I had an old picture taken by my Dad in the Pacific during World War II, showing a number of parachutes hanging up in a hanger. This was my inspiration. I crazy pieced my background on top of batting using the sewing machine. Then I chose a number of dark blue fabrics, one muted gold, and 2 gold fabrics. I hand sewed them onto the background. I added strips of fabric at the bottom of each element to suggest the lines. I pillow cased a facing to the piece. I thought I would bead the piece, using navy and a few crystal beads on the dark fabric, and gold ones on the gold fabric, but when I finished the piece I kind of liked it as it is.
I couldn't get the quilt picture in the post, so I will put it in the next one. Can't you tell I'm a newbie? Rosemary in St. Louis
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5 comments:
Fabulous photo! The perspective is great - looking up my eye follows those loooooonnnnng cables. I don't see that in your quilt. A lot of the chute tops are at the same level and I can't see any cables.
I have to agree with Diane--I wanted to see those long cables in your piece, just to emphasize what you have. The photo compared to piece uses perspective that could be used in your piece very effectively. If we had not seen the photo...love your construction technique and the contrasting color and what you are depicting then is open to many interpretations.
This is a fabulous photo and I think you could easily do a series on this. However I think you were ambitious (and I am not really sure that this is the word I want to use) in applying the chiaroscuro to this particular photograph. I think, perhaps, the original shot is more about texture and light, but it doesn't have the dramatic shifts in light associated with chiaroscuro. Thus, when you tried to apply the strong contrast which is typical of the chiaroscuro style, you were struggling. I like the piece you did, I love the contrast in the colors, but I think, perhaps that you should try again with different style...in fact, this might be the series jumping point...interpreting this photo in several different styles. I love the filminess and the lines in the original photo which doesn't really come across in your interpretation, but again, that's because you were trying to get the chiaroscuro down. Like Kathy said, if we hadn't seen your original photo, we'd never have thought that this was related to the other piece--not necessarily a bad thing. What a great photo and a great opportunity for you to apply different concepts.
Sort of a ditto comment here but first I want to say I really like your quilt as an abstract piece inspired by the shapes in the photo. With the long cables not featured they almost look like mushroom (magic mushrooms?). I really like the fabrics you chose. The dark blues are all the same shade but the different batiks add just enough variety for interest.
As far as Chiaroscuro: The golds are actually midtone and darker than the whites within the batiks. I see more of a study in complementary colors than Chiaroscuro.
I would also like to see a series based on the photograph---the whole photograph or parts of it (like you have done).
Very interesting photo. I like your abstracting. I'd love to see this piece done in the same perspective of the photo.
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