For the past month I’ve been working on the three small pieces I dyed in September.
Sidekick ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
It was relatively smooth-going on the first two, but the third has proven to be a real challenge. I mistakenly thought that working smaller would be quicker and easier (the image area of each is around 3.5″ x 4″). Yet it didn’t exactly work out that way. This has been one of those instances when I have been grateful for the ease with which stitches can be undone.
Yin Yang ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
Of the dozen pieces in this on-going series, this latest one has definitely been the trickiest, with many false starts. The saucer was killing me until I finally decided to just dive in and keep stitching to see what would happen.
In Process ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
Although there are technical elements of the earlier iterations that I like a lot and will likely pursue in the future, that darn spoon needed to be grounded.
In Process ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
The experience is best equated to matching up the threads of a screw-on lid — while sometimes the top seems to be closed, you know it’s not quite right.
Prone to Wait ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
There’s nothing to be done but undo and retry, sometimes several times. Keeping in mind Adrianna Huffington’s quote: “Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success”, it’s a sweet feeling once everything is settled properly into the grooves at last.
Prone to Wait, detail ©2017 Elizabeth Fram
On a Different Note________________________________________________________________________________________
Decoding the Creative Genius of Leonardo da Vinci: This week Tom Ashbrook of NPR’s On Point interviewed biographer Walter Isaacson about his latest book ‘Leonardo Da VInci’. Fascinating! I’m adding it to my “to-be-read” list.
With the lid on a jar it is easy to see if it is leaking—even if the test sometimes results in a spill—but with art? When is it “right?!” You are so good about feeling your way to that point, sometimes with a backtrack or two, and for that I thank you.
Sometimes that’s exactly what it is…feeling my way in the dark. I appreciate your encouragement!
So much fun to study the intricacies of each piece and to see the subtle changes and the LAYERING, which you know I love. I have wrestled with the misconception that small should be easier, BUT NO WAY,. A lovely series.
Thanks Dianne; we have to embrace the challenges!
One thing I love about fabric arts is the ability to take out stitches. I have made some BIG progress in being fine with ripping out knitting.. in fact the act of “ripping” is satisfyingly aggressive to let go of the “mistake” and move toward a more ideal piece. I’ve got one batch of yarn that’s been at least 4 different things.. one nearly finished.. that just weren’t right. It is also so much easier to do with yarn than with paint or ink!!
Great point! Yes; it’s nice to have the ability for a “do-over”, without needing to go all the way back to square-one. I never thought about ripping out as an act of aggressively moving forward, but I can definitely see how that mindset sets the stage for a feeling of progress rather than frustration.
The series is fantastic!
Thank you Judy – high praise coming from you!