11 January 2010

new year monday morning

I have been mulling and mulling, which is what i often do and i have decided on a course of action. My 52 weeks project, which only went for 14 weeks, or a quarter of a year, a season, is on hold for perhaps another 14 weeks.

I am working on my felting. mira encouraged me to enter felt pieces for a book by Lark Books, 500 Felt Objects. So, i am currently working on a triptych: small felt circles on felt squares on larger squares. It's all about colors and shapes. The colors of my wool roving are so wonderful. I just love playing around with putting these colors together. One section is greens, another purples, and the third, is blues. The backgrounds are oranges and reds. After some experimentation with how to attach shapes to the background- red tape & needle felting- i decided on sewing with embroidery thread with quilt-like ties. I had wanted to leave the circles/squares unmarked by stitches; just wanting them to hang miraculously alone. However, when this didn't work out, i decided to stitch them with small tight ties, on the corners and in the middle. The first one looks good.

I had hoped to make them all the same size and perfectly spaced, but of course that is not how i work. I work by feel and eyeballing, and i love the imperfections in the end. A sense of ordering the chaos. Each individual piece is slightly different from the next, but there is a sense of commonality: colors and shapes are related to one another.

I am unsure whether to embellish these more... or to leave them minimal which is my first instinct. First instincts are good, but I am on a path to go beyond what I know. So, the question is
" Should I embellish or keep it minimal?"


I want to peel away layers and go with simplicity of form. Yet I am so attracted to small lovely embellishments which are layer upon layer. I am torn. I am fearful of ruining the simplicity of a piece and over-working it. Losing the original intent. But, I want to take risks and not be afraid to move into unknown territory and embellish.

I think I just talked myself into keeping it simple. Perhaps I will frame them with some sort of embellishments....Not yet sure.
What do you think? I have posted the first "completed" section. Minimal is good, or not enough....???

(Note: the colors are not as vivid as in person. This is another challenge: photographing the work.)

4 comments:

  1. I love simple design. It's gorgeous as it is. If you wanted, you could try finishing the triptych in this design and then see if it calls you back.

    I'm glad you're going to enter the 500 Felt Pieces! If you have high resolution images, you could also enter the lollipop tree piece you did. Loved that one too!

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  2. i agree. keep it simple. why can't you use glue or fusible insted of stitching? or maybe do stitching that is invisible (little quilting stitches in same color as felt) on all but one or two or three on each piece.
    fun project. go lisa go
    Lark is here in asheville

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  3. I like the simple as well! Looks good.

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  4. thanks to you my fine friends! you have affirmed my first instincts. i will be finishing them as a 3 piece series, individually framing each, as they are.

    peggy, i don't know why i didn't think of using fusible... i have some experimenting to do!

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