Do we just love the shape?
Is it the color and texture that attracts us?
Is it the feeling that we like when we see, hear or feel it that we long for?
Perhaps it is all or none of the above.
I find that I am fascinated with trees and leaves in all shapes, sizes, colors and settings.
I will find myself gazing at them when I am driving in the car.
I cut out (really just rip out), or clip images from magazines and the internet. Long before Pinerest I started keeping files on my computer of images that I found on line of anything and everything that I liked.
When I am out walking with George I will be looking at the shapes and colors of the trees and leaves in the landscape. I will be thinking about how I can translate what I see into my art.
So I thought I would share here a few of the leaf imagery that I have made in my own art over the years.
This was one of the very first pieces I made with leaf imagery. It is fused and I used decorative blades to cut out the rectangles to place the fused leaves in.
It evolved into this – Organic Leaves. This quilt is in my first book from AQS “Fun Fast Fusies”.
It is also one of the design classes that I teach. It is a fun exercise in color and shape and design. Letting go and being free form.
Some people really love this class and some people struggle with letting go. Lefty and righty’s working out their issues.
This table runner was featured on Quilting Arts TV several years ago. Laura and I were scheduled to do segments for the show and I ended up getting sick at the last minute and Laura had to present my episode for me.
I have never seen it, but I am sure she did a great job.
It is all fused and then machine quilted. So easy and fun to do.
I use this table runner all year long and it gets washed about once a week. It has held up like Iron.
What are your fascinations?
Can you translate it into your art?
Happy Quilting today.
4 comments:
So far my fascination seems to be centering around flowers (sunflowers mostly), but also have found myself leaning toward trees (white birches especially) and a couple of times the leaves. Since I've not been doing art quilts for long I thought perhaps it was at least in part because I'd done the sunflowers successfully at least once, which made it a bit easier the second time around.
Your leaves are all so wonderful! I just love them all. I have to make some.
I also love leaves. I am drawn to them in nature, in fabric and everything else. When I'm on a road trip with friends and we stop by a quilt shop, everyone points out the leaf fabrics to me. I think what attracts me the most is that they are everchanging. No two are alike, and they can go from lush green to fall golds and reds to beauty even when they are dried and we're headed for winter. I've made a couple of traditional quilts with leaf fabrics, and I am now including a leaf somewhere in my art quilts, whether it's quilted in or somewhere on the back. They are so beautiful!
Thanks for those insightful comments.
Post a Comment