Monday, March 16, 2009

Industrial Landscape # 7

I’m happy to say I’ve finished my seventh industrial landscape piece.  It’s fairly small – 24” by 45” and is in a vertical format – unusual for me recently.   I’ve been working on wide and short horizontal views because that’s how I first saw the steel works in Hamilton. 
Sometimes in order to get the picture you want you have to go to considerable lengths!   OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         I volunteered as “crew” on a sailboat in order to be able to view the steel plant across the water!   Now, while I’ve always wanted to sail, I know nothing about it!!! So I just had to fake it and make sure I kept my head down at the right time, and be quite assiduous about bringing up beers from the cabin when asked to do so!

I’ve now made a series of 7 quilts based on this trip across the lake (by the way we were in a race and came in last!!  but it was so much fun).    I’ve pictured all seven quilts on my website.

Most of the quilts are very horizontal, but I wanted to make a black and white one that was more of a closeup and thought the vertical format more appropriate.  I wanted to contrast the plant buildings with the environment – I’ve done this in the other pieces focusing on the water, but this time I thought more of  local plant life – completely absent as far as I could see from my deck viewpoint!   

I’m not sure what to call the piece – so please advise me!!!  I was thinking of a play on Flora and Fauna and calling it Flora and Ferra (but there’s no such word as ferra to denote iron and steel – though it makes sense to me!!)…..but Flora and Ferra has a nice ring to it.   Another possibility would be Plant Life.  What d’you think?

Here’s the piece:

floraandferra canon pic

And, if you have been, thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

8 comments:

Gerrie said...

I love the pun of Plant Life. Just want to say thanks for your very inspiring blog. I am learning so mcuh from you. It is like reading a chapter from a design book each time.

Jane Moxey said...

http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/FERRA

I found the word "ferreous" as I was googling it... but "Plant Life" is a great title and less obscure perhaps.

Cate Rose said...

Some ideas that just popped into my head: Superimposed on Nature, Superimposition, Who's Trees?.
Love your work and love your inspiring blog. Thanks so much, Elizabeth!

Clare Wassermann said...

Plant Life is such a great name. Ferrum Flora has a ring to it. Ferrum is the Latin term for iron.

Anonymous said...

Personally I prefer the Flora and Ferra. It has an other worldly feel that I also get from the piece itself.

I love how you volunteered for the sail race in order to get the distance view of the plant.

Olga Norris said...

Feral flora - reminds me of those determined plants which will grow anywhere, even out of brick walls - often buddleias

Industrial plant - I love the way that the meanings of words can play with their different associations: like the glorious signs which warn of Heavy Plant Crossing!

Rosalie Cooke said...

Thank you for that photo Elizabeth! I've been busy with mom, can't remember if I answered your email so I will check in the light of day. Meanwhile I was going to suggest Ferrous instead of Ferra until I saw Plant Life--love it! You must have had a lovely summer day for your chase across that bay--normally the color is more gray. Or is it that with the plant shutting down the air is cleaner?! That at least is to the good--cars have always had pockmarks of iron (ferrous oxide?) and we lived many miles away. Till later...

Elizabeth Barton said...

thank you all for all the comments! I finally decided on Flora and Ferra, BUT because Plant Life is such a good title - that'll be the name of the next one!!!