trust the scrap heap

Trust the scrap heap composition

I spent the last couple of days exploring a new concept for a piece about urban sprawl. Where to begin? What does it look like? I was stumped. So, instead, I decided to just play a game with myself that would hopefully crystalize some of the vague notions I had about the construction of the piece. I played the TRUST THE SCRAP HEAP game. I emptied a bin of scraps onto my worktable and chose any solid scrap that was under 10" square and no smaller than 2". I then cut each scrap into a 1.5" strip and randomly sewed them together. Good thing I only emptied one of my scrap bins because I would have been at the cutting table all week. 

Strips all put together, I then cut them into 1.5" units and arranged them into a grid.

Now the revelation. You know those beauty sessions where they tell you what season you are? I am definitely autumn. This scrap heap showed me that I am drawn to neutrals and dirty midtone colors with an occasional spark of lime green or white. The composition worked because, even though I sewed the colors together randomly, I was able to rearrange the grid to play off the neutrals. Would I have chosen this set of colors for a piece without this random exercise? No. But, it has some validity since I chose the colors in past projects and they are all a piece of my aesthetic.

And now I know where I want to go with that urban sprawl piece.

tree warp

tree warp, Paula Kovarik, 2014

This shadow was a delightful sight on a bright winter morning. Looked as if the shadow had gone into a space warp. I actually stopped my car in the middle of the (sparsely populated) street to snap a picture. I'd like to do a mural of a tree shadow cast on a building or fence like this. Then wandering down the street would yield a spacy perspective of seasons gone by.

I use wrist warmers

I usually cut off my wool socks at the ankle and swath my wrists in warmth in the winter using the calf sections as fingerless gloves. It helps keep the blood warm in my fingertips. But when I noticed this still life in my studio window this morning I thought maybe I should double up. Though it is difficult to maneuver fabric through the throat of my Bernina with gloves on, the trade off of chilled fingertips is a true handicap.

Wishing for Spring soon.

Who do you think you are?

Kindergarten, ©2014, Paula Kovarik

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Do we really get a choice? Is the accumulation of experiences and genes what defines our pathways? Watching my grandsons grow up I note with astonishment how different they are one to the other. The same could be said of my sons, my siblings, my cousins. Each of us seem to pop into existence with a ready-made set of emotions, behaviors and urges. So, do we really get a choice? Can we switch our inner compass? That's the story of this quilt.

serendipity

Kindergarten, Paula Kovarik

Walked into my studio this morning to see this. I finished the Kindergarten quilt last night and had hung it on the door to review the details. The sun shined through this morning revealing the fact that I used a polka dot fabric for the backing. Lovely.