I've been pulled away from my work this past week but yesterday I spent some time at my worktable rummaging through various bits and pieces of fabric, thread and paper of the work I've been doing exploring ...
where was I and where am I going to?
and how might I get there...
a few thoughts trickled in, then another and another and in an instant I went from feeling inspired to feeling rather overwhelmed
with limited time how do I capture all this so I don't forget the excitement of it?
I've tried writing detailed notes and drawing diagrams etc. but something is always lost in the translation and over time the notes aren't enough and everything I was feeling fizzles out
a few years ago I was in the same position with a different idea and I took to making small studies in fabric, thread and paper
little snapshots of what I was seeing in my mind, as fragmented as the fleeting thoughts themselves
for some reason a tiny piece of fabric can hold as much information as a few dozen words
and it holds the excitement as well
in looking through these small studies (they're approx. 1 1/4" square) I was taken back when to when I did them, the reasons why are as sharp and relevant now as they were then
a few stitches, scrap of cloth
some held together by pins or paperclips
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over time I referred back to them whilst working on various things
there's always something there to guide me, or to spark an idea
over the past few weeks I've gathered so many ideas for my Japanese design aesthetic inspired work that I haven't been able to keep up with documenting them but I think this might be the perfect way to do it
small snippets, just a few stitches, or one ragged edge
a wealth of information in the smallest pieces and the simplest work
sometimes I think these little pieces are not just a way to store information or ideas
sometimes I think they might just be the way
the Haiku continue… it hasn’t been easy but i’ve kept at it, every day. Here are a couple of recent ones:
Crocus
spring's purple anthem
perversely poking through snow
tenacious impatience
crocuses in the Yukon… through thick and thin, and snow
Bald Eagle
that piercing gaze
measure taken, then dismissed
the humbling of it
an eagle sitting atop a tree, looking down at me for a moment, and then not
jillayne
2 comments:
Isn't it interesting how a different medium - fabric and stitch - can sometimes convey more than something we expect to be information-rich, like written notes!
Those little snippets are wee pieces of art in and of themselves. They make me want to reach out and touch in order to have the full experience of them. I've often toyed with making some sort of book of stitch examples but haven't acted upon it. Perhaps doing something similar to this would be an idea. Now....will I actually carry out the spark? Don't hold your breath!
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