Mishaps and Meanderings

You'd think it would be relatively easy to create a piece between 9" and 11" square with a center that would fit into an 8" opening on a mat. Since it was supposed to showcase a technique or style you're familiar with, you'd think it would go together quickly.

Not this time ......

First I cut, pieced, and discarded three sets of fabrics before I settled on the one I liked. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures at this stage.) I wanted to create the feel of a forest using the random strip width piecing I had used in my Ten Blessings - Twofold piece. (That's a slice of it in the header of my blog.) Once I settled on a group, I was happy.

Then the real difficulty started. I wanted an image of a pine branch on the surface. I thought I'd "stamp" it on. For my first experiment, I tried painting a twig and printing it onto fabric. Unfortunately, it just looked like a bunch of random lines. The result wasn't a bold enough image.


Then I thought I'd try gelatin plate printing on organza. It might be cool to have a wispy-ish print on top. Three tries and yech! What a mess!


I was getting a bit frustrated, so I doodled with a paint filled syringe and colored on a piece of painted fabric (rejected from my SAQA NY trunk show efforts) to maintain a mood of positive creativity.


Paint wasn't working for me as a way to create the image, so I figured I was just going to have to draw a twig. I practiced on tracing paper, then in my sketch book. I even tried drawing upside down (it worked pretty well, actually!).


When I'd reached some level of comfort, I tested it out on a quilt "sandwich". That's when I discovered how ripply this could make the fabric. Not the look I was going for.


I took another break and did some new gelatin plate prints. What do you think my mood is now? Here's a clue: look at the color!


To combat the waviness of the fabric, I figured I'd need to quilt in the background of my piece to keep it flat enough to accommodate the twig quilting. Not what I was originally intending. I stitched in the ditch throughout the piece with monofilament thread to keep it simple. With that done, I leapt into the flames with variegated thread. Oh no! The twig was too small for the space! Ack!

I went back in with a rayon thread to extend the needles of the twig. Much better.



Now it's finally finished, but it's a day before it's due in California for the SAQA's 20th Anniversary Trunk Show called Meet the Artists . Thank heavens Natalya was kind enough to let my piece piggyback with hers on a quick cross country flight to get there tomorrow. It was a long time getting to this point....the transcontinental journey will be quicker!

Comments

Norma Schlager said…
Oh, Vivien, I love the way you took us through the journey. Sometimes people think that these pieces just happen. I liked some of your rejects, but the final piece was worth waiting for. It looks great! I admire your tenacity.
My trip to NYC for tomorrow was cancelled due to bad weather, so I'm considering it a found day and I'm planning to get something done in my studio. I hope I'm as successful as you were.
Judy Alexander said…
Been there, done that! I put myself under pressure all the time to get stuff done and then find myself struggling to come up with something I like. Sounds like you learned a lot and I like you finished piece. Thanks for sharing.
Unknown said…
Love your finished piece Vivien. And I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who fights with the creativity gods once in a while!
Vivien
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the processes you went through to arrive at your finished piece. All I can say is boy, you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve; and it was worth it because your finished piece is perfect. I love the contrast between your pieced work and the thread painted twig and the way the two support eachother. Great job.
PaMdora said…
What a beautiful motif! You should use that again if you can.