Whew. This has been a real challenge. I worked intensively on the right side of the river and this is what I have come up with. The method I used is called collage. I allowed a play between dark and light greens to give the feel of a hillside. I’d be glad to hear what you think. Is it too busy? I think I like it. I need to leave it and come back to it.
This morning I decided the flatness of the sides and the bridge rendered the quilt ineffective. So, back to the drawing board. I worked on the lightness:darkness ratio, (known as color value), on the bridge. I didn’t even tackle the sides of the river though I did remove them… So here is the current rendition. Sometimes if you take a break from a project, you may realize you do not like parts of it. You can always shift things around and rework them. Don’t give up. Look at the next iteration as a lesson learned. I say this as much for myself as for anyone who may be reading this blog.
I have laid out the elements in the scene using cotton fabric. It still looks very 2-dimensional because I haven’t added any embellishment or quilting yet. The quilting will bring out the depth in the piece. I will embellish with textiles, such as silk, lace, yarn, tulle and bits of colorful fibers. For now you can make out the basic scene. Compare it to the photo upon which this work is based.
If you look at my newest piece, Along the Jordan River, I hope you can imagine walking along the water’s edge in northern Israel. The water’s movement is achieved by shifting fabrics slightly to show the flow and direction of the water. My family tells me it looks like a painting to them, though I used only fabric, thread and yarn.
I learned the techniques for this piece at a workshop taught by Phyllis Cullen.
Available at my Etsy shop.
Cindy