A great site for inspiration is the Astronomy Picture of the Day Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html). These awesome photos show what a great universe we are part of and how beautiful it can be.
My group of online quilting friends has a challenge due on Nov. 28th for a small (8″ x 10″) quilt that gets its inspiration from one of the photos from this site. My piece is based on an entry for May 2007 and is of the Bright Spiral Galaxy M81. This was a challenge to work on for me because of my limited mobility, so I could only use those items I could easily put my hands ons. I decided I’d use this as an experimental piece, and so started out with a commercial cotton of the night sky, used Stewart Gill Alchemy paints (http://www.artistcellar.com) to paint on the spiral galaxy, and then beads to add in the stars. I’m not one who puts beads on very many things, and it is certainly a tedious job, but I do think it was the right embellishment for this litte quilt. I chose to fray the edges rather than put on a binding because I believe the universe has no end and didn’t want a binding to confine the galaxy. This was a really fun challenge, and I encourage you to look at the APOD site and see what inspiration you receive from it.
November 27, 2007 at 12:56 am |
What a great idea! (I like the frayed edges.) Your work is very inspiring Karen!
November 27, 2007 at 5:57 pm |
Thanks for the kind words, Tracy! Appreciate your stopping by.
Karen
November 28, 2007 at 12:19 pm |
Karen, I like this one, too. An interesting subject choice and use of frayed edges to carry us out and beyond. And I love to read that you’ve completed a project while recovering from surgery using just what you could reach. This reminds us that we can often do just about anything we want if willing to find the way.
November 28, 2007 at 5:01 pm |
Thanks, Con! It IS interesting to occasionally force oneself to work only with what is close at hand – though I wouldn’t recommend surgery as the reason for doing so…. I think my resolution for 2008 will be to use up what is in my already overcrowded studio and then be more picky about what comes into it in the future. We’ll see how well I can stick to that one – and no, I will not take bets on it!
December 2, 2007 at 1:31 am |
Like cooking up what’s in the kitchen and pantry before going out to the grocery, yes? I’m trying to be more selective in my workroom, too. I’m settling on a few favorite papers for my printers and trying to use up some of the odd bits left over from previous projects. And, yes, how long will that last? Until my space is almost neat, then I think of new special projects…
December 2, 2007 at 10:25 am |
Yes, exactly like cooking up what’s in the kitchen and pantry (and overflowing deep freezer) before buying more – hard to do though, when nothing sounds good! I generally start the new year by giving my studio a thorough cleaning and getting rid of a bunch of things I’ve had laying around untouched for years. Of course that means that 6 months later I’ll need something that I tossed, but that’s the way it goes. Good luck with your adventure in using up before buying more!