COCKSCOMB (#6 Weekly Art Project; The Alhambra)

 

Our visit to 'The Gardens Of Lofty Paradise' happily coincided with the flowering of Celosia, also known as Cockscomb.

They were stunning individually, but when mass planted...they were EXQUISITE! With their rich colour & abundant ruffles my breath was quite literally taken away by their dramatic presence in the gardens.  Therefore it was obvious that I dedicate this week's art project to the exercise of trying to represent their impact in some way. 

I began with drawing.  Surrounded by my photos I drew quick linear drawings of their shapes & ruffles. Once I had a pleasing selection I started putting them together & came up with a repeat pattern that I was quite pleased with.  However, I'd failed to take into consideration that I had a limited 20cm square to produce this outcome in & what I'd just designed was not going to work in such a small space.  Back to drawing & this time I drew bigger, which gave me a more realistic sense of what was possible with a sewing machine & my time frame.

Out came the view finder, which I moved around the page, until I settled on a slightly abstract combination of lines that interested me.

My fabric choices included an old shirt that had an embroidered motif across the front.  I wanted to use both the right & wrong side of this fabric (in different pieces of course) so placement required a bit of careful wiggling.  I also had a strip of green fabric that I had heavily hand stitched with  kantha stitch.  It had been intended for another project but wasn't needed in the end, so has been hanging around for over a year. Not any more...it was also carefully pinned in amongst the layers. Sewing the design lines in took time as I wanted those curvy lines to look curved & not jagged!

Before long it was time to cut back.  Here's how it progressed...

I am very pleased with this outcome & part of that pleasure is in the fabric choices I made. Regular followers will notice that I have used my 'pebble' stamp again for the background fabric. Using two sides of the same fabric for the flower bodies has given each a slightly different texture whilst maintaining a consistent colour palette. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the fabric in the ruffles is raw silk so has a fabulous sheen.  Whilst I don't view this as a potential design for future use, it is a very meaningful little piece to me, and with the addition of my shirt, it's personal. It certainly evokes the memory of seeing those flowers in that special place. That's the response I wanted myself to have, so this is a success!

THE GARDEN OF LOFTY PARADISE (Weekly Art Project #5; the Alhambra.)

 

  Designed to be tranquil, the Generalife Gardens certainly meet that description, even when there are lots of  people sharing the space. I've had the great privilege to visit twice in my lifetime & would visit again in a heartbeat!

 In Arabic their name is Yannat Al Arif which means "garden of lofty paradise". Another description that suits them well, as they adorn a hill top with higher & lower gardens, waterways & even a water stairway!

On the map, they look formal, as there are very measured garden spaces. Pebbled pathways link hedged squares, rectangles & circles, each filled with a vibrant mix of beautiful flowers.

What I particularly enjoyed was that the planting wasn't as formal or ordered as the garden layout implied.  Plants were allowed to grow & intermingle companionably with their neighbours.  Such rich colour was truly breathtaking.

For my art project this week, I wanted to capture the essence of that vibrant colour not only found in the flowers themselves, but also in the range of greens that framed them. 

Often it's 'where to start' that is the hardest part of this weekly discipline.  That was the case here!  I began by drawing flowers, but didn't have a notion what I was going to do with them. Then I decided I was overthinking & I needed to loosen up & just capture the essence of what I'd photographed.  Out came the pastels & I quickly drew what I saw in bold marks devoid of detail. (Not easy for me!!)

I liked the outcomes I had before me & decided they would be the basis for what I produced in cloth.

My plain coloured fabrics are kept in their own box, so that when I want to produce work in an impressionistic style I can easily see what I've got!  For this piece I knew I wanted more than one tonal value for each colour layer.  This meant I was about to use quite a few pieces of fabric!

I started with laying down the base, which meant sewing in lines like I would draw with a stroke of pastel.  Cutting away helped me see where I'd need to work next.  Unlike so much of my work, there was no plan, only the frequent glance at my drawings & a lot of concentration.

This is how it went...

Have I achieved a sense of the richness of colour in those lofty gardens of Paradise?  Yes, I believe I have!  I'm very pleased with this result, even though it is far from perfect.  The whole point of these weekly projects is to practice, practice, practice and to try new ways of using textiles to express my memories & ideas. Results like this make me want to keep trying again & again. Next week, I'll spend some more time in these exquisite gardens, waiting for inspiration to strike.  I'm already looking forward to it! 

POMEGRANATES ON THE PAVEMENT ( Weekly Art Project #4, The Alhambra)

 Timing is everything when visiting such a popular & impressive site as The Alhambra, and for visits to the Nasrid Palace (my favourite place in the whole site) tickets are for strictly specific times.  We had planned our visit so that we could visit Yannat Al Arif (also known as the Generalife gardens) first.

Established in the 13th century as a kind of retreat for the Nasrid royalty, who lived in the Alhambra Palaces at the time, these beautiful gardens exemplify the concept of outdoor rooms.   The pavilions, flower beds and water features all had one thing in common...they were accessible via pebbled pathways, each  patterned by the clever placement of  black & white coloured flat & stacked stones.

Being in Granada it was not surprising to come across the occasional pomegranate design under foot.  Pomegranates being the beloved symbol of the city.

 Therefore, before I even think of creating art in response to the flower beds we walked amongst, it is only fitting that I pay homage to these beautiful pathways which have taken the weight of so many feet over the years! 

I started by printing my own pebbley background fabric. Using a foam sheet I cut out pebble shapes, stuck them to a piece of wood & got the printing ink out!  I'm very happy with the results, although it probably would've been wise to rule a straight guideline to line the block up with....it wasn't exactly straight at the end there!

Having decided I'd resort to what I'm familiar with & use the reverse applique technique, I gathered a few fabrics that could potentially look good together & sat down to draw & then create a design! 

It is always a satisfying moment to finally be ready to bring an idea to life by stitching along those lines!

 

 It's been a while since the scissors had had a workout, but they did a good job today cutting away the layers.  Just as well this was a fairly simple design with only 4 layers of fabric.

Slowly it was coming together.

At last my first weekly art project of 2021 was finished & I was very happy with how it looked. One of the things I'm particularly pleased with is the contrast in size between the background & the foreground fabric patterns. Varying the width of the black lines also adds  interest to the piece.  This instantly evokes those pebbled pathways, which is exactly what I wanted it to do! next week..GARDENS!