags, and colourful spray-can paintings.

The A/NZ Art Quilt online group set this month's Journal themes as graffiti or colour, with suggested technques of collage or layering. This is my piece.

It is made with cotton damask which has been painted with acrylic paints, stamped, stencilled with shiva paintsticks and permanent markers, written on, layered with fabric printed with symbols on the computer, with other bits of raw edged or torn fabric appliqued by machine, and then machine quilted. The edge is faced, rather than bound as I did not want it to look too quilt like. I'm calling it "Forget me not".