Constraints: Time

I had just enough time last weekend to take a whirlwind tour of the quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. The festival was a last-minute addition to a packed schedule and I had to choose which of the many wonderful quilts on display  to spend time with and which to skip. I did not consider this the ideal approach to  art appreciation! However, I was able to zero in on quilts which I found interesting, used unique techniques or materials, had a refreshing point of view, or just spoke to me from across the room. It was refreshing to only  eye-collect (is that a thing?) pieces that I would include in a quilt festival of my own favorites. It's several days later and I still can recall clearly most of the pieces I enjoyed. That's a contrast to some shows where I come home with sore feet and "quilt fatigue."

Last November I attempted the Art Every Day for a Month challenge. The idea is to make art every day. Simple enough. It can be difficult to find time, but I tried to finish a small piece every day (and managed to, until waylaid by a bad cold). Here's my first piece, definitely an opening salvo.

Answering to no one but the clock is a challenge, to be sure, but also freeing. In the piece above, I gave myself five minutes to make fabric choices. No dithering or auditioning fabrics for hours.  I learn by doing not by deliberating.

I used to be more of a collector of projects to do someday. I gathered fabrics, designs, patterns, ideas, sketches, books, etc. Now, though, I realize that really what's in short supply is my time. I need to edit projects to those that excite me most. That's what I intend to do.

Unintended Series

I admire artists who can spend lots of time working in series. First, you change one thing, then another, and so on. It seems you can really plumb the depths that way and uncover interesting variations. I thought I was too scattered to work this way, but I was pleasantly surprised recently to realize that I do tend to work in series, though maybe not so intentionally.

These leaves are on my design wall at present as I test ideas for a piece I want to work on soon. I kept seeing these leaves when I closed my eyes and knew I had to play with them. I thought they were a new shape for me. That is, until I sat down on the sofa and saw the table runner I made last year.

There are those same leaf shapes again. I found no fewer than three more recent pieces in the house using these leaves. I guess I'm working on my Leaf Series now. Looks impressive when capitalized, doesn't it?