Walking from the Generalife gardens into the Alhambra complex, I was stopped in my stride by this rather unexpected blend of old & new. This stunning plaster work arch led to a snack bar!
I wondered what the original purpose of this space had been. Whatever it was, those who used this building could not have imagined the confectionery that would one day be available for purchase from this very same site!
It was such a dramatic contrast both visually & in time that I wanted to use it as my muse for this week's art project.
I sat at the computer with my sketchbook, drawing first the architectural layers & then some of my favourite decorative designs. It was so useful to have the zoom function to really get into the photo. It reminded me of Harrison Ford's character in the first Blade Runner movie....zooming in... getting closer...making more sense of what was hidden in the shadows.
Earlier I had done a little preparation for this project. I knew I needed to include something that said 'snack'! We are not snackers in this household (except for Haighs chocolate, but that is hardly a snack...more a gourmet delight!) & I literally had to go out and buy this packet of crisps.
Crisps because they were a weakness.
Salt & vinegar because we'd recently been discussing food cravings during pregnancy & in my first pregnancy salt & vinegar crisps closely followed with an orange was my craving! No wonder I have issues with acid!!!!
It is a very long time since I have had a packet of s & v crisps & I decided to have this packet for my lunch. I didn't come close to finishing. My tongue & lips were so numb from the vinegar I just couldn't take it anymore. I was definitely suffering for my art!
This packet was carefully washed & dried before sticking it to calico with gel medium. It resulted in a light weight leathery feel fabric.
My design developed from my initial drawing, focussing on the arched doorways leading into the snack bar. I found the fabrics I wanted for each section of the design & chose a sewing machine needle that could take heavier fabric as I didn't know how well it was going to go through that chip packet.
I chose to cut back one individual section of the design at a time. Here's how it proceeded...
At this point it REALLY wasn't working for me.
I didn't like what was showing through from the chip packet. Perhaps it was that the scale wasn't right or it was too discordant with the regularity of the plasterwork design.
I had to try adapting it, so I cut away the leftover chip packet from the back & using one of the cut out fabric arches as a template, found a section that I thought might work.
Carefully I stitched the new additions into place.
This is the final outcome & it works much more successfully to my eye. In the process of stitching on the new pieces I discovered that I liked the look of stitch through the crisp packet, so added that as a feature to the lower arch. This provides a sense of continuity with the direction of the writing in the upper arch. The proportion feels better too. The additional cutting away to the pink on the side & the two types of beads completes the piece in a balanced way. I'm very pleased with it as it immediately reminds me of the experience of walking past that snack bar. Sometimes the oddest things inspire us, that was the case for me this week...who knows what next week will bring!!
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