Stepping Over the Line

Last week I wrote about my current Surround series. This series has a unifying theme involving color using all different shades of purple to be the "surrounding" fabric. For the focal point on the inside shape or "what is surrounded by the purple fabric," I have no rules. The inside shape can be any color, square or rectangle, and anywhere within the square. This is a perfect blend for me of constraints and freedom. It makes me excited to get into the studio every day.  

In the past, when I've mentioned how I like to push up against the self-imposed constraints I have set for myself in each series, I often get blank stares from people. I thought I would try to explain this creative habit of Stepping Over the Line because it is one of my favorite things to do. It makes me daydream about design and is the main thing I do to help me look forward to getting into the studio every day. In a way, I do more than push up against my own self-imposed rules.  I actually like to break them. Usually, when I first start the series for the first week I abide by the rules. Then I slowly break the rules apart bit by bit. I can’t deviate too far because then the individual square would stand out from the other 24 squares in the final piece a bit too much.  As in most things, it is a balancing act. I have found it is always these squares where I allow myself the freedom to Step Over the Line of the design or color rules of each series, which resonate with me the most.

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Day 302 of 2016. Surround series.

For the Surround series inside shape I started out with three strips of fabric making three horizontal lines in the center of the square surrounded by a medium color purple. The next day the fabric strips I sewed together were not quite squared off but had a slight angle. I decided to break my rule of a square or rectangle shapes on Day 2 in the series. I included a photo of Day 302 of 2016 to show you. I was off to a good start. Things really got crazy when I ran out of one of the purple colors so instead of the same color purple for the Surround fabric I threw in different purple fabric on Day 306 of 2016. I included a photo so you can see for yourself.

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Day 306 of 2016. Surround series.

I did set the rule of “No Rules” for the inside shape, so technically I can’t Step Over the Line because there really was no line. So then I turn to my next tool which is Variation with in my self-imposed constraints. First, I started using fabric scraps from last month series for the inside shape. But then I branched out into my basket of scraps and picked out some chartreuse green and some Kaffe Fassett shot cottons. I even thought about using a hot pink fabric strip but thought that was maybe too bold of a choice. Not one of my favorite colors either. I have also been playing about where the inside shape is in the overall square, the center or off to one side. I don’t measure but rather just eyeball it.

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Days 76-100 of 2015. Gulf Waters series.

One of my favorite examples of Stepping Over the Line is in the series Gulf Waters. I used mostly green and blue fabric with accents of tomato red. At one point, I decided to add one little square of white. I must say this white square is my favorite part of the whole piece. My eye always goes to that one white square. You can see it in the 4th row down and the 3rd square over in the middle. It reminds me of one of my favorite paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago called a Rainy Day in Paris by Gustave Caillebotte. My eye always goes to the woman’s diamond earring. It's that little speck of white.  
 

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Rainy Day in Paris, 1877 by Gustave Caillebotte at the Art Institute of Chicago

Lessons from Working in a Series

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Day 299 of 2016. Fall Prairie series.

Last week I was starting to panic because I had no ideas for the next series and the Fall Prairie series was ending in two days.  Each series runs for 25 days of daily squares which I then sew together in consecutive order into a 30 inch square. I don't know why I worry because some idea usually comes to me in time. Perhaps it is that deadline looming ahead of me that makes me just decide quickly. I do not have the luxury of debating the pros and cons of possible ideas. Usually there is a clear winner. One design idea just feels right.

My last series, the Fall Prairie series, is based on the changing colors of the prairie in our backyard. Some people can look at a prairie and only see browns. But there is an explosion of colors when you look closely. Several shades of browns, greens and purples for fall aster flowers along with the blue sky and the white clouds. So this was my color palette for the Fall Prairie series. The design was my "go-to" design where I balance horizontals for the layers of vegetation and sky along with the vertical distribution of the tall prairie plants with glimpses of sky in between the plants.  

Balancing horizontal and vertical lines is a constant reoccurring theme in my art.

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Day 303 of 2016. Surround series.

There is a lot of variation in the daily square designs for the Fall Prairie series because I put very few constraints on the design. While this lack of constraints can be liberating, it can be a burden when there are so many possible options. So for my current series, I knew I wanted some more limitations, more constraints. On day 299 of 2016, I decided to make a square out of blue fabric with just a small rectangle of white fabric. It reminded me of looking up at the blue sky and just seeing one small white cloud. This simple design was appealing. I decided to explore it further with my next series. I call this current series Surround. In every series, I look for a unifying theme. The unifying design will be an inside space surrounded by the same color fabric. This series will have a unifying theme in color using all different shades of purple to be the "surrounding" fabric. For the focal point on the inside space or what is surrounded by the purple fabric, I have no rules. The center shape can be any color, square or rectangle, and anywhere within the square.  This is a perfect blend for me of constraints and freedom. It makes me excited to get into the studio every day.  

While the Fall Prairie series had too much freedom, the recent series Blue Square had too many constraints and not enough freedom. To make the blue square inside each daily square, I had to measure the fabric and be exact. This is not enough freedom for me. I was also too restricted in the color palette of just blues and golds. The color palette is based on the upholstery of a couch in the Netflix series Pinky Blinders. Great example of finding inspiration anywhere, but it was way too limiting when coupled with a design that was too limiting. So I learned my lesson.  Each series has lessons to teach me.

In the end, the final piece may look great together in each of these series I have written about. However, as an artist who creates daily, I want my series work to be exciting to work on with just the right balance of constraints and freedom to keep it interesting and keep me creating every day effortlessly. So I keep learning how to do this every 25 days.

Wish me luck on my current Surround series. Interested in  seeing my daily squares? Follow me on Instagram. Click HERE to see the daily squares.
 

Part 2 What are Your Creative Values?

Discovering your Creative Values can help you move forward in your creative endeavors. To recap Part 1 from last week’s article, here is the question...

What are your values? How does this question relate to creativity?

Here is a definition of values...
a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
synonyms: principles, ethics, moral code, morals, standards, code of behavior

So is creative expression important to you? Is it a value that you hold as important to satisfaction in your life?

If no, then no need to read the rest of this article. If yes, it is worth the time to figure out how to add creativity into your life in a seamless and joyful way. This is not another "to do" item but instead a “I am lucky I get to do this" item. 

I am offering a helpful tool to think about where you are in your creative journey and where you might want to go. This may sound hokey, but it really is a meandering trip from finding what lights you up creatively, to dabbling in it, to practicing every day to figuring out how to incorporate your self expression into your life on a regular basis.

Are you somewhere on this continuum? 
To get to the next level, it may help if you think about your creative values. 
There is no judgment about any of these values. One way is not better than another way. The point here is to discover which approach works for you. Then you can use this knowledge to continue on your creative journey in a way that feels like a pair of broken in shoes or a comfy pair of jeans. Knowing where you are and where you want to go are prerequisites for any journey.

To refresh your memory about  Value 1 How do you approach your art? Traditional vs. Non-traditional Design and Value 2 How do you get your ideas?
Traditional vs Non-traditional Inspiration Sources, click here to reread last week's article.

Value 3 How do you make your art?
Project-to-Project vs Creative Practice

Another question to help you determine your creative values is, "Do I want to just work on one project and then another project when I feel like it? Or do I want to set up a schedule where I have a creative practice working at regular times on a regular basis like a creative habit?" Everything changed when I decided to create every day as part of the 100 day project in 2015. I decided I liked the rhythm of this style of creating art and just kept going. The real question is... which way brings us the most joy? Which way feels like a settling-in? Taking the time to answer this at your particular stage right now helps you set up some creative boundaries with your mental space and time. When I first started quilting, I would get fabric with a project in mind and make a specific quilt. About 12 years ago I made a coin quilt with an Amish theme using Amish color choices and a black background. When I completed this, I waited for the "right " time til I worked on another project. The problem is the right time was maybe a year later. I never got to create as much as I wanted to. But I didn't know what was holding me back. I guess it was ideas of what to do next and a strategy of how to fit the time in to our busy lives.
Other people may want to just do a project every once in a while. Creating is something they like to do but not necessarily something they need to do. Again where do you fit in to this continuum?

Value 4 How do you give your art meaning?
Stand Alone Projects vs an Entire Body of Your Life's Creative Work

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Day 293 of 2016. Fall Prairie series.

This is similar to the project-to-project value but on a bigger scale. Many people make art as gifts to give away and to step into that creative flow to relax and spend a relaxing time with a project. But when you consider your life's creative work as a body of work, how does that change what you are creating? The 100 Day Project again forced me to look at my creative output differently. I wanted more than a one off piece of art. I wanted to develop themes in my work. I started doing this by coming up with a series idea for every 25 days worth of daily squares. But now I have almost 2 years of creating under my belt and I am thinking... What is next?  I have created 250 daily squares in 2015 and as of yesterday I have created 295 daily squares in 2016. By the end of 2016, I will have worked on 24 series which results in 24 pieces of art measuring 30 inches squares that includes all 25 days of daily squares sewed in consecutive order.
 But now what? There is always another layer to think about. What are my next steps? For this upcoming year, do I keep making daily squares? How do I find my next step? We all have next steps to consider. 

I hope you find these creative values questions helpful in considering your next steps. Feel free to share your thoughts on how these questions resonated with you and what actions you are taking because of those answers you found.

Email me at kathleenwarrenstudio@gmail.com or comment on my Instagram account @blueskyquilter.