Colors of Spring

The March winds are blowing today. The sky is dark and grey, then I see the long lines of blue sky open up and the sunshine flows through. The days are getting longer. The night skies are getting clearer. I don’t have to wear 3 layers of clothing to stay warm all of the time! All of these signs of spring are tugging at me, and that means my creative juices are beginning to flow again.

In the middle of the winter, which can be cold, and the middle of the summer, which can be very hot, I find myself wondering why I’m not as productive, creatively speaking. I spend time in the studio, but I focus on the less creative aspects of my business: sorting, organizing, and cleaning, feeling okay-productive because I know I am taking care of housekeeping tasks.

Yet I know, in the big scheme of things, that even when I’m doing those ‘mundane’ jobs; even when I’m not in front of a sketch book with pen in hand, even when the dyes are still closed up in their jars, my mind is working on design problems, noticing the colors in the sky, the smell of the coffee, the sounds on the street, the shapes and composition of that plate next to that cup….

Then when Spring arrives, my mind is like a horse at the starting gate. Rearing to get out. I’m not even fully aware of it, I just start doing more  - noticing more. The sketchbook gets opened more often, the journal has longer entries, the discussions with friends get more deep. All of a sudden, I am trying to solve the problems of the world – on the small scale as well as big, and I’m trying to solve the problems of being in a creative line of business, and I am delving deeper into current design problems and challenges.

You can see the effects of spring in my work, too. Not surprisingly, the color palette lightens up. It’s fun to step back from a new silk and see all the pretty colors, the yellows and blues and pastels and lavender floating before my eyes. I think “pretty”, rather than “profound”. I look for new inspiration. With a new sense of lightness in the air, the perception of lightness pervades the designs. I think of watercolors, colored pencils, of clarity and softness. I welcome Spring with open arms and open heart.

I look forward to sharing my new designs with you. What do you see opening up for yourself at this time of year?

Hanging the Silks

Have you ever found yourself admiring the art on display at a gallery, coffeeshop, store, or restaurant, and thinking about all of the work that goes into getting it there? Not only does the artist have to take the work from idea to reality, and make all of the arrangements to have the work displayed, but there is also the presentation of each individual piece to consider. And as my friend Lydia (GeneralSteuben.blogspot) always says - presentation is everything! 

Each artist has their own set of concerns, of course. Some think that the art should speak for itself, and do very little to prepare it for display. While that can work, I think that the display should always be a conscious decision. Considering the appearance of each piece and the best way to present it to viewers shows respect for their attention. I am always interested in ways to enhance the way people experience my work - and as a fiber artist, I have even more options than a painter or a sculptor. Texture, weight, size, color, design, theme, location - I try to take everything into consideration when I am preparing to display my work.  

While some artists like to plan out the arrangement of their works well in advance, sometimes even before they are created, I prefer to get a sense of the space once I am there before deciding how to lay out the artwork. I definitely don’t restrict myself to the surfaces of the walls! I look at the dimensions of the room, the size of the walls, and ask what options do I have to do something unusual. How does the space feel? I look to see if I can stretch wires across the space, below the ceiling, so that I will be able to hang the work away from the walls in a free-floating way -– I have always been enamored with the way silk floats and spins in space. 

When the UGA Ramsey Center commissioned a piece, Kind Words Rising, for their special events entrance hall, I was blessed with an abundance of space. In designing the piece I was able to take all of that space into consideration when I was selecting fabric, choosing a size, and considering coloring. The silk pieces are 4x15 feet, and hang from the ceiling with a special bearing that allows them to rotate slowly with the changing air currents. In this case, I could create a piece with the display options in mind.

My first solo exhibit, Ethereal Spaces, consisted of a series of images that came from our home. I planned to hang the art in a way that mimicked the layout of my octagonal house - but the pieces presented a bit of a challenge. What is the best way to display a square yard of fabric? I chose to hang it from a clear acrylic rod, so that the hanging method did not visually compete with the designs, yet the weight and the texture of the fabric could be sensed.  

For a long time, that has been my standard method of display. But over the past year or so, I’ve been reconsidering my options. One client chose to have a deep frame built for their silk piece, placing my hanging arrangement inside the frame, in front of a white background. I thought it was a marvelous way to protect the work, yet still retain the three-dimensionality of the piece, and it got me thinking about other possibilities.

For the recent Orr2 exhibit, I tried framing pieces that were stitched onto a large white mat. One of the smallest pieces I had ever made - only 3”x4”! - became the logo for the exhibit:

 Because it was small but powerful, I framed it in a neutral frame - very light-colored wood - with a lot of white space around it. I had a feeling that this might be a great solution because even though it was tiny, it was a strong design, it was on a more substantial linen fabric, and the vivid colors were layered on, giving it a striking luminescent look. It deserved the attention that the frame brought to it. 

Since the success of the experiments with the Orr2 exhibit, I’ve been thinking more about new and different ways to present my work. Of course, each piece and each exhibition presents a new set of challenges, and I have found that letting the specific situation inform the solutions is the way I like to work. One of these days, though, I hope to try stretching the painted silk on a frame, like canvas is stretched, or perhaps wrapping it over a canvas that has been stretched on a frame - yes, that would give the whole piece more substance and weight. While I love the movement of the fabric, and have always tried to incorporate that into my displays, perhaps the design should take precedence and the fabric should merely enhance it. What do you think? I always welcome opinions and ideas - if you come across anything interesting, or have a preference, feel free to let me know! 

 

Falling in Love with Creativity

As a small child, I was always creating. My first sewing project involved gathering scraps of solid and patterned material in pretty lavender and blue colors and sewing it together with hand stitches into the shape of my favorite animal, a horse. My Mom kept this horse, and as it was flat and could be stored easily, it would resurface on a regular basis – reminding us of my early days of creativity. I am grateful to my kindergarten teacher who told my parents that I had an artistic talent - I appreciate that someone from outside the family shared their observations with my Mom and Dad. What a boost of confidence!

I found that the woods behind our house gave me a place to let my mind expand, and to observe nature, the moving water in the creek, the birds and the animals. The time my family spent on the water really inspired my creativity, too - I made many paintings of sailboats and the ocean, like the one below. When I was a young teen, I would walk up the street to a neighbor’s house to take oil painting lessons each week. This experience was very helpful, it taught me to look at a painting, and to break it down into its parts.  

In school, I took art classes and tried many different techniques and mediums. I carried a sketchbook around with me, making pencil sketches of dogs, horses, people on the ferry and the subway. But it was later, while I was living in the Florida Keys, that I took a perspective drawing class with a local artist where we would travel to the different islands drawing the vernacular, often run-down buildings, and I really began to understand my love for The Line, and for vernacular architecture. Local architecture tells so much about a place and its people – how they interact and create unique dwellings for themselves. Studying Matisse was tremendously influential as well - particularly his line drawings, like the one below. I practiced and created, and found that to draw with confidence takes great determination!

I began my college career believing that I wanted to study Veterinary Medicine, but quickly learned that what I really needed was to be in a more creative field. Once in the art department, I discovered that color theory was my favorite class. I studied fabric design, and while I took many weaving classes, it wasn’t until after I graduated (realizing there was much more to learn) and returned to take more surface design classes when I discovered hand painting on silk. I created geometric patterns, organic designs, florals, and – architecture! I loved the technique, I loved the designs, I loved the colors. We studied Japanese art, which influenced much of our work in with the Japanese aesthetic. We made kimonos, and jackets, and wrapping scarves.

In surface design, many techniques are used to lay color on silk – dipping, brushing, stenciling, etc. I personally became enamored with using the wax resist to draw LINES – to draw drawings and to create patterns and to fill them in with color.  The immediacy of the process of hand-painted silk was one of the things that really attracted me to it. I saw my ideas come alive, I focused my designs on the lines, and I used the color theory that I loved during the creation of each piece.

I encourage others to believe in their creative insight and ability. Think about what you like to create, and what gives you great pleasure. Follow your instinct – there are opportunities to be creative every day! 

Hi Rene’, Finally had time to spend on your blog! i really like it. I’m enjoying your observations and learning about new directions (like using bolder colors). Anyway, just wanted to say:Good Job!