Select your canvas and your rope. For a modern art piece, go with a neutral-colored rope that is a medium width and not too course.
Cut your rope into long pieces that you will be able to wind around the canvas in different shapes or movements. Remember that you can always cut rope shorter, but you cannot make the pieces longer once you've cut them, so shoot for longer pieces to start with.
Lay your canvas flat on a table. Place the rope over the canvas and figure out the direction or pattern you want the rope to lie. Use a pencil to make lines where the rope should go so that you can remember it when you are ready to connect the rope to the canvas.
Paint your rope pieces with acrylic paint, if you want to have a colorful modern art piece. Modern art colors include shades, like black, gray and white, mixed with bright colors such as red, blue and/or yellow. Dip the rope into vats of acrylic paint and allow them to dry before hanging them onto your canvas.
Select the proper means for connecting the rope to your canvas. You might consider small nails that you hammer through the rope and canvas, which will keep the rope in place on the canvas. If you choose this route, bang the nail into an "L" shape in the back of the canvas, so that the nail cannot puncture someone's hand. If you are using thinner rope, you might be able to use a heavy craft glue to connect the rope to your canvas. Attach the rope, using your preferred method, using your penciled markings as a guide.
Fill in any blank space on the canvas, if you wish. Stick with the same colors. You can paint in the blanks with black or gray shades, or create bright stripes using red paint for contrast.
Select the rope you wish to use for your southwestern vase. A natural and course-fibered rope is ideal for a southwestern craft project because it captures the rustic elements. You can even use two types of rope, such as one neutral-colored rope and a black rope, and intertwine them to maintain the southwestern effect.
Wind the rope around your ceramic vase. Dab craft glue in the places where you want the rope to cover, which will hold the rope in place. Decide whether you want to cover the entire vase with the rope in a coil effect, moving from the bottom-up, or if you want to scatter the rope around certain sections of the vase.
Knot the rope in the front of the vase for decoration. This gives the vase aesthetic appeal, as opposed to just being coiled around and around.