Stage Seven
I decided to follow my motto of 'WHY WAIT' and present Stage Eight of COMPOSITIONAL CONVERSATION by Marcia DeCamp first thing. Like previous participants of our project, Marcia dove right into the project and has put her stamp on the work.
MARCIA'S COMMENTS:
It's been great fun watching the composition change as each artist worked with it, and it was exciting to receive the package in the mail and unfold the project. I've noticed other studio kitties in previous posts, and our resident kitty "Inspector Suki" was immediately at the ready to guard the unused fabric pieces that came in the baggie -- or at least to settle in on them for a nap.
Inspector Suki
Not seeing how Fulvia completed her turn with the composition before I started, I wondered if I would pick the same orientation as she intended - and it turns out I did. As I studied it, I felt that it looked like there was a centered composition sitting on the larger background and that the background fabric wasn't engaged in any way.
Stage Six: Fulvia Luciano
Prior to getting the package, I had imagined that I would spend my time with the project by trying out shapes of fabrics in pleasing colors that I could add to the composition, hopefully providing some new excitement or a jumping-off point for the next stage. I didn't imagine heading off in new directions -- honest! - but that's what happened.
Since the lovely blue/gray background piece didn't seem to be engaging the other fabrics, I decided to try to pump up the background and to provide a stronger color structure. So here comes some royal blue, some purple, and more red to go with the piece of black - enough of it to totally cover the base background fabric. And let's try a horizontal orientation while we're at it.
New Background
Then I added a strip of light limey yellow and started trying out some of the elements from the current composition and some of the pieces from the scrap baggie. My thought at this point was to provide some large foreground and background shapes that would provide some more spaces for interaction in the next stages.
I decided to coordinate more red shapes to balance Terry's red shape. I wanted to incorporate some of Shelly's painted pieces for their color and texture, and wished the colors of Beth's pieced strips would have worked with the backgrounds I picked.
Developing Composition
Less of the small elements made it feel less disjointed.
More Refined Composition
Now -- A strip of textured black from the scrap baggie is added so the black fabric along the bottom almost appears to weave. The light strip needs to be more limey than yellow. And -- how much red is too much red?
Composition With More Red
And, as Fulvia said, at this point in the process it would be fun to just continue trying out different iterations. And although it's hard to quit without refining the red shapes and before reaching a final resolution, I will stop here.
In conclusion, I was surprised how easy it was to just jump in and make major changes to the project. Obviously, we all bring our own experiences and sense of style to our work on the piece, and I think my preference for bold shapes and saturated colors has come out. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in each of the next stages!
FINAL VERSION IS PICTURED AT TOP
Artist Profile: Marcia DeCamp
Marcia DeCamp with JET TRAILS #6 at 2008
Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center's Quilts=Art=Quilts
I was formerly a Professor of Business Technology at a two-year community college and then established and managed a successful computer consulting company. But I wanted to explore a different type of creative challenge in 2000 when I purchased a sewing machine and took my first quilting classes. While I initially took traditional quilting classes, I soon began studying with Nancy Crow. That choice has immersed me in improvisational quilt making ever since.
Jet Trails #8
I love working with abstract designs and strong geometric patterns and predominately use machine piecing and machine quilting. My feelings for the Southwest are often reflected in the color palettes of my quilts. I use cotton fabrics, some commercial, along with my hand-dyed and discharged pieces.
Broken Squares 2009- Exhibited in SAQA's Musings exhibition
My husband, Bill, and I live on a 50-acre country property near Rochester, New York. We have designed, created and maintained extensive ornamental and vegetable gardens. In 2007, we completed a 25 x 35 foot timber frame addition to create a wonderful state-of-the-art studio.
Thank you Marcia. The project is next in the studio of Gayle Vickery Prichard.
**I will be away during the coming week and will not be able to answer your emails but I encourage you to comment on the progress of the project and support these adventuresome artists.
