Many more hills to climb

When thinking about this theme, I decided to combine both an actual horizon with an idea of my personal vision for what will be on the horizon for me. To explain, you should know that I am a keen hill-walker, and especially love the Peak District of England which is near to me. So, I thought I would combine a number of my views of the Peak District scenery to give an impression of the place, without being an actual location. In doing so, it provides a view with many rolling hills stretching into the distance – a horizon – and reflects my own personal horizon which will hopefully be many more hills to climb.

The scenery is made from sheers, silks and cottons, bonded onto a firm cotton backing, with the finer fabrics in the far distance, getting thicker as they move into the foreground, to give a sense of perspective. The rocks in the immediate foreground are made from rough silk fibres. Details in the foreground are hand stitched, while the shape of the receding hills is machine stitched, both for definition and as quilting lines. I have added trees to the foreground and to the tops of the middle-distance hills, to continue with my underlying topic of ‘trees’, and because when you view an open landscape, it is often the trees which define the contours. The sky is quilted with free motion machine stitching to resemble clouds.

Detail view: