May Master Design Class-Flying Low
“The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars….even the failed pieces are essential” Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
This month I did not soar! May’s assignment in my Design Master Class was another “learning experience”. I am committed to showing the breadth of my personal art making journey and sometimes it’s pretty humbling to show it all. I’m thankful to have “Art and Fear” as one of my guiding voices to help me understand the roller coaster of making art.
The actual assignment for Elizabeth Barton‘s class was to take a landscape and add, subtract and rearrange in order to achieve better design. She asked us to simplify our landscape, to capture the essence of it with simple shapes and to inject feeling and emotion. That was definitely a challenge for me!
I traveled for 3 of May’s 4 weeks on three separate trips. I was unable to get my sketches and blocked out quilt photos submitted due to technical issues while traveling. As a result I was only able to submit one photo of the quilt at the end of the month for critique.
My inspiration photo was of a lovely sitting area in the upper part of my backyard. It’s a quiet and lovely spot, frequented by birds, butterflies, dragon flies, bees and an occasional snake. It overlooks my beautiful waving grasses.
Studying the photo I ended up cropping it to the more interesting part in the right hand section, moving the chair from the left of the photo, making the tree in the foreground more interesting, and greatly simplifying the background behind the chair. I also eliminated the pot and table. It all started out so well.
I still loathe work that uses lots of different fabrics, simply because my studio set up is not ideal for this kind of work. My actual work space is tiny so any “fabric explosion” has to go on 3 rooms away and down the hall. I’m selecting fabrics here.
More fabric selection. Which is the right ombre? Are the greens right?
I did use a new product that I’m wild about! But first, some background: my construction method for this piece was to layer thin batting over my backing, then assemble the front of the piece collage style directly upon the batting. So I needed to mark my reference points with a black Sharpie, but I marked my landscape parts with a water soluble marker since they might move about.
I’m excited about Blue Line Eraser, a product that will permanently spray away your blue water soluble marker without having to immerse it! Even if you iron it. And they have a little pen that you can fill with the solution so that you can take away just a specific area. Pretty cool!
I got this far and sent it in for critique. All the pieces are held by temporary spray. I’m just not into the piece and don’t think I will finish it. Elizabeth suggested removing the chair altogether and winding the path to end up where the chair would have been.
If I had completed the piece I would have done something to integrate the chair into the scene with quilting and/or something like netting to punch it back a bit. I also would have softened the edge between the green and gray with some suggestion of plants and added tufts of grass to the barren area around the tree.
But I’m just not feeling this piece. It got all fussy on me and I just don’t have the interest to go back and simplify it. It was a difficult month for me to feel creative. I’m actually not even sure what I learned from this piece. I do know that somehow, it is an essential step on the path to a great piece in the future. Onward!
(I”m adding this to Nina Marie’s Off-the-Wall-Friday post-be sure to check out the fun links there! Nina Marie is in the class also.)
I love that this assignment stretched you beyond your comfort zone. Perhaps you just need to take that as the reward of the assignment.
Another possible take-away is that what you thought was simplified could be simplified even more. What a funny conclusion for someone like you, who is so proficient in very simple pieces (in the color part).
Anyway, I enjoyed reading about this.
Thanks Bobbi! I am getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Simplifying is difficult for me but I so need to develop that skill.
Hi Jenny,
Very artistic and I’m impressed with what you created. It looks like a lot of work and at I think it will be beautiful if you decide to finish it. I think you did a fantastic job capturing your inspiration area.
TJ
Thank you Terri! Sometimes I just can’t see it myself so it is encouraging to hear your words.
I really liked reading this, and liked Elizabeth’s suggestions, although I might also remove the trees. Design is something I struggle with everyday! I was a bio major in college- not an art major after all, but I do think art can be learned, so I push on. Thanks for the post, it encouraged me by knowing that other people struggle too sometimes.
Hmm, remove all the trees. That would work! And I absolutely agree with you that art can be learned (I was an accounting major-geesh!). I am glad you enjoyed the post. Oh boy do I struggle, but I think it take a struggle to get better no matter who we are.
Hi Jenny – perhaps your take-away is that you are really refining your own space in the art quilt world. Or perhaps the take-away is that it appears you are learning to walk away from something that just doesn’t speak to you. Perhaps the take-away is that you are finding YOU!
Thank you Schatzi-I appreciate your insight. Yes, maybe that is my take away. The things I’m learning from this don’t necessarily slap me in the face each month-sometimes I will later realize how a subtle change made a big difference in the piece.
Stand back or leave the room… I love the gentleness of the color, the shape the line created with flow of shapes. I would not change it. If you still don’t like it, send it to me and I’ll give it a good home! LeeAnna Paylor
not afraid of Color! lapaylor.blogspot.com
LOL LeeAnna! I’m just not into it. I will let it mellow and see if I care enough to go back. Some things you have to leave just because you’re not into them. Thank you for the encouragement!
I actually liked this piece. If I had any suggestions it would be to simplify it by removing some of the shapes. It seems a bit cluttered, with not enough breathing room. Particularly since you are going for a feeling of peace and calm. I would keep the tree (good focal point) but lose the chair. The tree might be a bit large (proportion) for the piece also. Maybe reducing the size would help. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents- use what you like and discard what you don’t. Much love.
Thank you Roxane for your well thought comments. I too felt that it just got too busy. Not sure about the chair-I want someplace to “land” but I know it’s too prominent as it is. Geez, that stupid tree-I made at least 6. Some too large, some too small, some the wrong color….
I love your “final” piece. I’m also happy to learn about the blue mark erasing substance! Thanks for sharing your process!
Thank you Cathy! I’m glad to share about the blue marker. I guess if I didn’t learn anything else, I at least used the cool blue marker!
I’d leave the chair and make the path more focused and curving. The chair gives life to the piece by giving it a human presence (without actually having to include the human)! Please come back to this piece at some point; the colors and fabrics are lovely, although I am biased towards blues and greens, and plants. The composition seems balanced to me, with the path leading the eye up to the right. You have elements of a good novel in it; a little mystery, some movement from here to there.
Thank you for such good feedback Donna! My original vision did include the chair and it was a focal point emotionally for me-begging me to come a linger. As to finishing it-I am so annoyed by all the fiddly pieces! I like the look, I know it could be simplified.
Part of my problem is the way my “studio” is arranged-all over the house. When I work on scrappy/fiddly stuff like this it causes “fabric explosion” and annoys me.
I think the message is, “Get over it Jenny and finish the piece”! I know it’s true-the hardest fought pieces tend to be the best, sigh!