Linen and black cotton. Crisp and contrasty. Layers upon layers. Then blown apart.
Yesterday was spent controlling the explosion.
Now to assembly. And then to my favorite part....the stitching.
These tryouts didn't make the grade. But they did help me to understand the composition I wanted.
I am working on more than one project at at time. It helps to reinvigorate my creative perspective. Some of the work is being pieced. Some stitched. Some bound. Some reconstructed. But lately I wonder if this is too scattered, too disparate for satisfaction. Am I adding too many vanishing points to my brain?
Studying a bit about perspective led me to this diagram which resonated with my state of mind. Source: Principles of Perspective by Walters & Bromham.
I haven't completed a piece in over 4 months. At the same time I have started at least five. Two are lingering on the what-was-I-thinking design board. One is a mass of hand stitching detail that takes hours of concentration and can only be done in a meditative state. One is an experiment that opened a completely new direction for exploration. The children's drawing project has three rough compositions in place waiting for final decisions on treatment. Another has such a deep and complex vision for completion that I am not sure how I will be able to pull it off (I spent the last week learning how to tie fishing nets so that I can add a net to the piece.)
Is chaos a productive mindset or should I strive for focus? Can multiple points of view cloud the simple solution? Is this exploration a way to avoid decision? And, is this the reason why I can't get a good nights sleep? Too many synapses firing ... too many vanishing points. I have this vision of being tied up in threads that are weblike over the studio, finally engulfing me in my medium. Maybe it's best I don't add a cot to the workspace. You might find me stitched in. (hmmm...another idea to pursue?)
Paging through a book on perspective (bought at a library sale years ago) I found this child's drawing on the back endpapers. Her name may be Crystal (written in on another page of the book).
I cut up a linen tablecloth to create squares and triangles of shattered shapes as a next step in the Traveling Unknown Pathways idea. I love the contrast of the linen against the black fabric.
I am 90% done with a quilt guild challenge in which we were to design a flag that represents our creative journey.
SPRUNG! More distractions coming our way. The first crocus burst into yellow yesterday.
First full day in the studio in about a week and the pace is frenetic. So many ideas, so many directions. I am full to bursting. Looking over today's scraps makes me think I might want to work a little slower in the next go round.
hmmm.... how can I repurpose this?
For many years I made quilts, shared them with friends, gave them as gifts or carefully rolled them up and put them under the bed. Then a friend of mine encouraged me to enter a show. It was a leap of faith both scary and intimidating. But the rewards were many. Releasing them into the wild reminds me of how my children grew into independent beings. They take on a life of their own. I like to imagine a dialog between my art and the viewer. I've always thought it would be fun to install a webcam into a piece to record people's thoughts and reactions. I hope that instead of asking what was she thinking? that the viewer is inspired to ask what does this piece say to me?
Stream of Consequences is currently at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Round and Round It Goes is currently traveling with Quilt National 2013.
Several of my pieces are traveling. The next best thing to being there is to receive a photo of people actually looking at the art. The picture above was taken at the University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design. The man with the backpack seems to be intrigued by the detail, his feet planted solidly in front of the piece. The other two have their arms folded standing back a bit to give him space? Waiting their turn? or bored? I love that Stream of Consequences is hanging next to Kathy Nida's piece, Wise Choice. The quilts in this show must leave the viewers with lots to think about. Thanks to Annie Helmericks-Louder for sharing this photo.
And what could be better for an artist than to see a pic like the one here of a mother showing a piece to her daughter. Thanks to Lisa Kijak who also has a splendid piece in that show for this pic.
If you see an exhibit snap some pics for the artists. Let us know what a piece meant to you. It energizes our creativity and expands our understanding of the art.
The Earth Stories exhibit will travel into 2017.
Kennedy Gallery at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio May 23 – September 7, 2015
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, CA, November 6, 2015 – February 28, 2016
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, June 25-October 2, 2016
Erie Museum of Art, Erie, NY, January 20– June 11, 2017
Winter is a great time to see texture. and line. These grasses inspire me. Must stitch soon.
