In late May 2009, I began an experiment by placing two painted/printed/quilted pieces of art in both my front and and back yards. These were not pieces that I was particularly in like/love with, so I had no problem placing them out of doors for up to a year to see what would happen.
Shown above is the front side of the piece installed in my back yard, after living in the weather for 11+ months. It's a bit faded, especially the batik squarish parts that run top to bottom on both sides, and the back (below) is very dirty and mildewed after being rained and snowed on without the fabric being treated, and with the cotton quilt batting soaking up the moisture. Technically the front was treated because almost all of it was painted with acrylic-based fabric paints.
I really expected cleaner results than what I've got now, but remembering back to spring/summer 2009 and March 2010, it was REALLY really wet here. This past March alone we got about 15" of rain, so imagine the piece getting wet and drying again and again for a year.
Monthly pictures of both pieces, from last summer through mid-March, can be seen on my website. You can also read about it here on this blog.
My intention is to take the back yard piece down in a few days, and the front yard piece down shortly after that. I'm going to replace them with new work that is still fabric, stitched but not quilted, that is coated with acrylic matt medium for more protection. This will also allow for both sides of the piece to have color, and should help preserve it, similar to a how a freshly painted house or fence is protected. The new piece will be made in a similar way as the piece I have on exhibit at this time at the Studios Without Walls, for 6 weeks, but these new pieces will be outside for up to a year, to see how they do.
I'm rushing quite a bit to get the new backyard piece made and installed quickly because the clematis that grows nearby, and grew on the installation last year, is a month ahead of schedule due to our having an early spring. The clematis will be ready to grow on the new piece any day now, so I have to get it outside before it tries.
I'll post pictures of the new installation ASAP.
