Thursday, August 18, 2011

Celebrate!- Beverly


I thought about celebrations in general and the role they play in our lives rather than any particular holiday.  Celebrations are the high points in our lives, and they can be the threads that tie our lives together.  It can be a big celebration like a wedding, or something simple like celebrating the Eucharist in church.  But in some way, they stand out from the everyday routines of our lives.  I tried to depict this with my use of color, and also in the way I chose to construct it.

This is actually four different quilts- the three panels, and the black backing.  The three panels are fabric I hand dyed for this challenge, then quilted and faced with an envelope finish.  The black backing is sateen, and is minimally quilted- the only stitching is the bobbin work done with the heavy gold thread.  Most of the bobbin work is behind the hand dyed panels, but some does overlap onto them.


Ultimately, I plan to stretch this onto a canvas or stretcher bars.  I'm happy with how it turned out, and also think I learned something about my artistic voice in the process.  I looked back on the pieces I've done over the past two years, and realized that several use black in conjunction with bright colors.  I like the look, and plan to continue exploring how I can use it in my work.

9 comments:

  1. Wonderful Beverly! To me this conveys the feeling of sun breaking through the clouds, and definitely puts me in a celebratory mood! Your hand dyed fabrics are bright and cheerful, and pop so well against the black. The thread/bobbin work adds just the right touch. I like the use of black in quilts as well, and look forward to seeing more pieces as you explore this concept

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  2. Really beautiful Beverly! Love the 3D feel of the quilt, the splashing colours and the thread work! It has a happy feel which remains even though the background is dark (which I love). Great work!!

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  3. Beautiful Beverly! You've definitely captured the feeling of celebration with your contrasts in colors and bold shapes and lines. I like the trend you have discovered you are on, will be fun to see how you continue with it.

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  4. your quilt really does give you that happy feeling of celebrating something. I agree, the black does make the panels pop. Great minds think alike - I have been humming and hahing about using this background quilt and panels idea for my landscapes. The bobbin work is simple and clean and gives a wonderful explosion effect that adds to the pop of the hand dyes. Beautiful.

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  5. The vibrancy of your colour choice makes me want to do my happy dance... something I do to celebrate. Congratulations on narrowing down your artistic voice...I like the way you have given depth and movement with your bobbin work. Elegant piece!

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  6. I like this look too! Wow! Incredible work!

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  7. What I appreciate about your piece is its simplicity and elegance. The cheerful colors and subtle quilting are emphasized by the use of the black background and the gold threads. I am glad you can see a pattern emerging in your creations. It feels good to hit ones stride, so to speak.

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  8. You all made my day- some of the descriptors were exactly what I hope to achieve with my art, simple and elegant. Thank you so much!

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  9. Such vivid excitement here -- the black sets off the colors so it does suggest fireworks or party-like excitement. I'm always drawn to black with bold colors, too, so I understand your leaning!

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