Saturday, February 05, 2011

What's This Window Doing Here?



Size: 21.5" wide x 24" high, longest side is 11"

This is close to life size.
I was thrilled when I read this challenge, because I am particularly interested in realism and dimensionality. Trompe d'oeil has always fascinated me. I knew I wanted to participate. Had I been left to my own devices, I would probably still be wondering what to do for the challenge. But I told my husband about it and right away, he came up with the perfect idea, one of the windows in our log cabin. So I took a bunch of photos and went to work to create a pattern.
This quilt is made using commercial fabrics and applique. There is no painting or photo transfer involved. I used a method I use for almost all of my pictorial work (landscapes, flowers and architectural quilts), Upside Down Applique. I studied the photo carefully and emphasized light and shadows and contrast, which to me are key elements in creating the illusion of three dimensional space.
Comments/critiques welcome.

13 comments:

Cherie in Del Mar said...

WOW! Susan this is stunningly realistic!
Cherie

fastfriday said...

Awesome! The depth that you achieved in the window is wonderful. Ticia

fastfriday said...

Susan, the light and grain on the wood is great! It's a very realistic rendering. Chris Predd

Kathy Lichtendahl said...

Susan,
This is a truly awesome piece of work! Your fabric choices were perfect and I love the shadow of the tree on the left. Is the piece itself skewed or does it look that way because of the photo angle? Very effective!
Kathy L

Susan B said...

The piece is skewed. When I began taking photos of the window, I realized that in order to maximize the depth and capture more shadows, I needed to have an angled perspective. So I worked from a photo that was taken from one side. I went in this direction after viewing a lot of trompe d'oeil. I saw that in many of them the perspective was exaggerated.

fastfriday said...

I do believe if you were to put this on the wall one would think you had added a new window. Great job!

Pat Havey

Jan said...

Absolutely beautiful! I love the unusual shape and the fact you didn't look straight on. Great idea your husband gave you and you portrayed in fabric. The window casing looks so real!

Debbie said...

This is the best one yet, Susan. The shadows inside the frame are done so well. I'll bet this looks exactly like your original photo.

Julia in NZ said...

Wow! Susan. This encompasses the best of your work - the perspective, the realism, the uda! It should go in a show, for sure.

Susan B said...

Thanks, Julia. As I worked on this, I was thinking all the time, trying to bring what I know about perspective, color and contrast to bear in the final product. I appreciate your comments.

Susan B said...

Thanks very much to everyone who has taken time to comment.
Pat, I am planning to add a "new window" to one of the bedrooms.
Debbie, I like it much better the photo it came from!

Sharon Robinson said...

This is really attractive. I think it meets the intent of the challenge perfectly. And what a nice view to have this time of year!

Marilyn Wall said...

Susan, Love your work. The problem with getting to this late in the challenge is that everyone has already said how I feel about the work. The shadows are wonderful and gives the whole piece the feel of realism.