Ferrybridge is a well known site in England but I had never before seen it from the train. I loved the way that the fact that I was moving when I took the picture below slightly blurred the grasses and I thought the shibori pattern would be one way to capture that movement.
I’ve been inspired by these cooling towers before; the previous quilt I made about them, though, was from a very different viewpoint.
It’s fun to revisit ideas with a different idea in mind. In the older quilt I was thinking about the towers as part of a total urban scene – the sort of image I grew up with – industrial buildings mixed in with much older buildings, factories mixed with dwellings. In the newer quilt I’m much more concerned about industry versus the natural environment.
Which one d’you like the best?
Ferrybridge (the older one) is 60” square,
Electric Fields (the green one) is 45”w, 34”h.
Do send your comments!!! I’d send you a postcard of Electric Fields if they had printed it in the right colours! However, they have promised a reprinting…so let me know if you’d like one when I get them!
If you have been, thanks for reading! Elizabeth
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16 comments:
I like the newer version. That simple abstracted landscape appeals to me and the hand stitching is devine.
Oh, I absolutely love the newer one! It is not that the older one is bad. But I love the shibori dyed green and the fabulous fabrics used in the cooling towers.
That's tough. In a way you're asking us to compare an apple and an orange because the two pieces are so different. Each one says something to me and for me, communication is a big piece of what art is about, but they are saying different things. I love all the lines in the older one contrasting with that arc of pale pink, but I also love the simplicity of the newer piece, although that gorgeous shibori, combined with your stitching, is hardly simple. Yet they combine into a clarity that makes me pay attention. And I certainly would not mind getting one of those postcards.
The hand stitching on the newer one puts it on top for me. I also really like the calmness of it; the simplicity of line, the repetition and the cool colors.
Oh, I like Electric Fields too, and for all of the above reasons. The older one would look better "live" because the photo condenses it and robs it of some of its drama.
I love electric fields - maybe because I've seen that view and your interpretation sums up so well that feeling of images glimpsed at speed.
That is a tough choice.
I really like the older piece. It's complex and fascinating and moody. And I agree that it's probably harder to fully appreciate that piece via an image on a computer screen due to its complexity.
Meanwhile, I LOVE the new piece -- love the color, the shibori, the texture, the bold design lines, the subtle stitching of the power lines leading off into the distance, and the fascinating fabrics used for the cooling towers. It strikes me as a bold expression of the theme you've been developing about the compelling -- and often conflicting -- aspects of industry and nature, and the quandary that creates for many of us.
And yes, I'd love a postcard too. :-)
I prefer the newer version as well. I appreciate the clean lines and colors as well as the hand stitching. Still, the old was representing what wasn't crisp and clean, so as Madalen said, contrasting the two is apples and oranges. The shape of the cooling towers is gentle and serene, isn't it? Thank you for sharing them together.
Oops, I forgot to say--yes, please, I'd enjoy having a postcard. Thank you for the offer.
Thank you to everyone for your positive comments!! People seem to either hate or love this piece! As soon as the new postcards come, I'll send some out - they are having to redo them. So please, if you'd like one...just email me privately with your address!! Even if I had it before! because the university changed our email system and a lot of the addresses were dumped...thank you!!
Love the hand stitching. How does it look on the back? Are you concerned about that, or do you stitch before you sandwich? Lauren
I like the newer one. The shape of the towers stands out much better, and it is bolder yet simpler.
I love the older one better - I do love the green of the newer once since its my fav color - still I find the strong horizontal line distracting - don't ask me why. I LOVE the simple shapes of the reactors!
Both are wonderful! The fabrics and the handstitching in the newer quilt are the stars of the piece. The older one has so much; it seems that one would always be seeing something new and all of that detail gives the piece so much texture.
Again - more thanks!! I don't mind a horizontal line as long as it's not slap bang in the middle..I like the sense of a horizon..especially when it's out to sea and i'm sitting there enjoying the view!!
Re the stitching: about 80% of it I do before I assemble the sandwich because that much going through all layers would really draw it up too much for me...but then I do about 20% - spread out evenly across the piece, after it's all together, there's also some machine quilting in there too, but it's pretty discreet! e
I like the simplicity of the newer one, but emotionally connect more with the first because I grew up in Stoke and remember that industrial landscape! Would love a postcard too...
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