Bursting with ideas
When inspiration fills my mind bursting to get out, my fingers are tingling, colours and textures are racing, and form is taking shape. This is when I can’t wait any longer for fear of the moment gone I must start to create my fledgling idea, bringing an idea to life.
“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
Kurt Vonnegut
On Saturday I was driving to work at Stonehouse gallery when an idea entered my mind. As my husband say this is always dangerous but between us there is hardly a time when my mind isn’t bubbling away with ideas to create. My idea this wonderful summer Saturday morning was a wearable art wrap based around butterfly wings, wings that are gentle, fragile, alive and that wrap you in a riot of colour and well being.
I honestly tried to remove this impending creative pursuit to put it away in another corner to revisit, knowing I have orders to finish. Too late, the flood gates had opened and the idea grew and grew with twists and turns, undercurrents and river banks, ebb and flow until I could not stop the momentum anymore.
Last thing Sunday I snuck onto my work room and took in the vista of organised chaos and saw all the ingrdients I needed to bake this idea. I had little time to wait, my creative mind was bubbling, no paper large enough to draw the pattern on but a roll of water soluble fabric that should do the trick. I sketched out my shapes Sunday evening and added to the current projects chaos with beautifully coloured yarns, hand dyes silk laps, hand dyed silks, silk, threads and silk flimsies, my work room was awash with colour and texture and I managed to leave a wee small pathway to get t0 my sewing machine – all that I needed.
There was no time to pack up and tidy, only time to fulfil my creative pursuits.Monday morning as usual up with the birds and in my studio by 6.30am and at work creating. I love starting to put my ideas into production and letting the design and the materials talk to me letting the growth be organic. For the first time when working on a wrap I approached it in design and shape sections and after completing each section I joined them to form the shape of the wings.
When I had finished all my stitching and the wings/wrap were “finished” I discovered that in my haste the shape did not sit on the body how I had visualised it to. With some folding and pinning I realise I needed to cut off from here and there and add onto here and there. When you have spent days sewing sewing sewing it is had to cut into your wearable art work. I believe textiles are forgiving and if my nip and tucks went wrong I would just nip and tuck again. I am very pleased with the end result and have learnt from this so when I create my next one when it should be a easier but then again it could take on a whole new life of its own. Please enjoy and feel free to ask questions.
Thats wonderful Jenni so glad you dropped by to see the exhibition.I appreciate your very kind words.
Stunning work. I enjoy reading your blog, you have so much creativity and talent, thank you for sharing. 3 of us called in Yering Station last weekend to see your exhibition, WOW, it was amazing, love every bit of it.
Its a pleasure to share.Thank you
Your work is a delightful colour treat and the texture is awesome! Thank you for sharing yourself!!!!
Will be looking out for more!!!!!
Thanks Ellen I hope by sharing I inspire people I am indeed privileged to be a visual artist.I believe everyone is creative and it is only that my creativity is visual that i can share it.I know you would be very creative just let it embrace you.
I wish my mind worked like yours. I am so happy there are people like you who can express such things so beautifully. Nice work!!
Will talk soon about images.
Yes of course you could mind you I am a early to bed type of girl because my creative mind doesn’t last into the evening.
Thanks Stephanie it gives you all an insight to how my mind works and the great necessity to create.I just can’t put ideas into the cupboard for another day,as they are always opening the door and peeking back out Like cheeky children.I mated the wings to wrap the wearer in beauty, wellbeing and joy.
Thank you I am so privileged to wake each day and create what I choose :-)
Wow is right – having the dialog and viewing the outcome was great! I can’t wait to work with the images!! My day started out almost the same way, finding this!
Just lovely, If I got up at 6.00 am could I do this too?
Lovely to read of its evolution! This piece has a gentleness to it, a feeling of caring for its wearer. Like a bit of magic, I feel. Lovely.
Stunning!
Wow Francie thank you my writing is a struggle grammar and punctuation are a hinderance.I am enjoying the experience and I hope my passion for colour,texture and textiles and life inspire other to evolve their creative soul.I am very touched by your kind words.
I have admired your work for a long time but this is just incredibly beautiful…and your description of its development, from its initial idea to the finished work of art, is exquisite,… very similar to the metamorphis of an actual butterfly. You are clearly a talented writer as well!
Thanks Linda it was a fun creative challenge.Glad you like the wrap.I am just letting it sit for a while now until I decide if it completely finished and what I will do with it .
Love this