Friday, October 29, 2010

Drunken Bee


My Haiku is from "The Essential Haiku Versions of Basho, Suson and Issa".

a bee
staggers out
of the peony
by Basho

This quilt measures 8 1/4" X 12".
The peony is hand painted using Seta colors on a silk/cotton fabric to give the peony "shine". My stitch element is the peony center thread painting. I attempted a personal challenge of creating a three-dimensional bee. It is less effective than I wanted in this piece.
Comments welcome.

Thank you for a truly inspirational challenge, Kathy. I think that already each of the resulting quilts has been successful in artistically creating an emotion or mood. Every one of them is beautiful.


12 comments:

Jan said...

Wonderful job hand painting your peony. It looks almost real. I like the black polkadot you've used on the left and top. It almost seems like dandelion seeds floating away but yet stops your eye from going off the quilt and always back to the peony. I also like the way your peony seems to have outgrown the borders of the quilt. Great job!

A comment on the Haiku you chose... I looked at Basho's and other purportedly famous Haiku poets. Most did not follow the formated 5-7-5 general rule. I'm glad you chose one of those.

ann said...

Stunning peony. I especially like the borders and the free floating leaf. I think it is especially good to try new things in this group. So the bee isn't exactly what you intended. That happens to me all the time. However, I bet, like me you learned a lot through doing.

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

Very good interpretation of Basho's Haiku. The peony and thread painting are wonderful The bee seems to be 'coming in' not 'staggering out' though, by the position of the winds ? Maybe it is just me.
Overall this is a great composition.

Carole said...

Very well done Sue... My comments echo those above, but, like Rhoda and having been a bee-keeper, your drunken bee is coming in...they really do fly out so loaded they look tipsy. I think he is a great bee, tho'.
the black and white on two sides is very effective as are the leaves going off the edge.

Joni said...

Sue this is wonderful, I thought at first the peony was a digital photo - it looks so real. The leaves coming over the border adds some depth and the glittery trail of the bee adds movement. It's simple yet elegant!

Betty Warner said...

Hi Sue, I echo the comments of the others. Great piece, wonderful peony, terrifice choice of borders, the yellow/gold background is very successful. I like the imperfection of the bee that really shows the hand of the maker. Great job!

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Sue, I love this little piece...I wouldn't change a thing, except it's address (I think it belongs at my house). The black& white border is just right and balances the bumblebee nicely. Great job
Cynthia

Unknown said...

another stunner and I can only agree with all that's been said before me :-D
Your peony is very lifelike, love how the leaves fall over the border, love the bee :-D and the black and white border on the 2 sides..

Pam Harris said...

Very nice piece!! I echo the above comments.

Kathy Lichtendahl said...

Sue,
Your peony is beautiful! The stitching in the middle is a wonderful touch. I think adding the actual haiku was a great move - so few words and yet so poetic...

Unknown said...

Love the looks of the peony, the painting and the stitching. I also appreciated the leaf extending beyond the edge of the piece. The use of black and white in the border really pops the border. Nice piece!

Louise

Cherie in Del Mar said...

Lovely, graceful flower. I love it.
Cherie