Challenge 92: Aspiration

Challenge Host: Tobi Hoffman

Title:  Aspiration

Theme: Illustrate your goals

Technique: Limited palette

Due date: May 3, 2014

Aspiration

Definitions: 

1)       a hope or ambition of achieving something.  “He had nothing tangible to back up his literary aspirations”

Synonyms: desire, hope, dream, wish, longing, yearning

2)      (medicine) the action or process of drawing breath.

Theme:

How do you show your highest ideals, your greatest triumphs?  How can you stretch yourself to achieve what is deepest in your heart, to fulfill your deepest yearnings?  Let your quilt this month express these.

If possible, before you start work on this, sit down in some quiet place and meditate for 15-20 minutes on the seed idea of aspiration, and without trying to force an idea, see what comes.  Then write down any thoughts and develop them in your quilt.  Remember that the word “aspiration” also relates to breath; in your meditation, keep your breath deep, slow and even, but after the first few breaths, do not focus on it.

One note on this: aspiration need not be linked to religious belief.  You may choose to embody the guidance of your religion, but aspiration is not limited to the religious.

Technique:  Restrict your colors to three that go with your thoughts on your ideals.  This is not an absolute ban on other colors; if they are a minor part of the fabrics, let them in!

Resources:

Aspiration through art:

A lengthy article – you may or may not agree with him, but it gives food for thought.

http://www.newenglishreview.org/David_Hamilton/Aspiration_through_Art/

Aspiration/Inspiration

http://wassaicproject.org/exhibitions/2009-2/aspirationinspiration-2009/

Quotes about Aspiration

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/aspiration

Art:

Deborah Corsini

http://quiltnationalartists.com/category/education/

I am deliberately including only the one actual art reference, as your aspirations are yours, by definition, and your inspiration will come from you and not others!

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Red Tulips

When I think of spring, I think of tulips. Last spring I took a photo of my red tulips right outside my door. Their vibrant red was such a contrast against their green foliage, which is why I chose this photo for this challenge using contrasts. I printed my photo out on my InkJet printer onto fabric, and hand quilted around all the leaves and tulips. I used gold cording to bring out the yellow of the tulip's centers, plus the black borders to also help accent the centers of the tulips. I bought the quilt hanger at our guild's silent auction. I love the way this hanging brings a touch of spring to my living room.  Pam Clark

Totally Pieced

As hostess for this challenge, it wouldn't do for me not to participate. So I made two!  I saw Neo-plasticism and non-representational art as two distinctively different styles, even though the work of Piet Mondrian is listed as being in both categories.  "Off The Grid" is more in the style of De Stijl and "Audition" is more non-representational.


I used gradation fabrics from Cherrywood to create both pieces.  "Audition" is just that.  I took a 14" segment from a much larger piece that I had designed and have been unsure of where to place the colors and values.  So, I followed my suggestion and chose the various shades of the greys to tell me how it would work in the finished project.  "Off the Grid" was hoping to show depth as the darker fabrics receded.  Not sure I accomplished that and am not sure why.  Perhaps the darker pieces should grow ever smaller instead of ever bigger; the reverse of what I did.  I now see why artists work in series.  Never satisfied with their work, they do it over and over until they get it right.      

In Focus

When I first read this challenge, I immediately thought that it would require a gradation dyeing, but knew that one week just wouldn't give me enough time to set up the wet studio that only exists around here in summer. ( We still have huge amounts of snow and freezing temperatures).  Then I remembered that I had some remnants from grey and black gradation dyeing I did a few years back.  However, I could only come up with a range of three that worked together.  So, I added black and white, even though neither is really part of a true grey scale.  However, it still needed more.  Since the grey I had, appeared to have a very slight shaded teal undertone, I used the red-orange as a complement, and think it works fairly well together. 
 The piece is 12" by 12"