Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Winter Solitude

The Southern Highland Craft Guild has several exhibits each year in the main gallery at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC. At least one exhibit features the members of the Southern Highland Guild. This year, we were given the challenge of a collaboration of teams - with 2 or more members working on the same piece. My good friend and incredibly talented quilt artist - Barbara Swinea and I paired up for the challenge. We first listed our strengths, both being very different, which makes for a good marriage. Barbara is a piecer extraordinaire - I AM NOT....and I like appliqué and surface design. We clicked and were off and running.
 We thought it would be fun to make a triptych using 3 panels - each 8" x 24". We also decided on a fall theme with Barbara creating a pieced background and sky.
 The ground was beautifully pieced but the color did not work so good old Dye na Flow came to the rescue. I held my breathe as I applied this very watery, transparent "paint" knowing once it was down, it WAS DOWN and no turning back. I wasn't pleased at first, but then went back and added some gold - much better.
 Barbara also made the sky which was beautiful; I especially loved the touch of pink.
 Some of the pieces, I would not have thought to use, but they worked so well together.
 Next came the trees and it was my turn. Barbara had perfect fabric from years ago.
 So you can see the finished tree on the left and the fabric from whence it came.
 I had to doctor it up a bit with Lumiere metallic textile paint, decorative thread and markers.
 I also outlined each tree to give them more definition....
 The branches were to have leaves on them but wound up looking better without. I added the background moutains out of painted silk organza. Their transparent quality gave them a sense of distance.
 This is taking on a very wintery look, not our first intent but one we both liked.
And the finished piece which became a winter scene and appropriately titled "Winter Solitude". The exhibit - "Fellowship" opens August 13 and runs through November 6. Please stop by and see it if you're in the area. There will be a lovely mix of mediums and think very exciting to see.

13 comments:

  1. oh my stars and garters. That's beautiful and interesting and engaging. LeeAnna

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    1. Well, that is some cute expression I've not yet heard....thank you so much!

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  2. I am from New England - this works so well! Birches always catch my eye. Might need to try some of your techniques. Thanks for sharing .

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  3. This is just wonderful. Such a combination of mediums. I was especially interested to read about the fabric dyeing and how you created those great trees.

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  4. Your collaboration is not only beautiful but very successful. The appliqued trees in the foreground are perfect for the pieced background. You all make a good team.

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  5. This is lovely - something I would want hanging in my house! Some of my childhood was spent in New England, so I'm always partial to birch trees, and yours turned out fantastic!
    Susan

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  6. Beautiful! I appreciate the time it takes to explain your process, and was following closely as you remodeled your background color. It's always lovely to 'see' someone's creation, but is doubly nice to understand how some things are tweaked in the process. Thank you so much.

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  7. Well done! It's absolutely gorgeous and so harmonious, love how the golden paint on the trees echoes the ground and the trees themselves echo the sky. Would never have thought it was made by two people, must be great to have such a great quilting friend!

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    1. She IS a great friend and wonderfully talented....I'm lucky to have her in my life!

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  8. LOVE those trees! I live in 'Aspenland' in Central Alberta, where the "poplar birch/poplar aspen" grown in groves, and I am besotted with them, wherever and however I see them depicted. Your willingness to dip into dye and paint to get the right effect paid off. Bravo!

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  9. What a beautiful piece of art! These trees are so lifelike! Your collaboration is magical!
    Susie

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