Monday, July 20, 2009

Trying to Get My Groove Back

I have been in such a creative funk for some reason. I think this last school year was so incredibly crazy that my mind went blank when it finished. Trying to push through it and get back to creating. The weather hasn't been helping either. Below average temps, mosquitos the size of small dogs, gloomy days have really taken their toll.

But today dawned warmer and sunnier so I forced myself to get outside and work on a piece I had started a while back. I rust dyed some fabric and thought they would work so perfectly for hawks. I have them all over the place around my house and I could watch them for hours. I first noticed them in my life right before my dad was diagnosed with cancer. All the time leading up until his death, they were around me always. On the day he died, I was driving down the highway to see him and there must have been 24 of them circling and following me to my parents house. Since then I have always associated the hawks with my dads passing. I have had this piece stuck in my head for years and finally am ready to put it into reality.

I started with this smaller piece to see how it would work. I will use it to work out ideas for the bigger piece and it will be my donation to Art now for Autism.




This is the piece I will create for the Rust Tex challenge. I am planning on thread painting the hawks and my fathers face in black thread. Then I will quilt the background and add more details for the clouds as needed. I am happy to have gotten to this point. I just need to push through.



The photo of my dad was taken by my brother in law and I have had a copy of it for a few years. He granted me permission to use it for this piece. What a nice BIL. Thanks John Armentrout! a.k.a troutphoto.

5 comments:

kathy said...

THIS is gorgeous, Patty! Keep going!

Carole said...

Patty... this is going to be great!!
I still have to come up with something, and I also want to thank you for commenting on my 'Calling Cards'.. sometimes I just need a bit of 'fun'.. and that was it.

pcoxdesign said...

Thanks! I am really pleased with how they are turning out. Going to tie dye some t-shirts today and may use left over dyes for some fabric painting!

Judy Alexander said...

This is looking great. The birds are really cool.

HockeyKitten said...

Oh Patty what a wonderful tribute to your father. The birds are wonderful & so is your dad's face. You are my hero.