I am one painting away from finishing a 16 piece series, whew! and so badly feel the need for a change of pace...a cleansing breath, if you will. How does an artist free the mind, change the challenge and get a second wind? Well, I change media and do something totally different and only for my own pleasure.
The floor of my studio looks like this now: spread with bits and pieces of fabric and quilt squares I found some time ago in a junk shop. The hand pieced squares intrigued as I wondered why he or she had done so many (I have 16) and then just quit; seems the hard part was completed. I also wondered about the fabrics: they are a tad garish, very old and the backing is obviously recycled from...bags? lining? who knows? So of course I bought them and brought them all home to sit in my closet.
These are harsh colors but when I got rid of the yellow they started looking better. I have played with numerous ideas: a wall hanging, the trim on a quilted painting, doing something in each center....adding more applique in the center...lots of playful ways to combine the mysterious old pieces with the new and modern additions. The colors are starting to grow on me a bit more as I arrange and rearrange some of the pieces.
I may get no further than this on the floor game of laying it all out. The pieces may spend another long time back in the closet. But they are doing their job nevertheless by providing a much-needed break from the easel and the palatte. They are about as far away from the subject of stones as one can get! Just playing with the pieces and wondering about the southern (I decided) gentlewoman (my guess) who died in childbirth (made up story) while piecing this quilt of her mother's old dresses and father's old shirts (who else would wear these prints) and topping them all off with the harsh garish yellow (because it was free at the church bazaar) has gotten my creative juices flowing again. Ahhhh- that's what a deep, deep cleansing breath will do!
The floor of my studio looks like this now: spread with bits and pieces of fabric and quilt squares I found some time ago in a junk shop. The hand pieced squares intrigued as I wondered why he or she had done so many (I have 16) and then just quit; seems the hard part was completed. I also wondered about the fabrics: they are a tad garish, very old and the backing is obviously recycled from...bags? lining? who knows? So of course I bought them and brought them all home to sit in my closet.
These are harsh colors but when I got rid of the yellow they started looking better. I have played with numerous ideas: a wall hanging, the trim on a quilted painting, doing something in each center....adding more applique in the center...lots of playful ways to combine the mysterious old pieces with the new and modern additions. The colors are starting to grow on me a bit more as I arrange and rearrange some of the pieces.
I may get no further than this on the floor game of laying it all out. The pieces may spend another long time back in the closet. But they are doing their job nevertheless by providing a much-needed break from the easel and the palatte. They are about as far away from the subject of stones as one can get! Just playing with the pieces and wondering about the southern (I decided) gentlewoman (my guess) who died in childbirth (made up story) while piecing this quilt of her mother's old dresses and father's old shirts (who else would wear these prints) and topping them all off with the harsh garish yellow (because it was free at the church bazaar) has gotten my creative juices flowing again. Ahhhh- that's what a deep, deep cleansing breath will do!
Cindy at her best....when her imagination runs free and she creates!
ReplyDeleteLove your story. Maybe a book is what you should do for a breather rather than try to make a masterpiece from these bizarre quilt squares...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Cindy....isn't it amazing how we are all blessed with such diverse talents.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are a woman of many talents and bounless energy. I love the web of creativity you weave. Show us the finished quilt if it makes it to that stage!
ReplyDeleteGood for you to possibly attempt to take on an old quilting project whose history is unknown! Sounds like the perfect anecdote for a breather from the paintings, even if it gets no further than rearranging the pieces on the floor.
ReplyDeleteCindy, what a wonderful writer you are! I enjoyed the spawning of your quilt story, and agree whole-heartedly that quilting is a wonderful detour from painting. You still have the creative challenges, but totally different materials and processes. Do post your results when you're ready.
ReplyDeleteYou bet! The ideas are churning and the colors flying around...I'll post pics if it ever gets to the stitching-stage!
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