Through diligent shovelling in the boxes of past work, more pieces in the Blue Vase saga surfaced. To my amazement, I had missed them, scattered as they were amongst the several boxes of work stored under a table in the studio. If these pieces were plants, I would say they were self-sowing. That said, I have added to their numbers with two new pieces.
Here the Blue Vase (which seems to resemble a flower pot more than a vase, I was told at a recent FreeStyle meeting) is having a rough go of it. The flowers seem traumatized and are leaning and reaching and doing their best to be somewhere else. This is worked on a heavily-layered fabric ground.
In response to the frenetic escapism of the first piece, this Blue Vase is shown sans flowers, a much calmer little setting. This feels like a Joe Friday interrogation: "Just the facts, ma'm. Just the facts."
After looking at this for several weeks, I decided there was more to a blue vase than "just the facts." In little nibbles of time over several days, it became a little more decorative, and the background was free-motion machine stitched:
There was a time when I simply stitched flower pots and vases in all color combinations and the dreaded Demise Of The Blue Vase had not yet burst into my life. A long, long time ago. This is one of those Other Vase stitcheries. The fabric is a delicious piece of chartreuse linen, and the stitching is all the simplest of stitches-- there is even a flat satin stitch, which I rarely use anymore. It was stitched to brighten a small, dark corner of the place I lived at the time, when my son was quite small.
The newest is a mixed media interpretation of the Blue Vase. On Arches watercolor paper, with ink and watercolor ground, machine stitch, wire, acrylic paint (on the fabric), and hand stitch. The paper was given a momigami treatment, but I think 140 lb. watercolor paper might not be the best candidate for that process.
Of course, after some thought, this one needed a little more personality. Sequins, beads, a wire flower . . . Much improved, don't you think? The original was much too serious.
And there is yet another in progress! This is becoming the Season Of The Blue Vase(s). 6" x 6", or near that. That small-ish format remains my favorite. 12" x 12" is still a little scary. The next step is, of course, to gather up the unmounted pieces and have a great, long session with fabric and stapler and needle and thread and get them onto a substrate. Where are My People when I need them? In an effort to lessen the chores of studio life, I am thinking I should return to simply pinning the pieces to an open spot on a wall in the house. There is a small amount of that shrinking real estate available. In truth, I like that look of unframed, almost unplanned wall arrangements. After all, I am the one who needs to be entertained more than anyone else living here. One day some years hence, my son will be puttying up the nail and pin holes and selling the house. In advance, I apologize, Jordan. And I promise not to be too dramatic if you break anything in my house. Just a few tears, minimal whining . . .
