Sacramento, California artist Merle Axelrad Serlin is profiled in our Summer 2010 issue. She is well known for her realistic landscapes rendered in fabric collage. Over the years she has created many stunning large-scale pieces that depict tranquil waterways, mountain views, forests, and ocean coastlines. Composed of thousands of tiny pieces of repurposed, hand-dyed, and commercial fabrics, Serlin’s complex layered and machine stitched visions take months to realize. Last year she was commissioned by the California Rice Commission to make California Ricelands (2009), which the company proudly uses as their 2010 branded image for marketing. The organization also produced a video about the making of the piece that offers a glimpse inside the artist’s studio as well as imagery of the actual wetlands that continue to inspire her work. We share the video with you below.
California Ricelands (with detail), 2009; painted, dyed, and repurposed fabrics, backed with cotton canvas; machine stitched, fabric collage; 38" x 30". Photos by Maizie Gilbert and Jessica Skloven.
