Saturday, July 08, 2006

My Blog My Opinion

See, that's how this works. I don't agree with everything on everyone else's blog. So you don't have to agree with stuff on my blog either. We could generate some interesting conversation though.

Now about FRAMES. The thing about framing art is that it is always very personality specific. The artist, the framer or the owner will pick the framing for a picture, watercolor, oil etc. The important factor here--the frame can be removed. Leaving the art as is.

Hand Quilting. The hand and eye of the quilter influences the stitching. Give identical quilts to five hand quilters with specific, detailed instructions and you will have five very different results. That's why several different quilters have quilted for a certain artist. Each has a specific way of working. A specific "look" or result. The quilter has added their personality and artistry to the piece.

Photography. When I was in school, the photography majors developed their own film. I know because I was often invited to the darkroom to "help". Professionals take hundreds of rolls of film at one time and do send these rolls to a lab to be processed. Photographers do however print their own pictures because it is the printing, enlarging, focus, value which expresses the artist's view. Even digitally.

Commercial Fabric. Hey, now. This is really going to be a topic for conversation in the next ten years. With more and more artists coming into the quilt world, there will be more emphasis on "make your own" fabric. And as a painter myself, I am always frustrated by not having the right color, texture or value in my stash for a specific purpose. I don't dye. What I have decided to do - and I have bolts of white waiting ---is paint what I need as I need it.

Eventually, I will have to choose -- to use the commercial polka dotted fabric I adore-- or to sell it and just move on to 100% "painted by me" fabric. The financial and emotional value of the stash in the closet weighs heavily. But in the past year, very little fabric has gone into the closet or come out into my work. I have even considered using my ultra favorites to make pillowcases. Geez!

The Nancy Crow book is going to my library as a donation to the collection. It will settle in quite nicely with the Gee's Bend Quilts and I hope get checked out as often.

1 comment:

Deborah Boschert said...

Why must you choose just handpainted stuff or just commercial stuff? Can't you COMBINE them both?! If only I were still in Maine, I could interlibrary loan the Crow book. Sigh.