Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Approaching Departure

Years ago I was piecing a grid with precut 6 inch squares of hand-dyed fabric I purchased from Marcia Derse. As I was piecing, I discovered they were not all exactly 6 inches, so I had to trim off some edges. I couldn't part with the brightly colored skinny strips, so I grabbed a piece of equally bright fabric, lined them up and stitched them down. I had this improvisational stitched piece on my design wall in Texas for many months.

As I was poking around in my boxes of in-progress, stalled and unfinished projects, I found it. Chartreuse! It was really fun to use it as the focus for my 12x12 piece.

Approaching Departure
The center panel is the piece that was created years ago -- probably 2007. I paired it with the teal vertical borders and added just a tiny bit of machine stitching in the arch over the top. The long red thread tails were interesting back when I first created the chartreuse piece and I knew I wanted to keep them and the textural quality they added.
I considered whether I should add some surface design or some hand stitching. But I couldn't come up with any motifs or colors that didn't fight with the interesting staggered composition of the center panel and the variety of bright colors. I decided on just a few purple square sequins to contrast with the thick columns of the rest of the design.

I think it looks a bit like a set of wonky steps or a pathway. It's a little different from most of the work I've done lately, but not entirely out of place. Is it a departure from the style and techniques I love? Or am I just approaching them in a different way?

10 comments:

stART said...

This is elegantly, simply perfect - bravo!

Gerrie said...

It is amazing to me how you made a square look like a rectangle!! An optical illusion, I know. I really love this and like to think it is something I might have done. I knew it was yours because of the lovely curved lines at the top - sort of a Deborah signature. I love the simple elegance of this.

Diane Perin said...

What's striking to me about this (aside from the gorgeous color) is that my first thought was that it was an altar. The lines lead up to a place of order and calm at the top (those aligned sequined squares) and how your curvy lines create that protected space around them -- I really do see this as very much a part of your use of themes, although in a bit more abstract sort of way.

And of course your use of color and line is superb as always.

Karen said...

Approaching Departure is the perfect name for this Deborah, I wouldn't have known this was yours except, like Diane said, those curving lines at the top. Those little sequin squares do calm it down, and the curves at the top seem like a roof to me.

Kristin L said...

It's very Deborah, while not being Deborah at all. Like chartreuse, it represents growth and change! I think it's great that you are approaching what you love in a different way. I want to see more!

JB said...

Looking at the works you have created for the challenges in the Colorplay series, makes me think that it fits right in. You have continued with a strong linear element, this time with a focus on the horizontal. A great way to use scraps that are too beautiful to discard. I would definitely deem it a success!!

Vivien Zepf said...

I think it has that elegant simplicity of some of the Asian designs -- though why I think so is beyond me since the colors are so bright and wonderfully saturated. I really like this and hope you do more with straight lines... as opposed to curves.. because I think you use them successfully.

Terri Stegmiller said...

This is a fun piece. I love the colors you have used. I always seem to be attracted to teals and the yellow greens used together. The thread tails are a great touch too.

kirsten said...

I agree with Vivien that it has an Asian feel about it. Even with such strong (and luscious!) colours, it still feels serene and centred.
Fantastic!

Terry Grant said...

At first I did not recognize this as yours. Looking again, of course the shallow, graceful curve at the top is a signature move. All the parts are beautiful and the color is perfect, but I think it feels just slightly unfinished. Or maybe I have just come to look for the "Deborah" pieces. Yes, it is a departure.