Saturday, April 04, 2009

Mother Earth 11.5"x19"

I guess this one is pretty self explanatory. I've been hoarding some Cherrywood fabrics for a while now, and it seems about time to use a tiny bit! I've actually been meaning to make a quilt along these lines for some time now. This piece is all fused, and machine quilted with "invisible" thread. I apologize that the photo doesn't really show the quilting well, as I just took this shot in less than ideal conditions, but I actually really like the way the quilting came out. The little spirals are some little wire thingies I picked up somewhere. I'm not sure I was successful with the "planes/masses" part of the challenge, but I really enjoyed making this little piece.

Brenda Jennings, fairly close to the deadline, and aching to get back out West

10 comments:

Della said...

Brenda. . . Wow. The sun casts such a beautiful glow throughout the composition. This is really emphasized by the black framing. I really like the variation of color in the 3rd from the top mountain. I can imagine climbing in and out of the nooks and crannies. Well done.

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

Brenda, great job. The piece of fabric for the 'sunglow' is perfect.
What if you excluded the back border at the top, it seems to distract the wonderful flow of the piece, for me anyway. Overall I think your colors and placement are fantastic.

Jan said...

I think you have achieved planes with the hills fro dark to light. Perhaps the final green hill is a bit stronger than it should be but that's all. I think the black top and bottom makes it look like a Navajo rug weaving. Love it!

Cherie in Del Mar said...

It definitely feels Southwest! The colors are so lovely, however I agree with Jan. The distant green mountain range seems too bright and tends to come forward instead of blending with the rest. If you cover the green the rest of the picture has great depth and draws you back to the horizon. What if you gray it down to mute it?
It's very beautiful as is though.
Cherie

Susan B said...

The sky is very luminous next to the grayed tones of all the mountains. I am less aware of the planes and masses component. It is somewhat subtle, but there. I find myself wondering if more contrast between some of the middle ranges would have brought out more of the planes. On the other hand the soft, low contrast colors are a large part of the appeal of this piece and you might really loose something if you went for more definition.

I think Cherie and Jan make a good point about the green. I see it more as a matter of placement. The green might be more at home had it not been so distant, where we usually see muted blues and grays.

That said, I like this southwest landscape very much.

Wendy said...

Love love love this piece... great colors and exceptional framing. It looks like the view from my window!

I agree with the prior comments about the green... placing it more in the foreground and decreasing the value as it receeds would have given it more depth... but don't change a thing, its fab!

Joni said...

Brenda,
This is very beautiful. Excellent colors, and I like the way you framed the view. It's wonderful just as it is.

Carole said...

All has been said, and I see that too..... but this is exceptional. I am so impressed with the way you used the traditional block outline top and bottom. Intriguing.... almost looks like a city to my eye, but I know it isn't.

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Brenda, lovely colors, lovely design and a native american feel...wonderful!
Cynthia

brendaj said...

Thanks to all for your comments; I agree that the last hill isn't quite right; I did have a lighter gray cut out, but it was a patterned batik and didn't quite fit; then I had a "plainer" gray that was lighter, but it didn't give me the contrast against the sky fabric that I wanted. Guess I need to buy more fabric!

Brenda