One of my aims every year is to enter a piece in a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) call for entry.

This year the topic of ‘Season after season’ looked most appealing.  The premiere location is Texas Quilt Museum. Each accepted piece of work is to have an accompanying artist’s journal which explores the artist’s journey from initial thought and concept to final artwork- something I’ve always wanted to do. This is the first time I have shown a work in progress in public from start to finish. The risk is of course that the piece may not be at all successful. I’m thinking that this experience will be a lot more enriched by sharing my thoughts and processes along the way- a win-win situation whether my work is accepted or not. I hope you will find it interesting….

GATHERING IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

A collection of sketchbooks with drawings and water colours of flowers from my garden

Photos in my ‘garden journal’ and ‘still life’ files:

A few samples from other projects:

Mono-printed black lines with colour trials

Stitched photos on fabric from sketchbook. Organza, a non-woven and TAP.

A sketch book page printed directly to silk.

 

Other ideas:

Garden diaries and lists of plants

‘A Country Ladies Diary’

Seasonal colour

Old and new calendars- I have never thrown out my calendars and have over20 years’ worth (somewhere in the cupboard).

Poetry about seasons and/or flowers

 

Some artists who work with florals

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

I love the way he leaves some of the flower/plant not coloured in. His line work is to die for!

Kurt Jackson

His work is very organic. The flowers are not explained too much and are nice and loose. Texture and line.

 

Chinese botanicals

I like the antique parchment look of the background combined with the lively brushwork.

 

Hitoshi Kobayashi

My latest favourite discovered form Pinterest. Beautiful depictions of flowers standing out from gold, speckled or grungy backgrounds.

 

Robert Kushner

Interesting use of blocks of colour and line interwoven with floral theme. Great use of pattern and line, negative and positive. Thick and thin outlines could be described as stitch or applique. Also use of text.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

As I was going through all those calendars mentioned above, I picked out a possible candidate that had nice printed text in Art Noveau style. When I looked closer at the actual hand-written notations, I became rather nostalgic and my feelings became mixed. This particular calendar was from 2001 and I realised that two beloved fathers and brother had passed in that time. My sister’s baby which was due is now a beautiful year 12 student. There were lots of banal appointments and running children to various activities (how did we do all that). These children have long flown the nest. Even my own bodily functions had changed! (no more marking 28 on the calendar, yay).

 

MAIN IDEA

My life marches ever onward never being the same.

BUT

The flowers in my garden always come out season after season.

Chrysanthemums for Mothers’ day, Easter daisy, winter gladiolus, autumn crocus, white Christmas lilies, Spring bulbs……

This gives me a sense of comfort.

How often do we get tied up in the busyness of our lives and forget about those little treasures peeking out from the earth all around us season after season?