SUNSET SAIL (Weekly Art Project #9 2020)

 Christmas Day 2011 was like no other Christmas I have ever had!
In the morning we crossed Lake Nasser in a rickety boat to the island of Philae, where we wandered in awe around  the Temple Of Isis.

Then in the late afternoon we sat on the Hotel promenade to partake of High Tea as we watched the sun set. It sounds much more romantic than it actually was.  There was a bitterly cold wind & the tea consisted of a couple of bags floating around in a pot of highly chlorinated tepid water. Still, the sunset was amazing and definitely worth braving the breeze!!

However, if I were asked to condense that day into only one of the hundreds of photos I took capturing those experiences, it would have to be this next one.

 There was something about that patched & repaired sail that filled my heart with delight...it's clearly a textile thing!! It reminded me of Boro & I appreciated the beauty in this weather worn piece of practical fabric.  This is one of my favourite photos from the whole trip to be honest! Is it any wonder then that I chose it as this week's art project muse?!

 If I had been allowed a second photo to remember the day by it would be this. 
This pillar is in the Temple complex on Philae & the gauges are made by the fingers of those who came to Isis for healing.

Would I be able to include a reference to this in my design as well this week? I held that thought loosely in my mind as I began looking at how I was going to start the design making process.

 Using a viewfinder, I started by moving it around the photo in search of interesting compositions.  With different weight pencils I added tonal values & then stood back to see which one I liked best.
  I made my decision, accepting the fact that I couldn't really see how I was going to include the finger gauges in the design.  It was time to move on & choose my fabrics, chanting the mantra 'less is more' as I did so!

 However, in my fabric stash I came across this fabric, the colour of which reminded me of the sunset & the pattern reminded me of finger gauges!! It was definitely going into the mix.

It was then time to iron, layer up, stitch the pattern in & start cutting back.  Here is how it went...

 At this point I was quite happy with how it all looked, but I felt that it needed a spark of interest , so I went back to the photos of Isis Temple & did some quick drawings of the capital decorations atop the pillars.  Perhaps one of these could be included?

As you can see I made a few more additions to lift it into a more interesting outcome.

It is rather different from my usual work, but I have truly enjoyed the whole process, especially the drawing .
The strip patchwork background replicates the seams down the sail & I like the balance of colours & tones.  I'm also pleased with the embroidered capital design.
If I were to do this again, I'd reduce the horizontal lines (which represent the Nile) to 1/8 of the length as opposed to it's current 1/4.  I realise that anyone looking at this (without having read my blog!) wouldn't have the foggiest idea what inspired it, but the important thing is...I do & I'm happy with it.