Quilt National 2013

Greetings from Athens, Ohio! I flew out yesterday with Hari, my husband, for the opening of Quilt National 2013. I've been looking forward to this for awhile, as my latest quilt. "No One but You" has been accepted into the show. There is a reception this afternoon for the artists only, then the official opening of the show, awards ceremony and banquet. QN happens every other year, and is a prestigious show to be accepted into - sort of the Holy Grail for art quilters. I'm anxious to see the other accepted pieces. QN has the honor of presenting all the art for the first time; none of the artists were supposed to show their accepted piece before the opening. I'll let you know what I think afterwards, I'm curious to see if I can spot any trends in this event for contemporary art quilting.

where to put the attention?

Whoa, I got ahead of myself. I forgot something. What, am I kidding - another step? Oh yeah, and there'll be a lot more before this is done!
Unusual perspective was what I had been first thinking about for this quilt. What did that mean? Bird's eye view, looking on from on high?

No, that separates me from the  reality of the scene - it's putting me on a different plane, like I'm not on the same footing as the characters, I'm in a different world.

How about up close then? Maybe. But here the attention is so focused on the front characters that all the rest becomes meaningless. Also, in the right photo, the one solitary figure, who has a lot of symbolism, is right between the front two figures, and that interrupts the dialog of the two.

Just by changing the location of the camera, I can capture a different view of the scene. I've shifted over to the right and a little higher. The solitary figure is isolated now, and that is better. But I think I want to emphasize him more. And, if you look at last post, you'll see that I've brought him right up front.

My plan is that all the figures are relating to each other in some way, they are all connected. Two look at a book, two are at a grave, maybe planting flowers, and a few are seated together, maybe telling stories. The groups will be touching in some way visually, the hat overlapping the grave behind, the grave overlapping the figure behind. Yet, one figure is alone. He is quiet, introspective? He is the only one staring straight ahead, connecting with the viewer. What is his story?

I'll get to that, next post. See you then.

Leading the eye

Here's another view of the set up. I needed something to hang the flags from, so I used the fan as it was the only thing around tall enough. When I look at the photos, I just ignore the fan.

I wanted to have a dramatic perspective, but wasn't quite sure what I meant by that. A view from the top? A very close up of the figures in front?  I thought I would start with the flags. Not only can a show depth of field, with far away ones being smaller and the larger ones being close by, but I'll also use them as a way to guide your eye into or around the picture.

The first one here shows that flags coming in almost over your head and receding almost straight back.  It's not giving enough information  - first, you're trying to figure out what they are, and second, they're not helping to define distance. So it's just acting as a distraction to the rest of the picture. 

This next one doesn't do much

 for either perspective

 or leading the eye.

Now, the one on the left is definitely a possibility. The big guy catches your attention, and the flags lead you back into the picture.

The diagram below shows where my eye travels. The blue line on the left is about where the edge of the picture will be. The flags take me out of the picture on the right, but I travel back in through the middle figures, helped by the leaning position and the direction of his gaze.  An unusual point is that my eye stops toward the center of the picture. Usually you want to lead into the picture, have your eye travel around, and then lead out. Here I'm using the dark areas just outside of the compositional triangle (described by the green line) as a pathway for the eye to travel out.

What, no comments?

To anyone who has sent me a comment via this blog, I haven't received it! I just found out today that a friend has been sending comments to my blog regularly. I never knew that as I haven't received any! Obviously, there is a problem with some setting on this Blogger account. I've looked at the settings and looked on Google for a solution to the problem, but I haven't come up with anything yet. If you have sent me some words, please don't think I'm rude for not replying. Until I figure this out, you can always get through to me via the contact page on my website:  www.susanpolansky.com

And by the way, my new site is in the works, 

and I anticipate that it will be up and running
 within the next few weeks.

No pictures today as I've been working on a lecture presentation that I will be giving at Quinobequin Quilter's Guild meeting on May 14. The topic will be "What does it mean to Find Your Voice as an Artist?" I've got the body of what I want to say down, now I've got to work on the visual presentation. My laptop developed a major glitch, and it has just been rebuilt, thanks to my husband and son. I've got to get used to some changes, re-load some programs (like Photoshop Elements - can't do without that,) and see if I want to use Power Point for the presentation. I've never used Power Point, so don't know if there is much of a learning curve. Guess I could always have my other son give me some lessons. Ah, the things they learn in school these days!

Take your places and smile for the camera

Here's how the set up looks. I've used pins to hold the flag strings suspended from one side to another. I'm not sure how to place the flags right now, so I'll work on placing the figures first.
Somewhere the head of my tripod has been lost, so I have had to create a holder for my small Canon Elph camera. I used foam core board to create a slot just big enough for the bottom of my camera to fit in. I can easily pull it off the tripod if I need to photograph something else, or if I need to change the battery. I'm just your basic point and shoot photographer, but I think this set up should work for the purpose I need it for.

Here's what I'm looking at.

While they sit around waiting

The remembrance project, the name I'm beginning to think of for the quilt this blog is about, has been delayed. Not at a complete standstill, as these photos will attest. I've set up the drawing table and covered it with fabric. I've started setting up the pieces. And I've made strings of flags out of little rectangles of paper towels and string. I've also found a tripod and gotten my camera set up ready. 

Making strings of flags while

 the characters sit around waiting

Meanwhile, I've been busily working on gathering all my information together for a new website. I want to put my blog and gallery together, so only one address is needed. When I go to Athens, Ohio towards the end of May, I want to have my new site up and running. I'll be attending the opening of Quilt National 2013, where my latest work, "No One but You" has been selected to be in. This show is a big deal for art quilters, some liken it to the Holy Grail of the contemporary quilting world.

Quilt National is a biennial international juried exhibition of contemporary innovative quilts. The first Quilt National was shown in 1979. The eighteenth in the series of international juried competitions dedicated to promoting the contemporary quilt by serving as a showcase for NEW work (completed after September 1, 2010). The jurors will select works that represent unique approaches to the medium and demonstrate the breadth and diversity of contemporary expressions.

It's a tough show to get into - they even give an award for the person who has entered the most times before being accepted. There is usually a predominance of abstract work, and as my piece is a work of realism, I think it will really stand out.

I'll get a lot of exposure from the show, and that in itself warranted a sprucing up of my website. Although I like the site I have now (www.susanpolansky.com), the functionality of it is a bit antiquated.
I'm aiming for a bit more sophistication in this next go 'round. There have been many changes in the technical end of things, so I'm hoping for a better content managing system, so uploading new work will be easier. See, I'm planning for an artistically productive future!

yeah, I've got nothing...

I met with my critique group today. We are art quilters and call our group "New Wrinkle." The six of us have been meeting once a month (more or less) for many years. We each have different styles, but we are comfortable with each other enough to comment and critique each other's work. Occasionally we have put up group shows, like the one we recently did at the Audubon Broadmoor Wildlife Center in Natick, MA.
Today the others had work to show - finished quilts, work in progress, or ideas being stitched together. But I had nothing. At least, that's what it felt like. I didn't have anything in hand, but I talked about my idea. I had already shown the clay figures and set up that I had put together, so there was nothing new to bring to the table.
Yet did that mean I really had nothing? I've been busy with the development of my idea. Many times with creating art, there is nothing to show for all the obsession that goes on behind the scenes. The infinite amount of fidgeting with small changes can be a crucial to the outcome, but hardly noticeable on a daily basis. And add on to that the delays that life imposes; well, it does seem like nothing has been accomplished.

area to work in

Bet you're wondering how the scene is coming along. I've created enough clay people and made places for them to sit. I've also cut some pieces of foam core into small blocks, so I'll be able to use them as supports or to change the height of something. My work area is becoming a mess, but who's got time to clean up?

Not I have to create a staging area. I've lowered my drafting table into a horizontal position and set it up against my design wall. I put a big sheet of foam core board to make the area a little bigger, and it will also be suitable to pin something into if I need to secure anything. A mottled brown fabric will serve as the ground.  I've pinned gray fabric to the wall so it will read as background atmosphere, and I've put up some black boards on one side to create a contrast. The colors won't matter, it's just to add some dimensionality.

What's with the keys?

poster board keys I made for the mock up scene

What's with the keys? I've seen them used in all kinds of artwork. Keys are mundane items, yet so significant in our lives. How many times has life seemed to stop until we've found our keys? How empowering it is to get a key, how exasperating to lose one. I tried to think of instances where keys are used in a negative light, but to no avail. Keys to St. Peter's gate in heaven, keys to knowledge, keys to power, keys to your heart. Can you think of something? The closest I came was unlocking Pandora's Box unleashing a myriad of woes. Then there's "keying" someone's car to leave horrible scratches in the paint - but that's not specific to purpose, only use of instrument at hand.

Keys are not usually the most striking of items, however they are instantly recognizable. They enable us to grant or deny access to that which we possess and safeguard. We recognize the difference and importance of the ones we hold, but they mean nothing to anyone else.

That occurred to my family as we collected all the keys that my brother had left when he died. We wondered what they were attached to, what meaning did they hold? Our shock at Fred's untimely death was compounded by confusion. We stared and sifted through the collection - it was just a big box of questions for us. How do we begin? Fred had lived a private life so there were few readily available answers. His estate was complicated and entangled in many ways. He had amassed a hoarder's wealth of possessions, property and relationships. Before we could even begin to explore what he had left us, we needed to figure out his keys. We anxiously tried to find proper matches, having faith that we would be able to unlock some mysteries. My aged father would fumble through them, unwittingly mixing them up again and again. It was as if he was conveying the idea that it all didn't make sense to him.

Keys will appear on top of the monuments that will be in this quilt. I started thinking of the quilt after visiting Mexican cemeteries, where visions of crosses were omnipresent. I don't want the religious, but I do want the symbolic. Although religious symbols also can convey similar feelings of security and safe passage. We instantly understand their significance, yet how they fit with our beliefs is a matter that can be private or shared with others. I feel very comfortable substituting one with another. There's the thought again about having faith and unlocking mysteries. The keys in this quilt carry a lot of private meaning, but they also have a universal symbolism.

The use of keys for this quilt was unquestionable for me. Modern or skeleton? They must be recognizable yet initially unremarkable just as keys naturally are. They must fit in the setting. I think this is "do-able" as they can be the same visual weight as the crosses.

Serenading skeletons sing out to Sue

Sue with the Serenading Skeletons

Oaxaca, Mexico is an area where Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated. It occurs in late October as does Halloween here in the States, but it is a very different event. It is a time for remembering those who have left life before us. Over a period of a few days, individuals and families come together for a multitude of festivities. Parades, shows, picnics and candle lit vigils occur in the towns and surrounding areas, with many of the activities in the cemetery grounds, all accompanied by huge amounts of decorations and flowers.

Flower Merchants

Oaxaca, Mexico
photo by Susan Polansky, 2008

Chalk and Flower Street Painting

Oaxaca, Mexico

photo by Susan Polansky, 2008

You've probably seen dancing skeletons, or the shadow boxes of skeletons performing typical daily activities, or some other brightly colored portrayal of "happy" skeletons. They are there to remind people that death is a part of life, it is a fact of our human condition. So, get used to it, don't be scared - try to have some fun with it. And while you're at it, remember those who you've loved and lived with, and who now can not be with you. Instead of the somber, quite deserted landscape of monuments that I am used to, I saw a riot of color and activity at the cemeteries during these days. And the most astonishing thing was the number of people either wandering or gathered around, all there to actively honor memories of those important to them. It was so striking, and at the same time, so beautiful, to see gatherings of people talking, joking, crying, decorating, eating and drinking - all done to celebrate the lives of others. It was incredibly moving.

Untitled

Oaxaca, Mexico
photo by Hari Polansky, 2008

My husband, son and I visited Oaxaca in November, 2008. It's a beautiful and interesting place on it's own, with a concentration of artistic and craft producing communities, friendly people, fascinating history and architecture - I could go on about all the touristic merits. We specifically timed our visit to coincide with El Dia de los Muertos. It's odd how life works sometimes. There's many things we experience that help to prepare us for our next steps without us even knowing it. The following year I would plunge into an extremely dark period - where I lost an incredible number of loved ones. Brother, Father, Father in Law, 2 Brother in Laws, 2 uncles, friends - eleven people in two years. How hard that was! Through it all, I would occasionally think of what I had recently seen in Mexico. I wanted a way to remember and celebrate those lives with exuberance. I wanted to express my thankfulness that my life had been touched by them and was made greater by their presence. The germ of the idea for this piece that I work on now had been sown.

Building character(s)

I'm collecting quite a few pieces! The lumpy clay people are behaving nicely. I can position them easily as the armature of wire and tinfoil underneath the clay allows flexibility and stability. If i need them to sit, I can flatten the clay on their bottoms. If they refuse to stand, I can insist with a pin through their foot. I am ruthless! (Actually not - my middle name is Ruth!)

Tiny folding chairs are really difficult to make!

I've been referring to photos that I took in Oaxaca, Mexico as I work on the buildings. I look for the parts that intrigue me and that will fit with my idea. There are some alter/monuments that are interesting, and I realize that I don't have to keep the scale the same. Look at the photo below and see the monuments in the back - I've used the shapes for my foam core constructions. I've been making an assortment of shapes and sizes so I'll have the flexibility to make an interesting arrangement. Not sure which I'll use yet.

Cemetery in Oaxaca, Mexico

Hari Polansky

Work or not?

A friend commented on my process, "Oy, what a lot of work!" I responded that it's not work if you love what you do. And I just happened to find the web site of Kirsty Hall, an artist who has this to say about process:

"People who aren’t working in a creative profession often think that what we do is easy, fun, glamorous or exciting. And it can be all of those things. But it’s also a time-consuming, brain-melting obsession that will eat your life.

It is not ‘five minutes, boom, you’re done, sit back and drink a martini’ – that is not how the creative process goes for even the most talented people. Techniques take time to learn and perfect. You make mistakes. Then you make bigger mistakes and have to start over. Even once you’ve learnt your craft, it’s twisty: you fret, you fiddle and things go wrong. You can pick away at a problem for months or years with no guarantee that you’ll ever crack it.

Sure, some people make it look easy but I’d bet my granny’s pension that they’re working hard when your back is turned. They’re dreaming their way into a role; they’re thinking about their sculpture on their lunch break; they’re drawing for hours every day."  http://kirstyhall.co.uk/2010/05/13/enjoy-your-process/

Kirsty Hall's site has a resource page with a compilation of blog posts offering creative commentary and advice that I found interesting. I like to read what other artists have to say about creating art. When you spend so many hours alone obsessing over this little line or that tiny color nuance, it's reassuring to know there's others out there who do the same with their creative work. A self serving purpose of this blog is to write about my art to develop my vocabulary and fluency of description. Artful compositions don't always come easily, but working on the craft sure helps.

No details permitted

Work on the little figures is going along. What a horror story it would be if they came alive, because they are the lumpiest looking creatures! But they're working for me and my imagination. Now I have to build the set in which they will inhabit. Foam core board, a sharp x-acto knife, and a straightedge are the materials I need for this. Architects build mock-ups from these materials. There are a surprising number of accessories available in large art stores to cut and trim the board with mitered angles and thin pieces. Not necessary for this - no perfection needed.

Check out this video for an incredible full size mock up that I found. I'm new to blogging and haven't figured out how to get the link to work, so you'll have to google it yourself. It's short and really cool.
Behind The Scenes - The Hub at Holiday Inn Mockup - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6JZ9T2O_M

An aside here - I struggle with perfectionism. It can be hard for me to know when something is "good enough." I have to remind myself what the goal of the task is and worthiness of time spent to achieve the goal. It can be freeing to have materials that are not exacting, as it limits how far you can carry something out. When I work out some basic composition ideas, it's better for me to use a crayon type tool, so I can't even attempt details. And in this case, arranging crudely made shapes together is what I need to help me envision my idea.

Behind The Scenes - The Hub at Holiday Inn Mockup - YouTube

figuratively speaking

Oh, no posts last week. Life got a little crazy, and I hardly got into the studio at all! I hope to post on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's Sunday now, and I'm going to show what I did get to work on this week… Then I'll get back to the regular schedule.

I 've never thought too much about sculpture. It just didn't seem too relevant to what I was doing. Maybe I was wrong. Understanding how a three dimensional shape fits into space is very informative to any two dimensional drawing. "Feeling" the space, the weight, the contours -is all important to drawing correctly. Making these figures is very entertaining. I've become absorbed in the process. Forget fabric, forget drawing:  right now, what exists for me creatively is how to make believable figures. Is this leading to anything? Yeah, I hope so, but I am not concentrating on that. I am following a path that might be a complete diversion - one side of my brain says "whoa, what the heck are you doing, wasting time like this - aren't you supposed to be sewing or something?" But I am drawn to this, feeling like it is important to realizing my vision. I will quiet the doubts and instead focus on the task at hand.

 I have a small wooden model that I am using as reference for size and I've bent wire to resemble  the head and torso shapes. Can't tell you exactly what kind of wire this is - I think it is something that I got at Home Depot or JoAnn Fabrics. I've experimented with bulking up the figure with pieces of foam core or chunks of tin foil. I like the tin foil, because I can twist and press it into the shapes I want.  I've used some florist's tape to wrap around the body, softening the edges of the tinfoil and holding the whole thing together.

Now I've made a few of these. They are pretty scrawny looking. But I think the clay will add the bulk to the extremities that these are lacking.

I've found a non-drying clay at A.C. Moore Crafts. I didn't want a traditional clay that would harden as it was exposed to air, as the whole concept of these figures was to be posable. It's called EZ Shape Modeling Clay. It's easy to shape. I don't like the way it smells or the way it feels on my hands - it leaves an oily residue that's hard to remove. I've found that if I use a moisturizer while washing my hands, it helps to remove it. I think these little people are going to be a big help!

Battling with Power Rangers

I'm so fired up about making a mock up of my idea. Experimenting with a new method is fun, and it's exciting to think that it might serve to move my art forward. Hmm, how to start. Oh, don't laugh at what's next - I'm going to play with some Power Rangers! I have a set of them in the house, and I think they are approximately the right proportions (if you minus a bunch of muscularity and bustiness!) And they are jointed, so I can set them up it position.

A while later… I'm done playing with those dolls! Their joints are not movable enough; I can't pose them the way I want. And their colors are distracting me. They're keepers though as I could see using them in some other mock up. Next up for a try out is the wooden artist's posing figures; I have one large and one small one. Don't see how that will help as I want to envision many people in the scene. Besides, have you ever tried manipulating one of those wooden figures? Hard to bend, joints don't flex. Hate to say it, but kind of like me in the morning! But they do have correct proportions for the most part.

Wait, Aha! They can be of help! I will make clay models using the small wooden figure as a guide for sizing! I can make enough to populate the whole scene. Hmmm, and just what might I be using for that? White foam core board, white poster board, white duct tape or clear tape (if it holds) and maybe some pins. I've gotta get busy collecting my supplies!

"Build it and they will come"

Here's my solution: "Build it and they will come." (The ideas, that is.) Wasn't that said in the movie Field of Dreams? What if I try to build a model of what I'm thinking of?

I'm excited about this! Having found through my previous work that I work very successfully when I have something to refer to, the concept of being able to create my reference, and not just rely on photographs of actual people and places, could be a game changer for me. If I could mock-up a scene, I could play with the placement of characters and "set pieces," until I saw the arrangement I'm looking for. Then I could draw it, or photograph it and work from that. Unique method? Hardly. Here's what I found on Wikipedia:

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux' maquette 

for the fountain he donated to Valenciennes

Maquette: A maquette (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names plastico or modello) is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is bozzetto, from the Italian word that means "sketch." It is used to visualize and test shapes and ideas without incurring the cost and effort of producing a full scale product.The term may also refer to a prototype for a video game, film, or any other type of product. It is the analogue of the painter's cartoon, modello, oil sketch or drawn sketch. Modello, unlike the other terms, is also used for sketches for two-dimensional works such as paintings..Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor from the Baroque period, made his bozzetti from wax or baked terracotta to show his patrons how the final piece was intended to look. Eleven of these bozzetti were displayed in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004.[1] Some museums specialise in collections of maquettes, such as the Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta ,Italy.

invisible reflection

I can't seem to create what I have in my head. I think it is because I "feel" it more than "see" it. How can I draw what I cannot see? This blog's quilt comes from internal reflection. It's not inspired directly from a photo, or from an intriguing print on a fabric, or from something I've read or talked about. This is coming from feelings about events that happened in the last few years of my life. How do I get reference for that? Before I can figure out perspective and shape I have to envision the scene better.

I believe that some people see an exact picture in their mind's eye and they set out to create just what they see. Others, like me, have amorphous visions. In creating an artistic expression of my thoughts and feelings, I know whether I am representing truly what's going on in my mind, as it feels right or not, but I'm not making a physical copy of something I'm seeing in my head.

If this quilt idea is not tangible, and I can't "see" it well enough to sketch it out, what will I do?

Drawing teacher's critique

The drawings that I made in my sketch book are not satisfying to me. Thinking that my drawing skills are lacking, I have tried meeting with a drawing teacher. The review of what I've drawn is that although I may have a good idea, I need to make some decisions. What is the best placement of the characters to express the things I want to say? How can I use props to emphasize the story? There are a lot of elements I want to include, so how can I make the best use of the space I have available? I need to compose the story before I can record the image.

A magician's quest

"Exuberance"

Susan V. Polansky, 2007

I am a good copyist. Above is "Exuberance," completed in 2007. I wanted to see if I could capture the bigger than life, bursting with happiness feeling that was so aptly captured in a photo of my son as he turned three years old. I can look at a variety of images, recompose them, and create an interpretation in fabric. My last quilt, "No One but You," captures being caught up in a moment. I used a photo I took when traveling in Buenoes Aires as a starting place, and did extensive photoshop work to create a pleasing composition. I can't wait to show the quilt, but I have to wait until after the Quilt National 2013 show opens before I can post it. I can create realistic images, but I need those images to do more than show technical virtuosity. I am more pleased with my art when it comes from my heart - inspired by something that has emotionally touched me in some way. It is emotional experience that intrigues me the most. The magic of my quilt artistry is to conjure feelings from a collage of fabrics and threads.

"Zach, age 3"

Susan V. Polansky, 2006

"Exuberance" was proof to me that I could translate the captured expression in a photo to a piece created by fabric collage. But it also opened the door to the next desire. The desire to tell a story. I use my own photos, so it is not a matter of copying someone else's image. It is that I want to involve the viewer intellectually as well as emotionally. Depicting an apple accurately is one thing, even if it's an exquisite example, it will stay an apple in my mind. But give me a reason to think about it, and it becomes more than an apple. I can appreciate a beautiful rendition, but art that appeals to me more gets me to ask questions, makes me wonder, or involves me in the scene.

Did you know that the illustrator Norman Rockwell 

wanted to be a movie director if he had not become a painter? 

He had the desire to tell a story! 

The expected, perfected.

My last post talked about spontaneity and planning. Spontaneity can be fun and exciting, or disappointing and discouraging. Planning can be exciting also, but the fun of it can be mired down into drudgery and result in lifelessness. To achieve a combination of the two is my ideal.

How does my creative process lend itself to these opposing forces? 

"Never Mind the Execution"

Susan V. Polansky,  2001

The best answer is to look at an overview of all my work. I never repeat the same thing. In fact, before I ever started using fabric, a college professor wanted me to work in a series. I just couldn't do it. Every painting I did was a "and now for something completely different!" I don't like templates, patterns, variations or the like. I don't get enough out of a re-do. There are many artists that hit upon a successful look, and they repeat that ad infinitum. They can streamline their technique, market the method, become known for their look. 

painted sneakers by 

Susan Polansky

God's Eye trials

Susan V. Polansky, 2006

Modern businesses have perfected the expected. Producing known outcomes is a safe business model. It probably started with production of the Model T, but post-war housing developments and fast food establishments took off and ran with the idea. A proliferation of uniformity creeps everywhere, even into areas where creativity and unique-ness thrived. We've all seen advertised: "Action Figure,"  "A.F. Returns," "A.F. Again!" and so on in the movies. And last I looked, I was surprised by how many adult book titles claim "(some number) of the (trilogy, series, saga.) Not that I haven't indulged in consumption of mass marketing! It's just not what I want for my art. However, having a guaranteed outcome is a much more reliable source of income! I am incredibly fortunate to have a supportive family, which allows me the freedom to spend time in my studio.

Composition: My Reaction to School Violence

Susan V. Polansky, 1999

Over the years, I've experimented with many mediums. I'm curious as to how other artists work. I bring what I've learned forward into each new piece. I can draw from my bag o' tricks whatever technique might serve the piece best. That is how I get lost in the "process." I'm constantly having a dialogue with a work in progress, observing what is working and what needs to happen. I don't feel limited by sticking with any one way of doing something. And I'm not afraid of change. My spontaneity is not a quick burst, but rather a collection of intuitive choices of what "feels" right at the moment. 

Muscle Memory

Let me first think about some smaller parts to this puzzle.

thinking about how the monuments will look

Here are some pages from my sketchbook, ones that I'm not too embarrassed to show. Drawing is like any motor skill. The muscles remember what to do long after learning the  skills, but practice and exercise is still needed for fluency. I'm a bit rusty. I like Prismacolor drawing pencils. I have a set that ranges from 9B to H. Pencils with a soft lead are B (the higher the number, the softer the lead.) This kind of pencil will make a denser, darker mark, while an H pencil leaves a finer, lighter line.  H is good for invisible guide lines, or very sharp detail. B is good for broader stokes and filling in areas. To force myself to use less detail, I have just bought a 2B graphite crayon, but I haven't used that yet.

I have never been much of a sketch artist - one who can put some quick ideas down on paper. I usually jump right into a project and get involved with details way too early in the game. Then I find that the of effort I put into details in the beginning is often wasted, because the final composition requires something different than I originally had thought. 

after a sketch, I made notes about what I liked or what to change

I also have not done a lot of pre-planning by way of drawings for previous quilts. Either I design as I go along or work with photoshop to compose a picture. In this case, because I have some very definite ideas that I want to express and I know that it's a lot to visually communicate, I know I've got to sort out things before I start with the actual quilt. As a writer makes an outline before delving into their thesis, so I also need to outline my points and be clear to myself what it is I'm trying to achieve.

how should I pose the people?

 

Some artists focus on "process." They get absorbed in working with their materials, taking direction for how to proceed with their work by responding to the outcome of their manipulations. Sometimes it's a "I want to see what happens when I do this or that.." or "I was just playing with (some medium, some idea) and look what happened: let me follow that direction.." It's a wonderful transcendent feeling, to not "think," to be so wrapped up in what you're doing. It's as if a piece is talking to you, saying, "I need this" or "hey, try this over here." It's muscle memory again! The brain is a muscle - it's got to be trained first before it can just work on it's own. Art can be created in a spontaneous manner when there is a grounding of knowing how to respond. Design, composition, balance, focus, perspective and all the other factors in creating art are all being processed in the background. If one weren't considering these elements, then their art is randomness - which may or may not turn out appealing. 

So, what's the problem?

I had hoped that I could grab some images, collage them together, and - Voila! - it would look great. No such luck. The photocomposition confirms how complicated my idea is, yet at the same time, is "proof of concept." The idea has gone from loose ideas in my mind to something definite I can see on paper. It's a good starting point. The photo presents too many insignificant details that interfere with really "seeing" what is going on in the overall scheme.

My eye does not know where to look. There is no clear focal point, nothing that grabs your attention and draws you in. A good composition has a flow to it, guiding your eye around - but this has no order to it.

something recognizable helps to show 

where you are looking from 

As the photos were taken from different angles, the perspective is not consistant. In the photoshopped image from my Monday 2/11 post, I am looking from above at the two figures in the foreground, yet I seem to be looking at the eye level of the seated man behind them. In any picture, for realism to work, there can only be one eye level.

The entire background is not clear - what is the size of everything? Is it close or far away? The flags do not add any information, they are just adding to visual confusion. If they went from large flags in the foreground to small ones in the distance, it would help define the amount of distance I'm trying to describe. It is understood that each flag is the same size, so if some are very tiny, they must be far away.

I wanted to have groups of people in this quilt, but there is no room for them. Already there is too much going on.

I need to simplify and better define my thoughts.