I'm very conscious of how much more we get out of our travel experiences these days (when we can travel!) with the availability of a digital camera and a decent zoom lens. I would not have been able to instantly appreciate the decorative work in the ceiling shown above if it were not for the art of zooming in.
High above our heads incredible ceilings floated, drawing our eyes heavenward & straining our necks. These were equally as detailed in decoration & skill as the walls that surrounded us as we wafted, dream-like through the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra.
This ceiling was particularly interesting as it held within it's geometric lines & shapes botanical images. I couldn't tell whether they were painted or brass inlays, but they were impressive especially when the light caught them.
My curiosity was captured, so I decided to make this ceiling my muse for today's art project.
I began by just looking. Observing. Analyzing what I'd captured on camera.
It didn't take long to decide on a geometric pattern as the base of today's experiment. It did take quite a while however to measure & draw it all up. First on paper, then on my topmost fabric with a pen that could be easily erased with the heat of an iron.
One of the aspects I wanted to capture was the double black lines in the centre of the wood sections. I planned to make these my stitching lines.
At last the stitched lines that held my layers of fabric together & provided guidance for the outline were complete. I took a moment to appreciate the effectiveness of that double line & my perfectly coloured fabric choice before getting out the scissors! It was time to cut back.
Here's how it went...
I reached this stage & was very happy with the outcome. Now it was time to leave the sewing table & tackle the 'botanical' part of this piece. A storm was brewing, so I'd timed it beautifully to nip out to the garden & gather a few leaves for what I had in mind before the rain came.
It soon became clear that only the very small leaves would fit onto my charcoal gray spaces, so I worked out an arrangement that pleased me, then took it all over to my printing table. The plan was that I'd print directly from the leaves & blossom onto my work. Out came the rollers & gold paint.
In hindsight I think I would have been better to roll paint onto a gelli plate and apply the leaves to that in order to get better paint coverage . But I didn't do that. I was in a hurry & rolled paint directly onto the leaves, which was extremely fiddly given how small they were!!
Once applied, a layer of baking paper provided a little protection from the roller, which I put all my weight into as I pressed those leaves into releasing that paint.
This is the final result & I'm very happy with it.
What doesn't show up in this image is the gold of the paint. In real life it doesn't look as yellow as this photo. I used Jo Sonya's Rich Gold, so it has a bit of depth & captures the light really well.
Although the prints are not perfect, they work well enough for me. This not only brings back a memory, but provides me with another way I can combine techniques effectively. There is also something special about combining something of home (my garden) with such memories of such a special place.
This has been a fun experiment & I'm happy with the outcome. There will be a few weeks before my next project as I'm heading off on holiday soon. Woohoo...more inspiration!!
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