I've been working on this art quilt ever since I finished the first art piece sometime in early December. I planned this one on the way home from the Southwest. The mountainsides are massive rock and dirt of different colors, khaki and brown, sometimes pink changing to an orange-y pink or yellow, depending on the sun and the soil or rock.
I was hoping to capture some of the levels of color, but also the feeling that the layers are stacked, compressing one on another, which they are, of course. To achieve that look of compression, I slipped small, thin, pieces of darker colors between the larger ones. Then I used darker thread to extend the shapes going from on top of the small rock to the smaller side. The bottom of this photo shows the thin lines of thread "pressure."
I also wanted the feeling that big boulders had fallen or moved, but have been in their current location for thousands of years.
Using the darker thread again, I chopped boulders into rounded pieces and placed them so that they interrupt a layer or two. Again using dark thread, I created lines for movement and additional color.
 |
| Google stock images |
This piece is meant to show the side of a mountain that is so close a viewfinder can capture only a part of it.
When I decided to take photographs of "Southwest Strata" the light was almost perfect. I looked around for hard, squarish surfaces, and found most were underfoot. The brick floor of our patio, the mosaic fire pit, and the rusty medal table all seemed to have just the right color and shapes.
I left the leaves on the fire pit just for fun interest. I know, the piece of art should carry all the interest, but I couldn't resist.
Merry Christmas to one and all!
Link Ups!
I fell in love with the strata that I saw in the Grand Canyon and Sedona and have been wanting to capture it in an art quilt also. As soon as I saw your quilt without reading the post title I knew what you were creating since I knew you took a trip out West like we did. Beautiful interpretation of the natural wonders and I love the stitching. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! on finishing your most recent art piece. You did a nice job of capturing the layers of the mountains in the Southwest!
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning this looked like the side of a mesa to me. As you wrote, it's so different than the view from a distance. I'm glad other people are interested in this closeup view.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking your work with AHIQ and explaining your thought process. We makers like to know why and how others make!
I think I would love to visit the southwest. I take lots of closeup photos of rocks here, but the colours you have are stunning; no surprise that you were inspired. Thanks for talking us through your decision-making process - you know that's my favourite part of things: understanding the 'why' and 'how' as well as enjoying the finished piece. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteStrata, interesting and provocative. I love to see your pathways of stitching.
ReplyDelete