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Monday, 30 November 2020

BIRMINGHAM INSPIRATION

 After trolling the world libraries the moment the Birmingham Library came up and with my love of free motion quilting, this was the one. 


I started with dyeing the cloth in the two shades of yellow and blue and the intention was to fade the fabric out to bare cloth on the left.  This proved harder than I thought so after a couple of attempts I chose the better of the bunch and painted the left hand side using white paint. The intention with the fading out was to also fade out the circles towards the left.  I felt it was becoming too flat and uninteresting as I worked my way across so stopped at an angle and then added rows of curvy lines resembling book shelves giving me an outside/inside perspective.

Again it needed a focal point, something to lift it, hence the tree silhouette.  The final bit was grounding the roots which need a bit more tweeking.  I ran out of time as I am sitting in the bush on the banks of the Crocodile River overlooking the Kruger National Park while I load this post.


I need to also knock back the binding with more colour as it is too 'white'. 

After my initial panic attack when I read the challenge, I actually enjoyed completing this piece as it certainly made me think. 




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13 comments:

  1. Linda30 November 2020 at 11:30

    Snap!! It's a great library and I love your interpretation. And I'm so envious of your sitting in the Kruger National Park too.

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  2. Patricia A'Bear30 November 2020 at 14:21

    Once again Phil you have worked your own idea into the subject which is brilliant. Love your stitching and colours. Your idea of washing off the colour on the left had side gives it an added interest. Well done on making this your own.

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  3. Linda B.30 November 2020 at 19:58

    I love the inside / outside interpretation and the tree adds another dimension to the piece.

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  4. Claire30 November 2020 at 23:37

    A great library choice!
    I like your interpretation with the use of colour, echoing the building but not slavishly following it. Getting that lovely soft blue with dye is a real achievement, congrats; it is almost a Wedgewood.
    I can't tell from your photo whether you stitched the circle pattern or maybe stamped it. Either way it unifies the stripes well.

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    1. Phil Fisher1 December 2020 at 15:14

      The circle pattern was stitched on the machine, the first circle in charcoal and the second in black. Migraine stuff.

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  5. Rosemary1 December 2020 at 03:48

    Another fascinating interpretation of Birmingham library .I wondered whether you had chosen the tree as paper is made from wood pulp but whatever the reason the piece is beautiful . It was an excellent idea to fade the one side with white paint- to my eye it almost looks like a rainstorm coming across a landscape which one so often sees in that part of the world .

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    1. Phil Fisher1 December 2020 at 15:17

      You got me there with the tree...paper...wood pulp. It was not the reason but now it is ... thanks. Ha Ha.

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  6. Amanda1 December 2020 at 08:02

    I agree with all the above. I really like the colour and balance but especially the birds.

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  7. Hilary1 December 2020 at 14:14

    Same story but completely different interpretation. Love the decisions you made with colours and then fading out on the left. Is it my imagination but I see hints of books on shelves in the faded out area? An integrated piece. Hilary

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  8. Jinnie1 December 2020 at 17:38

    I like the way the colour fades across the quilt and the tree and the birds. Is the tree fabric or painted?

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  9. Phil Fisher2 December 2020 at 04:05

    Painted. As an afterthought and running out of time I went ahead and prayed it would work.

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    1. Jinnie2 December 2020 at 08:13

      It's really effective: it looks as though it was planned from the beginning, and it would feel as though something was missing if it wasn't there.

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  10. Dianne Robinson3 December 2020 at 16:22

    I think it's all been said, Phil, but I love your piece. The way you've used the colour, the quilting, and the use of the tree to provide a focus - it all works so well.

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