My second attempt:
14" x 18"
Commercial fabrics.
After our monochromatic challenge, I had in mind to picture the heart of a flower in analogous colors. So Linda's challenge was just what I needed to get moving. I don't particularly like the finished piece because my choice of colors, particularly for the background, doesn't hit me just right.
I used a photo of a peony and cropped it to exclude the perimeter of the flower. I can see that I could have cropped it a lot more and had more of an abstract look but I sort of like this cross between representational and abstract.
I had a good time free-motion quilting this piece. I tried using light colored thread in an attempt to mellow out the background but it didn't work.
As always, any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Addendum: I have taken Linda Cline's suggestion and make the background purple. I painted lightly over the rusty orange with purple watercolor dye. It worked very well and has the added bonus of emphasizing the quilting. Thanks Linda!
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12 comments:
Your close-up is great.
It is a very hot piece with all of that orange. The dark orange of the petals almost blend in to the background. Was that your intention?
Your colors go from almost white to a medium value. What if you chose a very dark color for the background? Maybe a deep purple. It would tone down the color scheme a bit, while still being an analagous warm color, and the petals would show up better with the contrast.
Thanks, Linda. I can see the possibilities with your suggestion of the deep purple background. I love bright color but I got a bit carried away this time and it is too bright for me. I'm also thinking of rescuing this piece with fabric paint. I'll do some experimenting with purples on the orange and see what looks good.
I really liked the first attempt but the re-do is amazing! The purple certainly gave it that darker value that makes the petals pop. Great job!
Oh, I really like the second version! What great contrasts! Thanks for re-doing it...VERY nice!
Ren
Wow Roberta, it does make a big difference! Are you happy with it now?
Sandy in the UK
Roberta, this is a great close up and what fabulous colors. I really like the second piece, it makes the flower fairly burst from the page.
Roberta, I liked this on the first try - but the second try makes it really work well. I wonder if you added even a little more dark paint if it would pop even more?
Oh, I would love to see this in person Roberta! I can almost smell the fragrance...LOL
Beautiful!
Cherie
YOur original was great, but the re-do shows such insight. The suggestions from the others were handled well. I am always amazed how adding a bit of a color's opposite/contrast can really add that bit of pop we are all looking for.
I echo the earlier comments. A very interesting piece.
Looks great! The flower really shows up now with the extra contrast.
Hi Roberta, very cool piece. I actually like the first one very much... some dark outlining some the petals would make it pop. The second piece is wonderful, too...completely different feel to me, more dramatic less impressionistic. The quilting is really good and I love the variety of shapes and sizes of the petals. Great job!
Cynthia
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