Hopefully, this doesn't look too familiar to you, but you may remember (if you used to follow me at Coneflowers In Leslieville) that when I was "done" this piece, it looked like this:
I was really pleased with it at this stage (the base was a piece of linen cloth I'd "painted" using the shaving foam technique, and then I had needle felted wool roving, bits of scrim from Deborah O'Hare and piece of other fabric I had hand-painted) and then quilted the dog out of it. I like it as an abstract piece, but couldn't come up with a name for it - which usually means it has more to say. In other words, it's not done.
So I took it to my contemporary quiltart group; and asked for their input. They had lots of great ideas although none of them appealed to me - the best suggestion was from Judy who said I should hang it up where I would see it every day, and eventually I'd see what needed to be done.
And one day, I glanced over at it, and saw a face looking back at me.
I didn't think to take a pic after I quilted it but before I further embellished it with paint; but that's what I did. And decided I'd ruined it! The eyes were too heavy and the "hairline" on the end was wayyyyyyy too much.
So I put it away, thinking I'd ruined it but I kept taking it out and adding a little more quilting here and there.
I added another piece of hand-painted fabric where the dark hairline was and quilted it within an inch of its life. And the more I quilted it, the more I came to like it, and wondered whether those eyes weren't too dark after all.
And then I had my "doh!" moment. Umm... why couldn't I paint over the part that I had painted too dark?
Er.... no reason.
And then she really was done.
I love my Wood Witch. She`s a good witch, after all.
Posts
This is wonderful. I love that it developed organically and that the face just emerged when it was ready.
ReplyDeleteI feel honoured that it has a little bit of my fabric in it.
Thanks for the mention. So generous of you.
Deborah
A good witch - watching over you! Like the idea - and the witch, of course ;-))
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Deborah! I love that about her too. I think it's so cool that she was just waiting for me to see her. :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone should have a good witch watching over them, Frauke! :) Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love her. I am a sucker for portraits and this face just seems to emerge from the fabric. How wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth! She was hiding in there all along.
ReplyDelete