Thursday, October 02, 2008

Challenge 25: Series



I am taking watercolor classes and have decided to recreate my watercolor pieces in fabric which will be my series theme. This week the set-up was a still life with 5 pears. The picture with the white background is my unfinished watercolor still life. Using that for inspiration, I worked in the complementary colors of purple and green with a dash of yellow added! The layout is horizontal and I moved the pears a bit in the fabric piece. Quilting is done on the pears, but not on the background as I ran out of time. One of the things I'm working on in watercolor is shadows and light/dark.
Thanks for any comments.

14 comments:

janice pd said...

Kathy, this is lovely. Your choice of fabrics really gives this piece a watercolor look.

Linda Cline said...

That's a great idea using your watercolors for quilt inspiration. You might get ideas for painting from working with fabric also.

When I was taking painting classes 20 years ago, I painstakingly tried to get every detail and shadow perfect. Working in fabric taught me to work much looser. I'll bet my painting style would be different now if I get my paints out again.

Linda Cline said...

The lighter colored pears on the right get lost a bit on the light background. What if you made the right two thirds of the background a darker color for more contrast?

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

This is very nice. The color choices are great. the pears are so alive!

Kathy Angel Lee said...

Thanks, Linda for the suggestion. Since the pears are stitched down, what I can do is use some paints to shade in behind the pears. Another thing I've been doing in my watercolors.
Kathy

Betty Warner said...

This piece definitely looks like a watercolor. I have a bit of trouble distinquishing the pears on the right - it could be my old eyes or my monitor. I think it could be effectively changed with some paint if you agree. A very nice piece of work.

Carole said...

Kathy! This is so 'painterly'... I love it. I actually looked at pears myself as a series, but didn't think I could pull it off. I am so glad you did this, and I hope you will at least post a picture in the Yahoo files when you have made the suggested comments.
Love those colors........
Well done!

anna k. said...

Kathy,
what a great idea for a series...translating your watercolors into fabric!
I can hardly wait to see the finished product.
Pears are such interesting shapes...you've done an excellent job.

LAQuilts said...

What a fun idea for a series - I wonder how changing the horizon line would work. or better yet - cropping the piece.

Cherie in Del Mar said...

Hi Kathy...Your pears look good enough to eat :) Have you tried using your watercolors on fabric? I do now and then, and love the soft look.
Cherie

Kathy Angel Lee said...

Yes, I've tried watercolors and other paints on fabric. They really add a lot to a piece. The piece will be cropped some. I wanted a picture of it at this stage so I could meet the deadline!
Kathy

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Well done, Kathy! very good shadowing. I'd like to see the stem darker and thicker...otherwise they could be avocadoes rather than pears! Cropping it way in to get a closer view of the pears might be very effective, too.
Good to have you back for another year!
Cynthia

Anonymous said...

Great idea for a series!
The variety of possibilities should keep you involved and churning out ideas for this. I look forward to seeing this series evolve.

My eyes go right to that yellow pear in the center. I like the contrast of values in it and the way you have used the fabric's print for that purpose.

I like that you have made your pears "sit down" on a surface. It gives them a feeling of substance and weight.

Roberta Ranney said...

Hi Kathy - A still life can be so appealing - I guess that is why artists have always done them. I like what you have started here. The variety of colors and fabrics and the shadows are so nicely done. I could see thread-painting some stems as a nice addition. I look forward to seeing the finished work. Looking good so far!