Redwork

There is a kind of work that I make that I cannot teach. NOT because I haven't tried.

I just can't translate into process this kind of quilting. It is improvisational and one has to be able to feel some sort of compatibility in the arrangement of the shapes at hand, plus one must have the shapes already there. And in a class, I can't have the students bring prefused fabrics in all colors, in large chunks leftover from previous works.

Nevertheless, this is the kind of work that thrills and delights me and gets me hopping out of bed early, not in an anxiety ridden state, but in a rush of excitement to continue working, and building and seeing where the work will take me today.

Note how these pieces just line up so nicely. It is all so serendipitous. That's the thrilling part.

I made the determination yesterday to work with RED. I have never ever made such a decision in my whole career. Why? Because I have been labled with the moniker " All Color All the Time" and never questioned it. Duh. The revelations just seem to be pouring out of me these days.

OK, so I have to add a hot contrast every so often. The work tells me when.

I can't teach this because it comes from some idefinable place within me. It may be the only original thing I can do, that is actually ME. I can't find the answers in a book, altho I try, and they aren't on the web either, altho I did google red paintings, just in case.

So why do I even consider thinking about teaching in connection with making quilts like this? I dunno. I always think, 'Can this be taught?' The teacher is always there wanting to turn experiences of doors opening for me, into doors opening for my students.