A plastic tub of various blank fabrics called to me this week. “Do some experimenting,” it said.
These are mostly yardage lengths that have been given to me or I have picked up from giveaways over the years. So, I can jump into a project without fear of wasting the “good” or expensive materials. These lengths are variations of what I use all the time – some cotton muslin-like opaque pieces, and some shiny/sheer lengths.
I am thinking about tree patterns.
This is a piece I created several years ago. I liked the finished quilt (and was happy that it sold!) What interests me is the way I created yellow patterns on the trees, then brought them to life by masking out tree shapes and overprinting.
I don’t want to duplicate this exact palette again. I want my new work to be built more on mixed hues, not quite so close to the primaries of yellow-yellow and blue-blue.
And I also want to experiment with some new tree shapes.
This is a detail of a work currently in my studio, ALMOST completed. I used simplified, abstract tree shapes in this work. I like the way they work. But I will need to modify them some, to make them wide enough that the yellow patterns show up well on the trunks.
Finally, I am envisioning adding story elements of home into the new work with the addition of some house forms. How that happens will, I hope, reveal itself as I concentrate on the tree patterns and see how they develop.
For now, I’m at the beginning creating variations of yellow yardage.
I used a base of yellow, then for each section modified it by mixing in varying amounts black + white (to yield olive hues) or mixing in burnt sienna to yield golden hues.
Here are a few pieces hanging outside to dry. It’s amazing how different the colors are from one another.
Next up: I’ll be printing patterns onto these sections, which I hope will make them less brash. And I’m working on defining some new tree shapes.
At the beginning of a new project . . . anything can happen.
For all of us: focus each day
on the good that needs to be done in the world.
Be part of doing it.
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
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