Friday, October 14, 2016

"Disco Poodle" Matisse style

"Disco Poodle" by LAPaylor  12" X 12"
my inspiration for this artwork was Matisse's papercuts. My prompt to make this was from  Alida
for the artist's blog hop challenge. 
 Matisse is quoted as saying:
"creativity takes courage"

 "Painting in the style that came to be known as Fauvism, Matisse continued to emphasize the emotional power of sinuous lines, strong brushwork and acid-bright colors in works such as The Joy of Life, a large composition of female nudes in a landscape. Like much of Matisse’s mature work, this scene captured a mood rather than merely trying to depict the world realistically"  http://www.biography.com

The image I used as my current inspiration at the top left of this picture, by Henri Matisse






 I also used the small poodle image I made for the Houston Quilt show SPCA donation (on orange above)
 I made one for myself and donated one.  It was bought off the wall within minutes of handing it to the organizers!!

For the current piece, I drew the poodle again but a bit thinner as the inspiration photo has a thin figure.

I interpreted the painting's diagonal lines by inserting a batik into the sparkly blue background. As usual it was a big decision with repeated auditions of fabric after fabric until I noticed this coral which reminded me of the papercut stars Matisse added to his piece.


To transfer my drawing to black fabric for the poodle, I traced over the image using saral chalk paper next to the black fabric. It transfers a line of chalk that can be brushed away after cutting.
I had to decide whether to keep the image completely inside the lines and after moving him around a bit, decided to engage the border.
All of my STAT quilts interpret famous painters, with an emphasis on texture. The texture here is embellishments. Faceted short bugles on the body, buttons, longer bugle beads and trinkets all add texture. 

We have artistic license to make art our way even if we're inspired by others. Not only license, but an obligation to make it your own.

Which brings up a question of art, inspiration and derivation. It's an ongoing debate among artists, a gray area often handled in a court of law.
This piece is obviously original yet derived, or inspired by, another artist and I give all due credit to the master Matisse whom I respect.
 I have made 16 STAT art inspired quilts, Please visit others  under the label STAT HERE

On to the making of this small work.
I quilted in lines with Sulky halogram mylar reflective thread. Hash marks and straight lines. There is peltex stabalizer instead of batting in all of my STAT quilts. I used rayon thread in coral and yellow to free motion around the batik print.
As for the binding... this creates the frame for my art. It is a very important element and I auditioned several choices finally deciding to insert a three dimensional black and white piping before sewing on the binding.

To reduce bulk I did a single layer of binding, pulling it to the back and folding under raw edges to whipstitch it down. Not double folded as usual, which makes the finish much easier but is quite bulky on a narrow binding.

Embellishments including the thread with little fiber squares, are attached by hand.

What do you think Matisse meant by creativity takes courage?

Unless you make original art, you might not be aware of all the decisions one makes while creating.
Of the need for inspiration, good art supplies, time, perseverance, and courage to put yourself into your work. Artwork is a little peek into a person's psyche.
We make art because we are driven to interpret our thoughts and feelings in a tangible way.
It is so personal and it takes courage to share it with others, leaving one vulnerable to comments and critiques. It takes courage to make your art, and courage to share.
Have courage to be original!

LeeAnna (missing her poodle Cole... play hard in Heaven darling)


complete schedule for artist's blog hop

Other Artists on Friday:
Andrée @ quiltinglearningcombo (http://quiltinglearningcombo.blogspot.com)

34 comments:

Libby in TN said...

Great interpretation! I love seeing Cole in all your pieces. I have to ask, though; what is STAT?

Julierose said...

Oh I just love this--what a great homage to Cole!! (Or at least I see his fun-lovingness {wd??} in this one).

I believe it takes courage to "see your creations through to the end" even when that inevitable "Oh this is really awful and how will I ever figure out how to....?? etc etc"--to stay with your ideas.
I often have begun improv work and then gotten stuck
and shoved it into the "drawer of shame" (LOL).
I hope to pull some of my "babies" out and re-work them soon...Thanks for the look into your working methods--hugs, Julierose

easyweimaraner said...

I LOVE it!!! and I wish I could make a disco weimaraner... but the looks I've got from easy and the man are promising... I better just imagine the dancing weim :O)

LA Paylor said...

I was in a focus group interpreting famous painter's styles in fabric with an emphasis on texture. We were called STAT. All quilts are 12" square and the label at the sidebar will show most of mine. LeeAnna

Sarah @ Georgia Girl Quilts said...

This is fantastic - I love that spunky little poodle! Great use of color too.

quiltedfabricart said...

I'm sure Cole is dancing with joy seeing you coming out of your grief and starting to enjoy life again. You did a fantastic job. You can see the idea of the original but it's so much more.

Courage is the number one requirement for an artist in my mind. Having the courage to fail and the confidence to make the fail into a finish!

Enjoy the fall LeeAnna ��❤️

Jayne said...

This is great! You took it to another level and made it your own! Great interpretation !

beaquilter said...

what a fun art quilt

Tails Around the Ranch said...

Well boogie on down! That is just too fabulous.

Maria said...

Cole is finally dancing, knowing that you're creating again😊😊😊

M. K. Clinton said...

What a cool idea for a project! I absolutely love your interpretation. ♥

Patty said...

very fun piece!

claudia said...

I love it! It's fun! And definitely, we need fun in our lives! You come up with the best stuff!

Sara said...

Love this piece! The tiny beads on the poodle really caught my eye, as did the quilting.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Whoa! It takes so much courage to create art and put it out there for others to see! I am never sure my decisions on any piece are right.

Channeling Cole in your art is an amazing release. You will have a nice body of work to see and touch in the years to come,.

Keep creating, my friend!

Mari said...

Disco poodle! Ha! :)

Unknown said...

I love the poodle (of course)! Wish I had your talent! My skills with the sewing machine are greatly lacking.

Barb said...

Soooo creative

Kaja said...

This is, of course, fabulous. Creativity takes courage because you are sharing youself in your work, there's nowhere to hide, no one else to blame.

Amy Art Quilter & Fyber Cafe said...

Oh, thank you for the embellishments, I am trying to do a New Years eve type disco dance, and did not know how to make my fabric sparkly. I have a wild print but the sequins would be great too.

Heather Pregger said...

I love the disco poodle!

Nann said...

What fun! And, yes, creativity does take courage -- too often we are afraid that our efforts will be met with criticism (or scorn). I came to the conclusion that each quilt I make is practice for the next quilt, and I'm getting better and better.

Lisa J. said...

I like your humorous take on the Matisse. Very clever.

Pale Blue Corner said...

This is sooo funny :) I like it really! \
--Emese

Shelley Folkerts said...

Thanks for sharing your latest art piece.It is a great homage to your beloved Poodle. I recognize many of the items you used to create this.I inherited them from my Mom.She loved to create elaborate embroidery pieces.She would wear many of them. Some day I will have to find a creative outlet to use up all her supplies. Thanks for linking up to this week's TGIFF.

Bonnie said...

Very fun doggy art. Perhaps Cole inspired you too. I like the slimmed down version of this doggy.

Run 'n Stitch said...

You truly are an artist. Your brain thinks in color, similarities, metaphor, differences, irony etc. Your block truly shows your puppy's character.

AlidaP said...

Another beautiful journey from the inspiration piece to your final mini quilt. I really admire the way you are able to include 3d elements, texture and quilting in a way that complements the main design. Really inspirational! Thanks for sharing your talent and for joining the blog hop!!

Susan said...

This is wonderful Leeanna! A great tribute to Cole, who I'm sure is chasing any and every toy up there. Thanks for sharing this on Midweek Makers

Muv said...

Hello LeeAnna,

It's the bend of the poodle's knee that makes it so funny.

Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

Love, Muv

Teresa B said...

That's a wonderful idea, and you did a great job. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

beth s said...

Ooh! What a cute poodle quilt!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

What a precious quilt, Cole would have loved it!

Ruth said...

Love it. Really captures a joyful personality!