Living This Creative Life

I have two favorite quotes. The first one is by Emile Zola, "If you asked me what I came into this world to do, I would tell you that I came to live out loud". I don't know who the second one is by, but it goes like this, "If you're not living on the edge then you might as well jump". Both of these sentiments sum up my personal philosophy of this experience we call life on earth. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 20, 2013


Art Every Day, Thursday, June 20, 2013

Good Morning,
It's been a long time since I've been able to begin an entry with that salutation.  It feels really good to be doing this earlier in the day! 
Here it today's newest piece.  It is an exploration in texture and embellishment.  I began by layering two fabrics on to red painted batting.  One fabric is a mostly yellow torn canvas and the other, larger one is a watermelon colored silk noil.  I toppend the yellow with some cheesecloth, silk organza and silk fibers and stitched them all down with far apart, wiggly vertical lines.  Then I quilted the watermelon colored background with swirls of various sizes.
Next, I cut the squares out of orange and yellow orange and set them in place.  I grabbed a bunch of fibers and ribbons and cut them into small segments and tucked them under the bottom edges of the squares.  Then I ironed the squares down and stitched them with a square swirl.  Next I grabbed some more fibers and twirled them up together and loosely tacked them down on the upper yellow canvas section.  
The last thing I did was add the circular dyed bone beads; one in each square and lots of them tucked into the fibers above.  I sort of like the piece.  It's a bit busy.  I like how the watermelon color sits in the background allowing the squares and fibers to come forward in the lower section and how the yellow upper section comes even more forward and pushes all of its fiber even more forward than that.  It's got great depth and loads of interest.
Well I'm off to chat up our Artist Talk for tomorrow night,
Till tomorrow,
Heather

1 comment:

me said...

My garden is keeping me from the computer, I have been getting behind!

Oooh! This is a fiery one! I am always immediately drawn to this palette, and especially ones with so much luscious texture!

I'm always intrigued by pieces that have more than one or secondary focal points. I rarely do them myself- at least not on purpose- because I don't know how to make them work. But you obviously do :)

The five squares with the beads and the dangling fibers do a great job of focusing our attention on the bottom 2/3 of the piece, and moving our eye down and around because there is movement and texture with all of those great fibers there.

If there had only been that bright yellow fabric above them, even heavily quilted, it would have been too much, it would have commanded too much attention, taken too much visual space on it's own. But as a support for a repetition of more beads and fibers and in a heavier, darker weave, it's almost like a cloud and the others are pieces raining down- they become extensions of the top part.

Having the batting blend in with the background rather than providing a framing color, supports the idea that the piece is organic and ongoing. Very cool- actually very HOT. lol