I put together a little composite of all the daily fabric compositions (plus one). It took much longer than I intended as I was having issues of Photoshop getting stuck on one tool. (Anybody else have this happen? I've read on the internet that others have, but none of their tricks seem to work except for restarting the computer.)
Here they are all together in order with the extra one at the end. Do you notice any patterns?
My thoughts:
- I thought they would be more cohesive as a group since I started out with a limited number of fused fabrics. But later I started adding some more fused fabrics that were leftover from some other projects. That made it more varied.
- I thought some progression of pattern might occur, but it never really did. Every morning was just looking at the pile of fabrics and see what I come up with that day. Maybe if I had done three or four in a day, the thought pattern would be more progressive. But since I did one and then waited a day, it wasn't a continuous idea. Except for when I created a little motif on day 20 (that looks like a door, house or gate). Then I worked with that motif for several days in a row and even came up with an extra one.
- For the most part, I started working on the piece as a whole, picking some fabrics to start with and then building on that. Working with the motif was a slight shift in the thinking process, sometimes, as I started building the motifs and then figured out how to put them together to work. Other times, the motifs were envisioned as a whole piece from the beginning.
- There are no curved lines in any of these (except for the screen printed stitching on fabric I used in a couple of pieces). I did cut all the straight lines without a ruler, so they are somewhat organic. I thought about trying a curve, but my natural inclination was to just play with straight lines and shapes.
- There are no diagonal lines or shapes. I did try turning sections on the diagonal a few times while I was working, but it seemed too dynamic or unstable for such a small piece, and for my preference. I often like to seek the balance and "stability" in an artwork.
- Obviously, some pieces turned out better than others. That happens. Not everything can be a masterpiece and these were just exercises. I will finish some of them with machine and/or hand stitching, but I probably won't finish them all.
- I had no preconceived notions of subject matter before starting the project. It was a way to "play" with what was in front of me.
- It helped to have the fabrics all fused and batting all cut before beginning the project. I also had a sheet for fusing on that had the finished dimensions drawn on it as well as some outside dimensions. I also employed mat board as a viewfinder while working since I knew they would be cropped down to a certain size when finished.
- As I was working at the museum a lot (for me) during the month of February, this was a great way for me to work on a little art each day. I think it really kept me from getting cranky. I realize I do get cranky when I can't do anything creative for a while.
- I noticed I had a really hard time working with the white fabric that had the screen printing on it. I think maybe the white was just too much contrast or too bright for me. That might be something to challenge myself with sometime, as I rarely use white in my larger pieces as well.
- I particularly like the color combinations in #8 and #26. I liked using a little bit of the intense "jewel" colors (like deep fuchsia) as an accent, but too much "jewel" colors together (as in #23) is too much for my tastes. I realize some people really like that.
- Some nice coordinated groupings can be made with these pieces, but they won't be in numerical order. It will be mix and match.
I think I could do this again during a different month with some different parameters. But for now, I have to work on getting some of these finished.
Feel free to tell me which numbers are your favorites.
