My haiku describes what I see here in the woods in northern Michigan in late October. We are currently having wind storms (gusts to 60 mph) so most of the leaves will be down today I fear. When I wrote it on Saturday I didn't know the wind storms were coming this week.
crimson leaves still clutch
frost-bound branch and pray to thwart
wind's fateful last blow
Crimson leaves 16" x 24" (gallery wrapped).I was lucky enough to have the background blocks in my stash of wonky-pieced blocks that I like to use for backgrounds. The bluish gray is the color of the lake and the sky lately.
Detail: The smaller branches and the leaves on the trees in the background were created with stitch. I also used the stitched line to suggest wind.
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18 comments:
What an exceptional piece! The "wonky pieced" background gives great texture as well as a crisp background making the scarlet leaves stand out even more. Your use of the quilted line on the trees gives great textures and shading.
I like how you placed the one branch across the other to give the strong diagonal.
Not to mention that your haiku is fantabulous....and I can't even come up with one! Good job.
Oooh, it's beautiful. And you produced it so quickly, wow. I almost forgot the added directive to use stitch, but it looks like a very natural extension of your idea. The gray background makes a perfect winter sky.
What about "Hope" for a title? I'm imagining those last few leaves hoping to hang on...
Kathie,
This is just awesome! I looked first and then read the haiku. Blowing and hanging on are so evident with your stitching. Background is textured and subtle.
I especially love the value change in this piece and how color has been used to emphasize the leaves "last stand". Poetry is a wonderful inspiration for art.
Excellent job!
The quilting lines are very windy -a really nice and subtle element. I also like that the trees are two different colors and that there is a strong diagonal in the quilt. I keep looking at the background, which is very wintery and I keep seeing more and more facinating things to look at in it.
Veronica Von Zwehl
Very nice piece. One can certainly see the wind. I, too, think the pieced background suggests winter is lurking. Nice to see so many leaves "hanging on".
I echo all of the above. A dynamic pice and the wonky background really gives it power.
I too have to go with awesome. It's a beautiful quilt and terrific haiku. I love the detail shots. Either of those would stand alone. Great interpretation of the challenge
Cherie
Kathy, love it. Lot's of movement in this piece, and it seems we have a lot of wind in the fall. The trees in the background add great depth. I find the background intriguing. You can almost feel the 'winds of winter'. Wonderful!
This is so 'wintery'... I love that the surprise is the leaves... every quick glance says cardinals..
Did you comce up with a name?
Hi Kathy, I love this piece. It is simultaneously tranquil and full of movement. How wonderful. Great job!
Beautiful contrasts, Kathy...great job.
Cynthia
I can only echo what everyone else has already said. BEAUTIFUL! Background is great, 2 main trees are wonderful, leaves are such a great burst of color and the "wind" is awesome!
Kathie,
This is a wonderful piece that has captured the essence of this challenge perfectly!
Kathie - Ditto on all of the above. The cold wind is so evident and the bright red leaves add so much wonderful contrast. Super job
Pat Havey
I thought your quilt was spectacular! The haiku was great too. I must do some wonky blocks to use as background. Were the leaves fused? Rosemary in St. Louis
Thanks everyone got your comments. I really loved this challenge. It was so timely. We had a two day windstorm (gusts about 65 mph) right after I finished so this indeed was their "last stand" which is going to figure into the title.
Cherie, thanks for the comment about the detail. I like it too and want to develop it into its own composition.
Rosemary, the leaves are the background trees are thread painted and the larger leaves in the foreground are fused then stitched. I do a lot of stitching.
I used the insertion technique a lot for backgrounds. For one thing its fun to do. And I think it gives some depth to the composition.
Kathie from Charlevoix
The warmth of the leaves against the coolness of the background is striking. I really like the subtle image of the birches behind the limbs (or at least that is how I interpret it). Using those leftover blocks was a great choice.
Hi Louise,
Thank you for your comment. Actually those are not "leftover" blocks at all. I make many of my pieces with this kind of background so I tend to stock-pile them in neutral colors. They are fun to make & easy to work on when I only have a little studio time or when I'm between inspiration. I was lucky to have just the right color for this challeng. Right now I'm making more block but in a certain green for a particular piece. You can see some of my work that shows this technique on my website wwww.kathiebriggs.com
Kathie from Charlevoix
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