Friday, February 12, 2016

IT'S TIME TO GET CREATIVE AGAIN - Part 2

.....Apparently my 'artist block' hasn't disappeared quite yet.  After feeling rather giddy over the pieced background, (meaning I actually did something) the style of leaves and color of fabric still eluded me.
Auditioning motifs cut from paper saves wasted fabric!
 Okay.....so now I have a plan......but......I don't know.....it seemed too predictable.  (Yet in a way, sometimes these pedestrian pieces can sell quicker than a more 'arty' approach.)  Decisions, decisions.......
 Oh heck....I changed my mind.  Using tracing paper, a new plan is mapped out.  It's an approach I rarely use.  I'm more of a 'fly by the seat of your pants' designer.
 I've never used ginkgo leaves as a motif in my work......but the numerous hand-dyed green fabrics in my stash seemed suitable for that theme.

Have you noticed anything about this piece now??  Yup...though I originally planned and pieced the background for a vertical orientation, it's now horizontal.  Truly, I'm VERY directionally challenged....and I believe this spills over into my work as well.

As you are reading this post......I'll be in AZ attending our 5th annual "Girlfriend Art Camp". A big bonus of travel teaching on the quilt circuit for over 2 decades are the friendships that developed along the way!!  

This unfinished piece awaits my return....when I'm sure to have lots of photos to share with you.

5 comments:

Nancy said...

I like the ginko leaves- they are quite graceful. Paper leaf auditions- a good plan! Do enjoy your AZ trip. Where do you go? We are headed to Phoenix in early April for several days of traveling about. We considered Wickenburg as a retiremnent home, but chose Florida over that for the horses. Still love to visit there, though. I think there is a quilt exhibit at the Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg if you happen to get in that area. Enjoy!

The Idaho Beauty said...

I had that same feeling - that the style of leaves wasn't matching the style of the fabric. Ginkgos, I thought. But maybe that's too predictable as well. And yet - as you say, sometimes it's the predictable that will assure a sale, which is what you're going for here. So you can guess, as I scrolled down and saw your solution, I was smiling and chuckling to myself. Yes - Ginkgo leaves are perfect!

I may have to try your tracing paper technique. I'm still stuck on an addition in one corner of a piece - trying to envision an arrangement of branches and/or leaves and just not getting anywhere. Not like I don't have a lot of that Golden Threads Quilter's paper on hand...in two widths!

margaret said...

the leaves work well, have a great time catching up with friends

Lara B. said...

Ginko Leaves - yes! They look beautiful against the background!
Have a wonderful retreat Mary!

Robbie said...

Great process!!! Love that background piece! Think I said this before!!