Crossing Edges

Yesterday I finally got back to work after doing some studio reorganization and putting away the supplies I took to the Sue Benner workshops. I felt blocked and lethargic after being away from creating, while I've been dealing with other things. So, I mustered my will and just got going. I decided to quilt this small piece and then finish the edges as Sue finishes some of hers, using satin stitch and 'tassels' on the corners. Hers look much better - but then, this is my first attempt! I'm calling this one 'Warrior' because it looks like half of a masked, horned face with sharp points - a reminder to be strong and push past our edges.

Abstracted

These images are from the 3 day course that I took with Sue Benner called 'Driven to Abstraction'. On the first day we were asked to choose five fabrics and then she handed each of us a page from National Geographic magazine, from which we were to create an abstract piece. While other workshop participants received images of boats, bugs or people, I got a skull. I felt disturbed and hoped me receiving this particular image was not forehadowing of something ominous. I just 'eye-balled' the values in the image and roughly cut shapes accordingly. That night our homework was to make a collage of one of our personal images. I had brought quite a few of my photos to choose from, but was drawn to a virtually black and white one of light hitting the folds of a blanket. You can see the photo and the collage in the second image from the top. ( I entered these images in the order I'm writing about them, but for some reason, that didn't work and they are mixed up.) Doing the collage was a useful way to get the image inside, because our exercise for the next day of the workshop was to create 5 more abstractions from the same image, although I only managed to do three. I noticed the subtle value and colour differences I found, even though the photo doesn't appear colourful at first glance. When I began working on my abstractions the next day, I did one that largely followed the shapes and composition of the image and then another that was a close-up of part of the image. (Top photo, first two.) I felt frustrated creating this way and I wasn't enjoying myself at all and even felt quite down, which seemed odd. I wanted to just make my own shapes and surprise myself with what I came up with, not be following a map. So it was good for me to realize just how much I like to work following a process without having a preconceived idea. The third abstract beside the other two (turquoise/orange piece) is one where I cut whatever shapes I wanted to and arranged them - although by that time I had my personal image well in mind and continued to be aware of the instructions, so there are still some references to the original. Of the three abstracts, I like this one the best. The final day of the workshop we were to work on a larger piece, again using a personal image as a reference. I switched to using a different photo of a shadow of a metal railing and I decided to draw the outlines onto my batting and use that as a guide to put shapes onto, using cool colours in the background and warm ones in the front. Another participant suggested I might want to use whites instead of warm colours - but this piece is in progress and the photo below the one of Sue Benner shows how far I got. Oh - and right as the workshop ended, I found out that my Grandfather had died the day after I was given the skull right when I was feeling so low.

Fusing The Grid

These are two quilts I started in Sue Benner's one day workshop 'Fusing The Grid'. I enjoyed designing with my cut fused squares and strips and using a variety of fabrics and seeing Sue's quilts! I also attended a presentation by Sue the previous night called 'The Working Path' and in seeing examples of how she combines varieties of fabrics - including ones she's dyed and painted - with fusing and dye painting, I feel closer to finding the way of working that fits for me. I like to have a minimum of technical fuss so that I can focus on the design and see results faster. And I like not limiting myself to just cotton or only fabrics and not paint. I want all the options - the cake and the icing, too - while still eliminating some of the possible ways to work that don't feel native to me. Pamela Allen also gave a humorous presentation and I enjoyed seeing one of her works in progress, as well as new work and some I'd seen before.

Gearing Up

Here is what I made yesterday as a base for using embroidery threads and beads to embellish it further - I like having a handwork project on the go. I've put these fabric creations on the front of fabric journal covers, or even used them as the complete journal fabric, but I can see many other potential applications. I'm continuing to fuse fabrics and pack supplies for the Sue Benner workshops. Tomorrow night I will attend a presentation she is giving, along with Pamela Allen. I can't wait to see her art quilts!

On a Roll

I spent a large part of yesterday choosing and fusing 15 metres of fabric in preparation for taking a workshop with Sue Benner next week. The top photo is the fused fabric in a roll. I need to double this amount to meet the minimum fused fabric requirement, so guess what I'll be doing more of today? I happened to see a book on Quilt National in a store and discovered that Sue was one of the three jurors for it this year. She is listed as being one of the top 20 teachers in another book I'm reading and I expect I will be very challenged by the level of learning I experience with her. The second photo is an ink washed muslin base that I will add to in preparation for including some calligraphy.

Eyes Wide Open

I am feeling excited that I've signed up for two workshops with Sue Benner in the fall. I've been wanting to explore further with abstraction, so 'Driven To Abstraction' sounds like a good fit. The other workshop spans one day and is called 'Fusing The Grid' - working in a series based on the grid. I mainly just want to spend time exploring Sue's world - to take home whatever information I glean and apply it to making my work better. You can see some of her work here: http://www.jsauergallery.com/sagemoon/artistPages/sben_lg.html The stitching on the above quilt is getting done little by little and her eyes look quite different with floss added - maybe she has stars in her eyes, imagining the upcoming workshop with Sue!