"Earth Beneath Our Feet" by pblair
Sometimes a piece of art can be deceiving to the eye. What appears one way from a distance can look totally different upon closer inspection. Think of impressionist paintings by Monet and Van Gogh. From a distance you are able to picture the scene in your mind' eye. But as you come closer towards the paintings you will notice that they really are created by a series of dots, dashes or blobs.
In the case of this piece done by pblair you can't be certain if it is a quilt or a water color painting. Enlarge the image and you will see that there is quite a bit of quilting. pblair does admit to "being a watercolor quilter". The fabric was primarily dyed and painted, but she then added quilting for that final touch. This piece certainly makes you want to examine it much more closely.
The next time you are glancing through the Quilt Gallery notice how the small image of a quilt can appear totally different than when enlarged (see Circles #3: Ripples). The image really fools the eye.