After making each art piece I like to study it to see if I can figure out what works and/or what does not.
I was particularly happy with this recent quilt, Exuberance, so I studied it a bit. My question: “what makes it successful?”
Exuberance
I think it has a strong composition, good use of colors, and effective use of value variations. What about the white circles in two corners? How critical are they? They certainly add interest, but is there something more?
To help me figure it out I also looked at this quilt, Raking Season. It has rust and black circles made with same stencil as the blue and white above. While I think this quilt is very successful, it doesn’t have the sparkle of the first one. I think maybe it has to do with the color of the circles. The light ones add sparkle.
Raking Season
Hmm, something to think about. Maybe all my quilts need some light spots to add that sparkle.
To test my theory, I made sure to select some light fabrics for the quilt I’m currently work on. These were my “definite” fabrics when I first started moving them around. As you can see I’ve got some white and black areas in several places. I know they’ll attract attention, so I’ve got my eye on them as I add more fabrics and move things around.
Slowly creating and enjoying it.
Ellen Lindner
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