I began this piece in late March when the challenge was first issued. It was the end of winter and it seemed as if spring would never arrive. I became distracted by another project and not feeling like this one was going too well, so it was early May before I was ready to complete it. By that time the wisteria was in bloom and my earlier dismal mood was long gone.

The March challenge was two-fold: First, the color component was to use bright, intense, pure colors in contrast to dull, grayed colors in order to achieve the effect of luminosity. Secondly, to convey the idea of masses and planes. This I interpreted to mean achieving a sense of bulk or solid mass by shading the planes of the objects. I decided to try some two-point perspective on this piece in order to best work with the masses and planes.

The finishing touches were the quilting and the shadows. The shadows of the trees are made with layers of tulle. I finally finished this the night of May 6th, more than a little late for the deadline. I have had a hard time with a title for this one, hence it remains untitled.

To see larger photos of this quilt, go to http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/search/label/Challenge%2031 and click on the images. You will see lots of other wonderful quilts at this site.

A day or two after this challenge was issued, I happened to be riding through the mountains on a wet dreary day. The sky was gray, the trees and the hills on the whole were still mostly green but now and again I saw the bright red of vines that creep up the trees and add a burst of color. I thought, "This is it! This is a complementary color scheme with some neutrals." I did not have a camera at the time but tried to keep these images in my head as I made this quilt. I cut all the pieces freehand and pinned them down, moving things around adding and subtracting until it had the look I wanted. The vines are done with needle lace (embroidery done off the surface and then attached). This let me avoid the pitfalls of heavy thread work on a quilted surface. I would call the composition predominately vertical because of the trees but it definitely has horizontal and even diagonal elements. I guess nature does not go strictly by one set of rules.

Source photo

In fact, I was called on the carpet for not being "abstract" enough and was asked if it "is hard to get out of the realistic box?" I understand that the challenge as defined by the group was abstraction. However, I engage in challenges to further my own personal artistic goals. I don't see realism as a box from which I want to escape. Given the way I work and the kinds of quilts I like to make, I have virtually no interest in making my work more abstract. Abstract art does not engage me on the same emotional level as more representational work. I can relate to a landscape, an artistically rendered flower, a beautiful courtyard scene or cityscape in ways I cannot begin to imagine relating to a canvas of non-representational shapes, lines and colors. I find the challenge of working with light and shadow, color and form in order to create depth and realism an interesting and worthwhile intellectual and artistic challenge. I think we all have different goals in our art. Mine do not include making my art more "abstract".

I cut the shapes for this collage freehand and changed the composition somewhat. I tried to work mostly from scraps from my scrap bin. I fused the shapes to the background using Misty Fuse. I enjoyed the opportunity to work a little looser than I often do.

Size: 8.5" x 11"

The challenge as stated was about proportion and scale. Examples seemed to indicate that we might attempt to exaggerate proportions in order to emphasize something about the subject.

The photo at right is one I had been thinking about using as the basis of a quilt for some time. It seemed like the exaggerated perspective of the fence might suit the demands of the challenge.

source photo