AN EXHIBITION of dramatic quilts by Pauline Burbidge opens at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle later this month.

Quiltscapes & Quiltline features a collection of new work by acclaimed textile artist Pauline Burbidge, inspired by the beauty of the rural landscape around her home in the Scottish Borders, where she lives and works.

Burbidge, who has been making quilts professionally for 40 years after studying fashion and textiles at St Martin's Art College in London, has divided the work for this latest show, a selling exhibition, into two types: stunning textile landscapes, showing wall quilts (Quiltscapes) alongside original, functional and usable quilts (Quiltline).

“Quiltscapes are like my paintings or collages, made exclusively as wall hangings, whereas the works I call Quiltline are functional, practical, and able to go in the washing machine,” she explained.

She has made seven new quilts especially for the show, creating textile landscapes motivated by rows of plants growing, landforms, the infinity of the sky above and the detail of the grass beneath her feet.

“I love the changing growth in the changing seasons,” she said.

In creating these pieces, Burbidge has chosen to explore several techniques new to her, such as Cyanotype printing.

“The Cyanotype process uses the sun’s rays to expose light to the fabric, and in doing so creates a wonderful blue colour print,” she said. “I’ve deliberately put these prints towards the top of my landscapes, as they remind me of blue sky.”

Making rubbings of plant forms and drawing directly on to fabric have also been two processes she has recently explored in her new work, which means selecting the appropriate fabric for the job. Keen to use natural fibres, she often chooses fine cottons or silks.

In the new Quiltline pieces – practical and functional quilts – Burbidge has explored drawing with large fabric crayons, directly onto the fabric. She also draws with her machine stitching line, using what she describes as a very sophisticated large quilting machine, choosing to draw free-hand with it rather than feed in a repeated pattern.

Quiltscapes & Quiltline runs from November 28 until April 10 next year, before transferring to the Ruthin Craft Centre in North Wales. After this, she is having a one-person exhibition in the US, at the renowned International Quilt Study Centre Museum in Nebraska, in 2016-17.

To complement the exhibition, Burbidge is running a three-day non-residential workshop from March 3-5, exploring a selection of design and printing techniques, including Cyanotype printing, and drawing with resistant fluid. Further details are available by calling 01833 690606 or visiting www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk. The workshop is suitable for all abilities.

Burbidge will also give an illustrated talk on March 6, revealing the creative processes behind the exhibition. Booking is required on 01833 690606.

A series of gallery talks begins on December 3, continuing on January 7, February 4, March 3 and April 7. They commence at 2.15pm and are included in the cost of admission to the museum.

For further information about Pauline Burbidge see www.paulineburbidge-quilts.com.