Quilt Make Over - Structures #49 - and some “what am I trying to say with my work”
This is a piece I began in the Nancy Crow workshop in early October. This is how the piece looked at the end of the class. This is the “before” shot.
One of the things I’m working on is putting more open space in my work. To not fill the entire thing up with lines. My work is based on my motif - an E shape. The idea came from a photo of my dad’s fence, and the series is about boundaries and the structures that we use to define our limits - fences, walls, etc. While I’m interested in these external physical structures, I’m also thinking about our internal boundaries or the emotional walls we put up to keep others out.
I am a very private person and rarely let anyone past those barriers. I’m very aware of putting up the walls and keeping people out and the physical act of making many of my quilts mimics these thoughts. First I put down a background of color blocks, then cover the areas with lines and shapes to hide the background, keeping it safe. Leaving large open areas in my work is akin to letting down the internal barriers, and hence it makes me uncomfortable as it goes against my very nature.
Yet I am pushing myself to explore these large open spaces as I believe pushing myself beyond my safety zone is a good thing. It’s where the growth comes in.
Interestingly, in pushing myself towards more openness in my work I’ve also found that I am more willing to tell others what my work is really about instead of hiding behind the “this is my E motif” story to keep it safe.
But back to this quilt. I wasn’t happy with this piece during the class. So I set it aside and revisited this weekend. I made only a few changes and I’m happier with the piece but still think my investigation into large open area has a long way to go before I feel like it is coming genuinely from me.
Structures #49 ©2005 46″x46″ (still to be quilted)
I’ll post later about the specific changes I made and why I made them.
Posted by in: Inspiration, Quilting Process
Allison said,
November 11, 2005 @ 6:24 pm
This is so interesting, how you are exploring here the relationship between your private, inner life/self, and the textiles you create…I really like how your work is affecting your perception of self, too….making that public in your blog is an astonishing part of that! Blogs are so cool that way!
I view my own art not so much in terms of self-expression, but as dialogue…I suppose between the self and the Self.
Anyway, I have a son who is majoring in computer engineering…his mind and psyche just may work a bit like yours does….if he ever did anything as out front and expressive as you are doing (and as beautiful), I would be very, very happy….
Terry said,
November 11, 2005 @ 6:27 pm
Lisa, I really admire your work and have enjoyed reading your blog so much. While I love the frantic quality of some of your other pieces, the relative stillness and quiet of this piece has a real feeling of peace and serenity. It breathes. I’ll watch its progress with interest.
gabrielle said,
November 12, 2005 @ 8:34 am
Lisa, I realy appeciated the comments you left on my blog about hiding behind the imagery. I love the patterning in your work but would never have associated it with the artist statement you just posted…had I not read it.
We are both revealing things about ourselves that may not be obvious to the viewer. Why is that? Could it be that the medium itself doesn’t convey these revelations, as you suggested.
Glad you told the story behind the “E” shape. Now I will see the work in a new way.
My “Zen” approach isn’t obvious either but I am not sure I know another way to work. I appreciate so much your comments on the Earth Strata series…plan on continuing that series indefinitely. Maybe there is more of me in this work.
Still I am a fool for beautiful patterning and your work does that for me whether I see the artist revealing herself or not.
PaMdora said,
November 14, 2005 @ 8:27 pm
I like the way you re-worked this. There’s more tension, but at the same time more balance in the second version.
I also enjoy reading your explanations of your imagery.