One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from faithfully maintaining this blog over the past 8 years is how key writing has become to my practice. I often think of it, along with drawing and stitching, as the third leg of my artistic stool.
Layers of color, and the happy accidents that occur as those colors mix, contribute to what I find most intriguing about watercolor. Stitching over those passages is a big risk.
I’ve learned that writing opens the door to unconscious ideas, ushering them to the surface. It’s something of a secret weapon which quite often not only directs my next steps, but also helps to crystallize a better understanding and articulation of whatever I am working on in the studio at the time.
But if done carefully and consciously, stitching adds a dimensional component that enhances the paint.
This phenomenon proved true once again while working on my quarterly newsletter late last month (have you subscribed yet?). In writing a description of my gravitation toward painting images of elder women, something came to mind.
The point of adding stitches is texture – both visual and physical. Stitching also provides another means for creating definition within the image, such as the left side of the house shape, as seen below.
I had already incorporated the suggestion of a house form surrounding the head of the subject in the early stages of outlining the composition of this piece, but as I wrote, the idea of protecting one’s personal boundaries (home) came to mind — specifically in relation to the fight of older generations of women for equal rights and for control of our own reproductive choices.
House on Fire ©2022 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor, pencil and embroidery on paper, 9.5 x 12 inches
It wasn’t too big a stretch to draw a line between that feminist history and the idea that the overturn of Roe v Wade this past June is akin to burning down someone else’s house.
The result is “House on Fire”.
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Among many other wonderful things, September/October means the return of Art at the Kent, the annual exhibition at the Kent Museum in Calais. Always fabulous, endlessly inspirational and a testament to the wealth of brilliant artists that call the Green Mountain State home, it’s a must-see event in a setting that is uniquely Vermont.
I’ve written about it’s magic before.
The Wayward Bench © George Sawyer paired with Mud Season 9 Patch #11 © Rosalind Daniels Just one stunning example of the eclectic pairings on view in “Interplay” at the Kent Museum
This year Art at the Kent presents “Interplay” from September 9 – October 9. Don’t miss it!
What powerful imagery you used to make such a salient point for our country today. Thank you.
As you also know, Eve, our art gives us a voice. Thanks for weighing in.
I’m so glad you wrote about what you were thinking with House on Fire. I love the white stitching on the outside, that I didn’t see previously. It is the future, unknown but full of possibility and change, a future that we hope will be enriched by the wisdom of age and experience and a genuine caring for life.
Always appreciate your thoughts Janet. I have a story about the white stitching I’ll share with you on Sunday.
Love what you’re doing!
Thanks Dian!
Thanks so much, Betsy, for highlighting that combination at the Kent Museum. It’s my favorite pairing of the exhibit as well. And my quilt has never looked so good! The exhibit makes me wonder why we exhibit on plain walls so often, when putting the artwork in a unique setting can add many new dimensions, especially when the works are combined by the amazing curators at the Kent.
I loved seeing your piece with The Wayward Bench. And I agree, there’s a lot to be said for thinking outside the box, exhibition-wise.
It was wonderful to hear how writing has a place in your art, Elizabeth. This post is reminder that great a piece often doesn’t directly spring from the drawing board to the wall. Instead it grows with the maker. I love this latest piece ❤️
I love the idea of work growing with the maker, Kate – how very true. Plus, we all need to tap into whatever we can to uncover what exactly we are trying to say, don’t you think? Really appreciate the kind words.
Thank you. Yes, so often I find connections between creating a photograph and what it represents in my mind and words. Not always easy to find the words but often valuable to me. LOVE the white stitches.
I guess writing is just another access point for me – sounds like for you as well. Thanks John.