Structures #64
Structures #64 ©2006
14"x14"
The past few days I finished this small piece that is made from leftovers and rejected parts from Structures #37.
I normally have a very hard time working small but it was a nice distraction the past few days.
Thank you all for the warm wishes. I’m off to Kansas now.
Posted by Lisa in: Abstract Contemporary Textile Art
I love this smaller work!
The simple quilting on this is so wonderful. Your very straight lines, the thread colors that sometimes blend and sometimes enhance with another color. You have become very accomplished and obviously comfortable with the way you work.
Save travel and savor the good memories.
Bummer, I lost both my grandmothers in the same year a couple of years ago. But I keep things around me, at home and in my studio that belonged to them, and this reminds me of them and makes me feel like they are still with me in spirit and in the gifts of the joy of making things and the memories that they have given me. Hope your trip goes well, email when you get home.
i really like the colors in this very soothing have a good trip
Wishing you a safe trip. Love #64. I like the postive/negative use of the pink(?) color. Hand dyed fabric is just to precious to waste so I did the same thing with the scraps from a quilt I am almost done quilting. As I was trimming, I would just take the scraps and pin them on the design wall. It just seemed to gel. I will e-mail you pics when I get them both done over Christmas.
I really enjoy the tension caused by lines that do’t quite line up or aren’t quite straight. These are things I think about a lot when I am painting. Do you ever read Arnheim. “Power of the Center” is one of my Favorite Books and has influnced me a lot.
I am very sorry about your Grandmother.
Lisa,
I’m sorry to hear about your grandmothers. My surviving grandmother is 88 and lives in Germany. She is something of a mother to me and I see her more often than the rest of my American family. I know she won’t last forever, but I can’t imagine what I would do without her.
. . .
I like structure #64 a lot, I think for four reasons. First, the scale of the patterns fits with the scale of the composition in a way that is attractive to me. Second, I like the close-up aspect of the photo where I can really see the texture of the fabric, but also see the work as a whole. Third, I like the story behind it, that this is made from leftovers and rejects (from Structure #37). Fourth, I like it because the smaller size suggests it is a piece I could actually afford and buy if it were for sale. I realize you are not selling your work, but it is interesting that I feel I can make more of a connection to something that I could potentially own. This is a valuable insight to me about presenting work on the web.
I’ve been trying to find why you call the quilts “Structure #x”. Using the search feature on the blog I found the series in review. You wrote “I’ve heard it said that working in a series is tantamount to doing the same thing over and over again with different colors.” Lisa, whoever said that is as good as blind. I would almost go as far as saying that the Structures are so distinct as to be jarring. Almost, but not quite. The tension of the diversity is wonderful drama. Your exploration within the structure theme is extraordinary. It is like a singer who can sing in whispers and also belt out huge sound for an opera hall.
Reading further to your Artist Statement, I get more insight into the “Structure” title. I had no idea looking at the work that it was inspired by real physical structure, Lisa. But this is the point of abstraction. I think you have succeeded in conveying your underlying psychological message, but the quilts themselves go far beyond this. This is something I love about art, when the work takes on a life of its own, grounded in an idea but also growing into something in itself that defies classification.
The palette is fabulous, and I just love how you organized the composition – everything works in this wonderful creation!
I like the smaller piece just as much as the larger ones. Wish I had the discipline to work a series the way you do. Great job.