another what if? project

The wonderful thing about assembling fabric scraps into art is the variety of ways to approach it. After finishing the Shattered quilt I encountered my ever-growing Stash of Scraps.

I save all fabric and that requires some management skills.

With little else inspiring me and a frozen world outside keeping me from enjoying the garden, I decided to start another what if project. This time my query is: What if I assembled scraps without plan and separated each scrap composition by a slice of black for one row and a slice of white for another?
The rules of the game:

• I can not fussy cut or design the scrap compositions,
• I can not measure or calculate; and
• I have to pull colors in a random fashion to create them.

Here's the first set:

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The first round of random compositions, one row of black and two rows of white.

Of course, my motto is always More is More, creating quilts is often a study in multiples, so I continued without regard to success for a couple of more days. Make enough Log Cabin blocks and put them together and you get something pretty spectacular right? So I continued.

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These sets measure about 50" across and 30" deep.

At this point I start to realize that the color sets are creating their own world. See that set of black legs in the lowest white row? Or the little white doorway in the third row from the bottom? The cat ears in the third row from the top? This could be fun when the stitching begins. What better way to use up those pesky accumulations. And what if I recompose the rows?

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The composition phase will take some time. And I might have to inject some planning soon as I can see some pieces that are not pleasing me.  Serendipity is all well and good but not for a lifetime. And sometimes it feels like a lifetime till I finish one of these pieces. For now I'm having fun. I haven't run out of scraps, so this journey will continue. Perhaps the final composition will tell me something about the way my thoughts run rampant

And I have already reduced my scrap heap from this to this:

hmmmm … Now what can I do with those little strands of color with thread tails?

how deadlines affect decisions

I spent the weekend finishing a piece I have been working on for over a month. The slice and dice and reslice method led me to a shattered array of black and white shapes that inspires me to do more. The last stitches added detail, structure and narrative.

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Shattered, detail, Paula Kovarik

I wouldn't have finished this one without a deadline. I've been asked by American Craft magazine to provide a number of photos of my work, past and present. When I set about cataloging the work I realized that the most current works were not photographed and many are not done. It made me think that perhaps this habit of starting new projects rather than finishing works in progress may be changing the way I do my work. Is finishing important? If I leave a piece undone is it because I can't make a decision about the final look? Would I dawdle forever without a deadline? What stops endings?

My career as a graphic designer required that I make important decisions within limited time frames. Doing a layout 12 different ways didn't make it better, it made it late to press. I often said that the reason I could do the job so efficiently was that I had the power of arbitrary decision.  So now I am the decision maker without boundaries. And I dawdle, second guess and recombine with vigor. And the work improves ... mostly. But it also dies sometimes. Death by losing the original spark, death by fussiness, death by construction disaster.

I'm pleased with the results of this weekend. The piece spurs new ideas and gives me a sense that I am on the right track. It also opens up a new space on the design wall. A gift of space and inspiration. Who could ask for more?

serendipity

This latest exploration has me excited about the possibilities. I start with a pile of scraps. Stitch them randomly together, slice and restitch, slice and restitch, trim, iron, trim to 4" squares. (oh such fun to use rotary cutter randomly, no measurements -- just the feel of the wheel on the cutting surface.....)

The resulting compositions of floating and jagged objects start speaking to each other when placed in groups. Like shards of reality exploding in a shattering space. The scraps in this case are from a linen table cloth and some black kona cotton.

I created 49 squares and assembled them into a grid with more black cotton yesterday. Some of them are a little wonky and I had to trim overly thick seams down to size before the final trim. I gave up being perfectly flat a while ago in an effort to respect the character of the fabric. I may even intentionally unravel some of the edges. Or hand sew some suture lines when I see a wounded piece. I will probably battle some of the bias edges when I start to stitch. But I love their texture, and the randomness of the pieces and I suspect that the wonkiness will add to the character of the piece.

Now, another what if process...What if I create tangent lines next to all of the floating black objects? Let them travel across the piece to intersect willy-nilly with other floating black objects.....

You can see the start of that stitching on this shot. Many more lines to go. I am using a variegated thread that goes from black to white. Love how sometimes it looks like a little spark is ignited where the white threads hit each other.

It is cold and shattery outside this week. Lovely ice for inspiration. And such a good reason to stay inside and work on new ideas.

Linen and black

Linen and black cotton. Crisp and contrasty. Layers upon layers. Then blown apart. 
Yesterday was spent controlling the explosion.

Now to assembly. And then to my favorite part....the stitching.

These tryouts didn't make the grade. But they did help me to understand the composition I wanted.

vanishing points

I am working on more than one project at at time. It helps to reinvigorate my creative perspective. Some of the work is being pieced. Some stitched. Some bound. Some reconstructed. But lately I wonder if this is too scattered, too disparate for satisfaction. Am I adding too many vanishing points to my brain?

Studying a bit about perspective led me to this diagram which resonated with my state of mind. Source: Principles of Perspective by Walters & Bromham.

I haven't completed a piece in over 4 months. At the same time I have started at least five. Two are lingering on the what-was-I-thinking design board. One is a mass of hand stitching detail that takes hours of concentration and can only be done in a meditative state. One is an experiment that opened a completely new direction for exploration. The children's drawing project has three rough compositions in place waiting for final decisions on treatment. Another has such a deep and complex vision for completion that I am not sure how I will be able to pull it off (I spent the last week learning how to tie fishing nets so that I can add a net to the piece.)

So, what to do?

Is chaos a productive mindset or should I strive for focus? Can multiple points of view cloud the simple solution? Is this exploration a way to avoid decision?  And, is this the reason why I can't get a good nights sleep? Too many synapses firing ... too many vanishing points. I have this vision of being tied up in threads that are weblike over the studio, finally engulfing me in my medium. Maybe it's best I don't add a cot to the workspace. You might find me stitched in.  (hmmm...another idea to pursue?)

Paging through a book on perspective (bought at a library sale years ago) I found this child's drawing on the back endpapers. Her name may be Crystal (written in on another page of the book).

I cut up a linen tablecloth to create squares and triangles of shattered shapes as a next step in the Traveling Unknown Pathways idea. I love the contrast of the linen against the black fabric. 

I am 90% done with a quilt guild challenge in which we were to design a flag that represents our creative journey.

SPRUNG! More distractions coming our way. The first crocus burst into yellow yesterday.