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| Victor and /Frances, art-quilt, 28"x36" |
Two more pieces from my American
Family Album series..... In my previous blog post the little boy in the
art-quilt entitled Maffei, is depicted above, all grown up. When I
consult with clients commissioning their own family art-quiilts I always
make sure they are passionate about the imagery. Often people bring me
the highest quality photo they have of their subject, thinking this
will work best for my creative process. But believe me, I'd rather work
with a less perfect snapshot and have the artwork truly speak to the
heart. My expertise in digital restoration can go a long way to helping
those old photos. And besides....it's art, much of the beauty is in
the patina! Personally, I love this photograph of my grandparents! It
was snapped prior to their simple wedding in Galveston, Texas, where
they lived and raised their family. My grandmother had been a very
young widow with a small daughter. Because of this she could truly
relate to my own years as a single parent and we became very close, even
living together for a time several years after my grandfather died. I
loved hearing her stories of their meeting and courtship. My grandpa
was wonderfully crazy about my grandmother and it showed! I know that
my idea of what constitutes 'a happy couple' comes from spending so much
time around the two of them. My husband Phil is so like my grandpa in
that way. When out of the blue he complements me for the tiniest things,
I smile and think of my grandparents marriage. Phil simply adores
me...and I thank my grandparents for modeling that kind of love so that I
could recognize it when it came my way.
My mother,
portrayed in the next art-quilt, was the couples third and last
child. The central image in this piece was taken from a black and white
engagement photo that always sat on her dresser along side a Navy photo
of my father. In the digital process of manipulating the central photo
for printing on fabric, I purposefully chose odd, somewhat subtle hues
of lavender, gray and green. Remember, this is art, have fun with the
colors. In commission pieces my clients have to trust where I take the
imagery for the finished piece. While I consult extensively with my
clients before beginning, the photos speak very loudly to me during the
creative process! The ability to listen to where I am being guided by
the work is central to my work, and I believe it is what makes my pieces
so compelling.
Depicting
my mother 'through the years' was my way of documenting the milestones
in her life; childhood, confirmation, graduation, marriage and the last
photo, from her seventieth birthday which was celebrated at the time I
made this piece for my series. There are a lot of creative ways to do
this, but I wanted the central image to stand out prominently, so I
chose a very simple straightforward approach with this art-quilt. This
piece is amazing in person and always receives rave reviews when
exhibited. Those wonderful 1950's style photos are so striking...but
then so was my mom, so I know much of the excitement about this piece is
because the subject is so captivating. Recently I edited a video of my
parents young years and each time my dad watched he would announce to
anyone in the room "how beautiful my wife" was. Indeed.
My
hope is that these posts reviewing the American Family Album series
helps those considering their own family commissions. But I truly love
it when someone shows up with nothing more than a stack of photos and
treasured memories they want creatively conveyed. My best advise is
this, don't over-think the commission. Often the best part of my job is
to assist clients through the process of coming up with the story that
simply wants to unfold. Personally I believe that it is those in the
photos that primarily guide the creative process..... whether they are
ever physically with me or not! :)
Here's a few more from the series....
