Saturday, August 1, 2009

Oh.






If I never make another colonial knot as long as I live...

Colour is my greatest passion. It motivates much of what I do. I hear music as colour, I dream about colour, my feelings are colours, even my senses sometimes express themselves as colours. The worst personal loss I can imagine for myself would be to lose the ability to see colour.

There are other old passions here, too - old linens (the base cloth is an old damask tablecloth),embroidery, circles; as well as a new one - felt (who would have guessed I would fall in love with felt?)!

Technically this has more than a few glitches. The middle began life as a circle. But the damask is so stretchy that as I made knots it distorted to an ovoid. C'est la vie. Doesn't everything change? I'm no longer concerned about holding so tightly that I can't let it become what it wants to be. In the end I was just happy to indulge a passion and drift along. I've been doing a lot of that lately and it's taking me to some good and unexpected places.

Edited 010809: I have uploaded a bigger image file so you can now click on this for more detail (yesterday I just couldn't get the big file on). There are no beads, just fabric and felt circles and colonial knots (Terry, they are made differently to French Knots and are easier and more reliable. Also known as candlewicking knots). Kristin, you picked up on the aspect of this quilt that I was too shy (never been accused of THAT before!) to mention. I meant it when I said I experience everything as colours! ;)

19 comments:

Terry Grant said...

So colorful and happy! Yes, you have a passion for color and it shows in all your work. This piece is beautiful and so distinctivly yours. I think I have always called those French knots. Maybe a difference in name from one country to another. I wonder what is either French or colonial about them.

Deborah Boschert said...

I love it. Great job, Kirsten! I sure would like to see a close up -- I want to study the felt and the embroidery. Are there some beads in there too? Fabulous!

Gerrie said...

This is one of those pieces that makes my heart go pit a pat, the minute it pops up, because I am so in love with color and the rainbow. I want to get my face in this to see all the texture. Can we have a close up or a larger photo?

Kristin L said...

Based on your title I was thinking orgasm, and I still think it's a beautiful, female, interpretation of that. On the surface though, it's also a fantastic ode to color and all that you love about your art. Beautiful!

Unknown said...

I'm in love with this.

Unknown said...

I like that you didn't get a perfect circle - its more organic (or as Kristin said, orgasmic?!) that way. It is like delicate bubbles in a rainbow. I may have to pinch this idea when it comes to doing my colour portfolio for C&G which I just know will involve a colour wheel!

kirsten said...

Ha ha! Kristin - you got it.

Deborah Boschert said...

Oh!

Yowza!

Linda Robertus said...

Love this one! What a delicious quilt!

Terri Stegmiller said...

Well I can't say that I dream in color, but I definitely love color and this is one fabulous and colorful quilt.

Brenda said...

I wondered whether and how you might incorporate felt into a 12x12 piece but I never imagined such a visually tingly frisson of colour. Your mojo is definitely working here!

Diane Perin said...

Kirsten! I want to float in the middle of that circle (ah, who cares if it's slightly ovoid) and just bask in the color! The circular design and circle elements are wonderful. And I am interested in your comments about hearing and feeling color... I am synesthetic too (I see words and letters and numbers as colors) and it's a wonderful gift, I think. (Have you read the teen book called "A Mango Shaped Space?") Any way, I so appreciate how you addressed this so simply and so vibrantly. It is an instant favorite!

kirsten said...

Oh, thanks,Diane! It's so hard to describe synethesia to other people. I certainly don't have any extreme experiences with it but it is always there and I think it must sound quite flaky to other people.

Nikki said...

I love looking at the larger photo with all the details. The explosion of color is beautiful and all the details wonderful. Makes me want to send the my little interuptions over to Grandma and Grandpas. Hee,Hee.

Karen said...

Wow Kristin got it when she said orgasmic, that's totally what I saw too. It's wonderful and colorful and satiating!

Lisa Chin said...

OH! I LOVE it!

Françoise said...

Oh, Kirsten, well done!!

susan said...

I learned about this blog from a friend. I'm so glad she told me about 12x12! Seeing this quilt makes me want to have one! What a great art piece! I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words other than I LOVE this. Thanks so much for the enlargement! I love seeing those dots up close! Please tell me more about the color dots, stripes on the felt!
Susan

Kelly said...

This is stunning - great color choices! I love this 12x12 quilt and I've pinned it to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you'd like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/