Fish & Chips - design influences

Other than fish and chips, there are several inspirations for the quilt (which is 1 metre square).

My cousin's cat, Billy, a large black cat, used to like to sit up at the dining table and watch what was going on. He seemed to enjoy this immensely. I imagined he might just like to do the same thing at a fish and chip counter. Black cats usually have a hint of tabby when seen in bright light, so I used this when I chose the piece of batik for the cat.

I like the way that artist Mary Fedden arranges and interprets objects, particularly the way she views adjacent objects or even parts of the same object on different planes simultaneously. For example, she will depict a mug with the bottom edge straight as if you are looking at it from the side only but the top oval, with a view into the mug. Her work often depicts the sea or things of the sea, and cats frequently make an appearance. She uses strange colours or textures to depict familar objects (such as pairs of black apples). Her still life paintings are full of everyday objects yet are mysterious at the same time.

"Cat and Compass"

"Still Life by the Sea" & biographical notes

"Irish Lilies"

"Black Cat Cafe"

Try a Google image search for "Mary Fedden" and you will be able to see many more images of her work.