Friday, October 12, 2012

Re-Evaluating

You've probably heard it said in sports,
"His head wasn't in the game". That was no doubt the case when I made these two quilts, and the others in between these. I was tired, road weary and had lost focus. I kept looking at the work of others and trying to glean what it was that they had done and try and get some of that mojo into my work. This was a deadly quest.
I was able to do the work but the results let me down, they didn't feel right. So I put the quilts away, and eventually got my head back into my own game.

But yesterday I was looking through my quilt closet for something new to hang in the studio, since I have been looking at the same two quilts for over a year, and found these two from 2005.
The first, Cruciform Series 1: Red  59" x 59", is made from silk and cotton scraps and uses some of my lightest neutrals. In a way it was sort of a breakthrough, as it featured larger piecing, combined with sections of stripped pieces. The quilting is nice, but difficult to photograph, especially the red and really light sections.




Seven years later, all the cognitive dissonance in my head from those days has dissapated and I am able to look at this piece with fresh eyes.
I see it has quite a strong composition and is well constructed, using quality materials and neat as a pin quilting. I am saying all these things as though it were someone else's quilt. And I guess it still feels that way. So I've hung it in my studio and will see if I can fall in love with  warm up to it now.




I can't remember the name of this quilt. It was never shown in an exhibit, and doesn't even have a rod pocket on the back. It is about 66x44" and is fused and machine quilted.
I remember it was really difficult to get all those shapes to line up and fit together. It took longer than my break between teaching trips and by the time I returned to work on it, my enthusiasm waned. Still I continued to jigger in the bits until it all fit, quilted it and then put it away. I may have shown it once at my art quilt group, but apparently got little encouragement. Now that I see it on my wall, the colors are so deep and murky, even the brights have a touch of black mixed in. It seems the perfect quilt for the fall season. I can recall making sketches for this design based on the stone walls at Machu Picchu, the way they fit together perfectly without mortar.






So now I look at this piece, and can forget whatever it was that disappointed me at the time and I really like it. I guess I'll put a rod pocket on the back and hang it up.

 Big Red...looks good here.



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11 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:48 AM

    I LOVE it!

    debbie

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  2. Your Machu Picchu quilt is so intriguing with the different rectangles all fitting together and the little rectangles at the corners and then the curves, and lines meeting, and the darks.

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  3. big red has long been a favorite of mine. It is quite inspiring! I love all the gorgeous red in the middle of the quiet. Low volume is quite the rage right now.

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  4. This post makes me remember why I fell in love with your quilts 10 years ago and why you have been such a big influence in my art quilting life. I love big red. I don't remember seeing the other piece which I think is genius. Thank you for your constant inspiration.

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  5. The "Cruciform Series 1"

    was always my favorite!!! The first time I saw it, I wished I had enough extra money to buy it. It is fantistic!

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  6. Hi Melody, I sure fell in love with your "matchsticks" quilts! and ofcourse all your colours.
    However I must say that the "Machu Pichu" has a bit TOO much colour for me: my eyes keep darting from left to right and up and down ... no, this one is not my favourite. But you made so many others I do like ;-)

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  7. The 3 detail shots have really wonderful compositions and colors. If you decide you don't like the "puzzle" quilt you could always cut it up to make several smaller pieces.

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  8. Love them both. :) The Big Cross is bold, but perfect. You'll get used to it, I'm sure!
    The other quilt, so different, but perfect too! The lighter blocks make a path, or show more sunshine.
    Again you showed some colormagic! Thank you!

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  9. I love them both! Machu Pichu is my fave, tho. I just returned from Florence/Tuscany and I must say that the quilt (Machu) reminds me of there, as well, with the buildings so close together and tiny, wonderful places tucked in corners.

    I also just put away a quilt-in-process that was making me crazy. It may or may not get finished one day. I'm happy to be at the point in my life where the crazy-makers can be tucked away with no guilt.

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  10. It is funny how that happens. I've sometimes hated a piece when I stuffed it away, only to discover I liked it when I next came across it.
    I really love the second one!

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  11. Isn't it funny how the mind works? I know that my training as a musician makes my very critical of musical performances, because after you spend years training your ears to hear notes that are out of tune, too loud, not in rhythm, etc... it's hard to turn it off!

    I think this can also be true in the visual arts - we get so close to the work while we're constructing it, focussing on all the little details, we can't see all that's good! These pieces are both lovely, and I'm so glad that you see that now! :-)

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Hello,
So nice of you to drop by. I love your comments, and if you would really like a reply, please email me at fibermania at g mail dot com