Take It Further Challenge - January 2008 -

January's challenge was to design a project based upon someone you admire. In my case, I chose my mother. (See what the group has done by going here. and more about the challenge here. As I worked through the project, I realized that the qualities that make her admirable are also those that I treasure in my closest friends and family members: courage, steadfastness, loyalty, honesty, peace, compassion, tolerance. In my mother's case, these are a reflection of a religious faith that has been a part of her make-up for all her life. Separate from that, I believe that these traits are some of the best we humans have to offer, regardless of nationality, culture, gender, ethnicity, or religious belief. I chose a rural scene with mountains in the distance--a scene my mom would love, but also a symbolic one, I think. ("I will look to the hills from whence cometh my strength.") I placed bright yellow circular sun in a clear blue sky. I imprinted the traits I admire on an organza overlay and cut this fabric in a traditional steepled church shape. I wanted the church to overlay the natural environment, because a belief system that limits itself to the four walls of a brick and mortar structure is not worth very much (in my humble opinion). Instead, I feel that the principles which guide a life should be fully intergrated into the everyday trappings of our existence (a big goal, but one worth striving for).
I did make a design choice which I may regret--I decided to quilt over the organza overlay and incorporate it into the underlying piece. I think I may change that.
I embroidered a very crooked line of coral stitch ) thank you Sharon B's stitch encyclopedia: along the base of the mountains to give them some bottom weight and tie them into the environment. (I suspect that the "crookedness" of the stitch might make it something other than the coral stitch, but I am genetically unequipped to do the beautiful embroidery work that I admire so much.
The fabrics for the landscape are hand-dyed leftovers from a Melody Johnson fusing workshop. (Melody generously shares her lazy dyer's dying method here.)
Taking this further: I know I'll continue to explore the theme of the organized church and its influence (both positive and negative) on society in the southeastern part of the U.S. in future pieces.
pdc

Take it Further Challenge - January, Week 2 progress

I've finally decided on a general design. The effect--both positive and negative--of the church as an institution and of religious faith on individuals and society is a theme I've explored before and will again. The church is an appropriate symbol here because my mother's faith is as much a part of her as skin, blood and bone. It is from her religious study and belief system that she has gathered the principles that have guided her life over the years - love, peace, compassion, steadfastness, loyalty, honesty, patience, courage, tolerance. These are not qualities that she puts on and off like a Sunday best dress. They inform her every decision and are the benchmarks against which she measures herself. The church will be set beneath an oak tree--a symbol of strength and a big part of the natural landscape of the southeastern part of the USA where she has spent much of her life. In the distance will be mountains ("Look to the hills from whence cometh your strenth). The piece will be small - no larger than 5x7, and aiming for around 4x6.
pdc

Take it Further Challenge - January, Week 2

My January project is still very much a "virtual" one, existing only in my cluttered mind, so the goal this week is to get something concrete done. I have been turning over the usual words that come to mind when you think of "a life"--patchwork, sampler, tapestry, woven threads. This morning Sharon B's blog included a link to some Constance Howard samplers via the Visual Arts Data Service site. The sampler at pictured at the left was really interesting to me. My mother is the person whom I chose for this project, and both patchwork and needlework of various type have always been a big part of her life. She is also a lover of nature, weather, the sea. I think incorporating a stitch sampler that perhaps spells out--literally--the qualities I find so admirable in her--might be incorporated into this project. I also like the idea of incorporating charms or talismans into the project. Because her religious faith is so much a part of her, I think some "prayer bead" or prayer fringing might be worked in. If I'm going to get anything accomplished, however, I have got to stop playing mind games and get to work!

Take It Further Challenge - January - Mindmapping

I'm glad Sharon re-introduced me to mindmapping in her class. It's a nice jumpstart tool. One thought leads to another, and the whole process is a very contemplative one. I've decided to use my mother as my most admired person. She's 83, and one of my 2008 goals is to spend more quality time with her. My map includes experiences that shaped her (she grew up during the depression years, which in the U.S. spanned from late 1929 through the early 1940's), was a telegraph and switchboard operator during WWII, was raised, in part, in a rural background on a tenant farm), the various important roles she played in other's lives, and the traits which I admire so much. So, I'll spend the month of January with mom very much on my mind. It will be an interesting month. I can't yet see what form this project will take, but since fabric, handwork, and quilting were (and still are) a very big part of her life, I suspect it we're headed for a small art quilt project with some poetry, writing and embellishment.

Sharon B's Take it Further - January

Happy New Year. Sharon B has posted the January Take it Further challenge. For January, we're to consider who we look up to and admire, and why. There's also a color palette posted which can be used as an alternative challenge or combined with the first concept. I'm definitely going to work on the "person" challenge, and have several people in mind. I'm going to start by exploring two areas: mindmapping the traits I find admirable in my mother and one of my daughters, and exploring the symbolism of color to see if these traits can be reflected by the palette I choose for this piece. Mindmapping is a concept I was first introduced to by my neighbor and walking partner, but I really didn't use it much until I took Sharon B's Sumptuous Surfaces class. It's a great tool to use at the beginning of a project. If you google mindmap, you'll find lots of sites that offer free trials for software, but you can take off "wirelessly" by sitting down with your journal and pen and having at it. So, for this first week, I'll mindmap the concept, explore the symbolism of color, and begin to think about what medium I'll work in. Can't wait to see what this very creative group turns out this month!