How do you depict Joy?
I love words: their shape, their meaning, their sound. So
much contained in so little, but somehow, never enough. I cannot imagine this
generation will not learn the beauty of cursive writing and how creating the
flow and shapes of words is artistic and calming.
As a writer, this challenge thrilled me. I often use words
in my quilts and I’m continually seeking the best methods and tools to
represent them either explicitly or implicitly in my art. My husband would say I’ve
wasted lots of money chasing the perfect way, but I’d say I’ve learned a lot!
The words in the background of this quilt were written with white
Liquitex paint via a small bottle and 9mm tip. The technique was loosely inspired
by an article in Quilting Arts Magazine June/July 2015 issue by Sue
Bleiweiss. The actual words tell my story as a high school swimmer and the joy
of the water and the discipline of training.
Water is my theme for this cycle and I had this picture of a
dear friend’s daughter from a Christmas card years ago. I was captivated by the
total joy in her daughter’s face and asked if I could represent it in a quilt
one day. Alicia’s challenge was the perfect opportunity to combine the
inspiration of words with the raw emotion of this beautiful child.
“Joy” measures 29” W X 40” H. It is whole cloth painted using
Liquitex soft body acrylic paints and Derwent Inktense pencils. It is quilted
with cotton and polyester threads.
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| Original Photo |
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| Back |
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| Writing Detail |
Beautiful and powerful piece! I love how people are interpreting text in so many different ways!
ReplyDeleteI agree Alicia, it is very interesting to see the results. Lisa- Marie love all the close-ups you have given us of your beautiful quilt.
ReplyDeleteYou've really captured the joy in her eyes, Lisa-Marie. I agree with Alicia and Sue - it's always interesting how differently each of us will interpret the challenge. Great piece!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work! I like the back image. Both sides are stunning.
ReplyDelete