I’m in

My proposals for the surreal show next May and June at the local art museum were accepted. Now I actually have to make one of them. I like both ideas, but feel a bit more strongly about one of them.

Here’s the ideas. I am going to make the one with the large eye in the sky. To me it looks more surreal. None of the ideas in either piece are novel. Tree people, large eyes, or stairs going into the sky are not new ideas. 

This is what I’m thinking for a title and short statement. In the statement I did not want to explain anything. It will be 24 by 30 and utilize Jennifer Sampou fabrics….sky ombre and chalk and charcoal as well as some silks and whatever else I need to pull this off.

Eye of the Night

There are places we enter only in dreams—where memory shifts, time disappears, and the familiar becomes strange. In the darkness, something waits. Something watches. Something knows.

So now I have to rethink my schedule. I usually wait until January to start working on my recycle piece. It’s due by April. But with the surreal piece as well I think I need to get started on my recycle piece now. 

The theme is once upon a time. I will be using this photo of decaying streetcars as my inspiration. I think it will be about 12 by 16.

Here’s my potential title and statement for it.

The Last Journey

Once upon a time, these streetcars were filled with people going places. Over the years, they fell into disrepair and now sit quietly on decaying tracks.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and rode streetcars to school, to art classes, and into the city. They carry many memories for me—of places I went, things I saw, and a time that is now gone.

They are my once upon a time.

Plastic bags, however, do not disappear so easily. I chose to create this piece from discarded plastic bags, bringing together two very different remnants of the past—one remembered with affection, the other left behind with consequences.

My sister received her gift yesterday on her birthday. It’s a table runner with a family photo of us with our hats. I took the photo and played with it to make it look like Halloween. She loves Halloween and loved the table runner. I forgot to take photos before I sent it. She sent me some, but I’m waiting for one with it on her table with some Halloween decorations. 

Here’s one not so great photo. I think she has it sitting on her bed. I hope to get some better one.

Thanks for reading.

Chris

Now we wait

I think I’m done designing this surreal piece. I’ll wait until I hear on Wednesday if any of my proposals have been accepted. If I’m in I might start pulling fabrics, but meanwhile I have to get back to the Halloween BOM. 

Here’s the design in color as well as some images of it in a few apps including an outline sketch.

Thanks for reading.

Chris

Memory of Trees

Is it a sin to make a detailed plan for a quilt before even cutting the fabric?

If it is then I am guilty. I definitely do a lot of thinking (overthinking) about a project before I commit to it and before I actually start making it. I like to know where I’m going. Most of the time things change along the way as things come up, but generally I have a pretty clear idea of where the project is going to go. Even so surprises do occur. Often times the original idea is not exactly what I end up with. Usually that’s because translating an idea into fabric or recycled plastic bags results in necessary changes. Things need to be simplified and rearranged. Using a photo or a digital image for inspiration can be difficult to translate into fabric. It’s a whole different world than creating a painting where you can create infinite colors and shades and blend them.  

Quilting is somewhat limited by what fabrics are available. Fabrics manufacturers have certainly given us more choices than ever. How did we live without batik fabrics, Stonehenge fabrics, mottled texture fabrics, hand painted and dyed fabrics, and fabrics that look like abstract paintings? I do love the challenge of working with fabrics to create art.

So planning is just the way my mind works. I’m pretty sure that my science brain has contributed to that. I have learned to embrace it. All the quilts that I sold at my exhibit in July were planned. So planning does have its rewards! Idaho Beauty (Sheila) commented that’s what she thinks it is.

I know a lot of people like improv quilting, but that’s not my thing. A few years ago there was a person who was an improv quilter that insulted the way I work like improv is the only way to do things. I’m basically terrible at improv and am not really impressed with some improv quilts. I guess the closest I come to improv is when I make a scrap quilt. I remember discussing this with a teacher that I admire and she said improv could do with a bit more thought and planning!

I’m also not great at taking an in person class for the same reasons. I’m not a create on demand person and feel awkward in a class. I still take those classes, but feel a bit out of my element at times. A lot of the pieces I’ve made in classes were not great. They needed more planning and thought. I’ve had mixed results with mystery quilts. If I don’t know where a quilt is going it’s hard to pick out the right fabrics for it. Knowing you need light, medium, and dark fabrics is not a big help.

My least successful recycle piece did not have enough planning. I just quickly went with an idea without much thought. The original idea was based on a photo we took of an art exhibit of ghostly figures in a forest. I used my husband’s old jeans as the recycled material. I was going to use used dryer sheets for the ghosts. That did not work at all. I ended up adding a pack of wolves to the forest instead. If I had done more planning I would have picked a different project. Here’s the end result. Should have spent more time thinking. I did end up using used painted dryer sheets. If I had thought this through more I would have just glued the closest trees in place without stitching them with zigzag on the edge.  That flattened them. Glued alone would have made them pop forward and be more dimensional. Live and learn.

Cold dark orb 18 by 18

So most my experimenting occurs during the planning.  I like to try out ideas on paper or my iPad  before getting out the fabric and scissors. A sketch or photo doesn’t cost much except a little time. Or in my case a lot of time!

Here’s where I am with the surreal show at this point. This is the image of the woman and tree house and reflection of an old person. This will be too hard to make. Especially the old woman reflection. 

I keep coming back to my original idea. Maybe it’s because that’s the one I need to make.

At this point a bunch of editing needs to happen as I create it.  I like certain things and not others in these 3 images. The moon reflection needs to go. The brighter roots are good. The tree branches need editing. I’m leaning toward this one. This is the proposal I submitted weeks ago. Next Wednesday I’ll know if I will proceed with making it. Size will be 24 by 30. Potential title is “Memory of Trees” from the Enya song. 

So is this the one??? 

Thanks for reading. 

Chris

A Quiet Delusion

Did you think my obsessing about this surreal piece was done? I wondered what would happen if I combined the 2 ideas.

First idea

Second idea

With a lot of tweaking I got this for the combined image. The woman in the tree is still there and the color scheme is still blue gray. Surreal images should have something unexpected. The unexpected elements are the house in her head and the reflection that is old and has its eyes shut. I did a bit more research on surreal art this time before creating this image. If I make it the size will be 24 by 30.

Any comments? This is it on this for a while….I hope.

I finished my sister’s gift. Shipping it today. 

I think I will be teaching a class on making an original gnome next fall at the local art alliance. The potential title will be….

Character & Form in Soft Sculpture: The Art of the Storybook Gnome

You can see my gnomes here.  https://chrissquiltinguniverse.blogspot.com/2025/02/last-gnome-coming-up.html

The class will be all hand stitching.  The materials will be wool felt, wool roving, fur, stuffing.

Thanks for reading.

Chris