Friday, October 01, 2010

"Cloister" - Updated


Here is the quilted version of Cloister.  Overall I'm happy with it, considering it's my first real art quilt, and my first attempt to work from a photograph.  I really wanted to try to incorporate some of the great suggestions in the critiques, but I also knew I could dicker around with it forever, so in the spirit of Fast FFC, I set tonight as my deadline.  I think the quilting lines improved it, but I thought there were too many lines, and they were overcoming the small piece, so I didn't do any quilting in the central tan area.  I used a pillowcase binding/backing because it was quick and unobtrusive, but I'm not happy about the lumpy corners.  But it's done and I'm ready for the next challenge!
Here is my first entry to FFFC.   It is 12" x 12" with a mixture of commercial cottons, batiks and overdyed wool fabric.  Fused and soon-to-be-machine-quilted.
 I had a lot of fun with this, and learned so much.  I was overly optimistic about how much I could do in one week. I ended up doing much more fusing and less piecing, and my idea turned out to be much more time consuming than I expected, so I have not quilted it yet.

I based (with permission) it on this photo that a friend took of a palace in Barcelona.
I thought that the contrast between the  sun shining on the leaves and white stone with the dark recesses of the archway addressed the challenge, but I was also trying to illustrate a contrast between the ephemeral light emanating from inside the stained glass and the everyday word of bricks and mortar.  
I plan to use lines of quilting to represent the courses of stone and brick.   I hope that will give it a little more finesse.  

I'm eager to hear comments, this is the first time I've put my work out in "public."

12 comments:

fastfriday said...

Great first entry! I can certainly see the light and shadow. I like your colors and all the thought that wnet into it. I can hardly wait to see it finished.

Pt Havey

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful image and you certainly did a great job interpreting it. I especially like what you did with the foliage in the foreground. I can see the way the light plays on it. And your use of wool for the deepest part of the shade is most effective.

The building in the original photo has a very strong contrast between very dark & very light with really no mid-tones. The red & tan in the center of your piece fall in the mid-tone range. The red portion is dominant and advances to the foreground against the light portion on the right, but quilting lines can help reestablish the depth of the center section (If you desaturate the photograph in Photoshop you will see it.)

It is still a stunning piece. Your addition of stained glass is cleverly done. I hope you will post a photo once it is quilted as I would really like to see it.

Wendy said...

Congrats on braving the world and posting your quilt! Bravo!
As you quilt it, think about the brick work in the photo, quilting some stones in the beige would really add dimension! If you follow the lines in the photo you will help that back wall recede.... perspective! Well done!

LAQuilts said...

I love how you added the extra windows - this make the piece much more interesting than the photograph. I look forward to seeing the quilting with the added texture. I hope you keep in line with the brickwork on the photo.

Sharon Robinson said...

Thanks for the very kind comments. I'm eager to see how the quilting will help the perspective, too. I hope I'm able to execute what I am envisioning!

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Sharon, This is really good! The quilting will add alot of texture and depth. I would like to see a little more glow from the windows, especially the window on the darkest portion. You would quilt (or couch fiber) the inner outline with a bright yellow and make the "shadow" of the window frame a light reflection instead..either with thread or an added piece of fused lighter fabric.
I look forward to seeing more of your work...so glad you are here!
Cynthia

Pam Harris said...

WOW!! Please post once it's quilted. I think you did a fabulous job and I like the addition of the stained glass windows.

Carole said...

Ditto to all the above...a great piece and welcome!

fastfriday said...

I like this piece also. What about tossing in a few slivers of red and that dark brown among your blades of grass? This would help the building relate to the foreground a bit. Very nice work!

Karol

fastfriday said...

You are off to a great start. I think quilting will add a lot of depth and perspective.

Judy Rys

Veronica said...

The quilting lines really add a lot of dimension to the subject. I also like the pillow case finishing technique.

Veronica Von Zwehl

Anonymous said...

Wow, the quilting lines put everything is great perspective. You've done a wonderful job with this challenge.