Structures #75
Structures #75 ©2007 17" x 19"
I spent yesterday evening at Alyson Stanfield’s beautiful home in Golden with a group of wonderful artists to help her figure out what her upcoming book should look like. It was a fun evening with delicious food and an in depth conversation about book design. What color should the cover be, how should the information be laid out, how much white space, what kind of paper, etc. There was amazing energy in the room and lots of great ideas were tossed around. I hadn’t ever put much thought into these issues so it was an interesting evening.
I’m really looking forward to Alyson’s book - I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion. Great title and the contents will undoubtedly be wonderful knowing Alyson. She makes this topic, which makes me wince at times, easy to understand and sometimes even fun.
I stopped by Cynthia Guajardo’s studio on my way to Golden and got a fascinating tour of her ceramics studio. I love her work and it was great to see more about how it is made and it was nice to have company on the drive up to Golden.
I made the above piece, Structures #75, last weekend. Different color palette than Structures #76, which I posted yesterday. This piece is much more along the lines of my normal color pallete. Although I have plans to branch out more and try some different color combinations. That is one nice thing about smaller work, I can play with new colors and not have to invest several weeks into the piece. These smaller pieces are taking about 4-6 hours to complete.
One thing I’d like to work on is not having such straight lines in all of my smaller pieces. In the larger pieces I can get the expressive quality of line I like fairly easy but I haven’t mastered this yet with the smaller work - they are definitely much more rigid.
Posted by Lisa in: Making Abstract Contemporary Textile Art
Wanda S. Hanson said,
June 27, 2007 @ 8:14 am
I really like these 2 new small pieces. What would happen if you mixed all of the leftover scraps of the 2 of them into a new piece? I like the rich palette of #76 but #75 is very soothing. The mix would be very exciting. Nothing makes me happier than working with the leftovers after I have finished a bigger project or 2.
cynthia said,
June 27, 2007 @ 8:19 am
I enjoyed our drive to and from Golden too Lisa! And you’re right Alyson’s book is going to be wonderful.
On another note, I like the color palette on this smaller work.
Marty52 said,
June 27, 2007 @ 10:25 am
Lisa - I’m not an expert; however, your quilts have such a wonderful modern vibe to me, have you ever considered displaying them in a venue like the Denver Modernism Show? Here’s some info if you are interested:
Gallery Section - Denver Modernism Show
This year, the Denver Modernism Show will feature a special large gallery section devoted to contemporary modern art. Seeking abstract and representational artwork that fits in with the modernist aesthetic. This may include pop art, cubism, realism, surrealism, photography, collage, retro imagery and a wide range of styles–as long as it fits within a modern decor. Accepting 2-D and 3-D work in any medium, by artists of any age and from any location. All artwork must be delivered ready to hang or display. Entry fee of $10 per piece is due upon delivery of work. The Denver Modernism Show will retain a 20% commission on all work sold. Work (actual work - no slides or digital images) must be delivered to the Denver Studio Complex, 241 S. Cherokee St. on Thursday, August 23, 2007 between 2:00-5:00pm. For more information, go to: http://www.denvermodernism.com
http://www.denvermodernism.com/about3.htm
Lisa Call said,
June 27, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Wanda - Thanks. Interesting idea mixing the leftovers, except I don’t have any scraps left from the black and red piece and the other piece had only 3 or 4 pieces. Maybe I’ll try your idea someday with larger quilts that have more leftovers.
Thanks Cynthia - it was good to chat last night.
Marty - thank you much for the link to the show. I will definitely check it out.
Alyson B. Stanfield said,
June 28, 2007 @ 8:38 am
Thanks, Lisa! Your input for the book is invaluable. I always appreciate your straightforward opinions and willingness to help. As for Marty’s advice, yes! Good fit. And, as I recall, that show got some write-ups in the paper.
Laura Tyler said,
June 28, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
Dear Lisa,
It was a pleasure meeting you at Alyson’s on Tuesday. I love the new work, by the way… (especially “Structures 76″). Really exciting. All those rich, tonal blacks punctuated by your precise quilting. Beautiful!
Diane Clancy said,
June 29, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
Hi Lisa,
Alyson’s sounds like such fun - wish I were 1500 miles closer than I am!
This thought just came to my mind as I am thinking about what you wrote - what if the quilting pattern were what was different? It seems you quilting lines follow the line of the pieces.
What if the quilting lines marched to a different drummer and went - say - just vertical, horizontal or diagonal? Would that work? I think that might change the feel that the pieces are a little separate … I am not sure I am guessing right.
I look at it to see what could bother me (since you want to change) and 4 small pieces are very different than say 10 small pieces. Maybe the quilting could integrate the pieces across the blocks … well, my thought for the night.
~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
Lisa Call said,
July 10, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Laura it was wonderful to meet you also and you are most welcome Alyson.
Diane - when I was talking about the lines not being what I wanted I was more referring to the pieced/sewn lines between the pieces of fabric - not the quilting lines. But your suggestions are interesting and I will think about them more. I have done some quilting that cuts across the design in the piecing but for the most part I don’t like it as much. But I can see what you are saying.