Joan Brailsford – Decay #5
The Forgotten Door
For my latest in the Decay series I decided to work a little more abstract than the previous pieces. I had in my mind an old door with faded and peeling paint that had been scratched, used to display notices, and badly repaired.
To depict the image I had in mind, I used an old drop cloth that had been used many times over, and was over-painted with textile pigment. I then used acrylic paint and acrylic ink to cover a piece of bondaweb, and overlaid this onto the fabric. This gave the depth of pattern I wanted, to depict layers of old paint on the wood. I added dyed and printed paper pages from an old book, then sheer chiffon to keep this from tearing. I also added old newspaper and wetted and rubbed these away to give the impression of wear. Both paper additions were to depict notices that had been displayed on the door, then had faded and decayed.
The wooden ‘slats’ were created by machine quilting in vertical strips, but not necessarily in straight lines, to demonstrate the warping and twisting of the old wood. The hinges were cut from commercial rust dyed fabric, with hand stitching to show the screws. Finally I added some random hand stitching to add a feeling of having been used for many things which have somehow left their imprint on the structure.
I am happy with the freer feel of this piece even though it doesn’t accurately depict any actual door.
Detail views:
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
This is a great depiction of what we see when old doors, sides of building etc are used over and over again. Well thought out and designed. Bravo
I see so many interesting details, I can’t stop looking at this old door. It tells a long story of life and its deterioration. But even more interesting is the story of how you created this wonderful quilt. Well done!
This is really an old door. So nice how you used different materials and techniques. Well done.
It was a great idea to use an old drop cloth. The choice of the other materials also makes your piece very interesting.
This looks exactly like an old door.
The use of the old drop cloth is very effective! I like how you have added newspaper and printed pages.
As a lover of old damaged doors I am in awe of this piece. The addition of the old paper pages makes it very interesting. Because of the rusted hinges you know immediately that it is a part of an old door. Bravo.
You created a beautiful old door. So many interesting details in this piece. Love the addition of the newspaper strips and pages of an old book. With those great rusty hinges there is no doubt that this is an old door. Well done!
I love your introduction of torn paper. The rusted hinges, the many shades of peeling paints. Beautiful quilt!
I really like the use of different materials to create the artwork. The use of color is also very good.
The abstract nature of your quilt is stunning, the use of color is perfect. The old, weathered and torn newsbills add a touch of realism overall. Good job.
The closeup view of the old, distressed door is amazing. All the techniques you used are spot on. Love all the layering giving the quilt so much texture, realism and interest. Well done.
Great use of so many materials and techniques to create this door. It’s an excellent representation of the doors, fences and walls that we’ve all seen over the years. Great work.
Old doors tell a lot of stories and you captured them all in one, perfect!