Karol Kusmaul

Flirting

28h x 26w inches

2018

Artist Statement

Flirting began as a single portrait, but the strong orange on the right required a second character. I enjoy employing pattern and strong contrasts in my work. Most of the fabrics are upcycled from thrift store treasure hunts. Because of the overload of prints used, I try to limit my color palette. In the early stages, the girl’s eyes gave her a mean look, so I played with the placement of the eye parts, and now, there seems to be a sweeter story happening here.

Materials

Commercial and upcycled fabrics from clothing, embroidery floss

Techniques

Raw-edge hand-appliqué, machine quilting