Another three weeks, another SAL, another “Postcard from liminal time”.
As you can see I tore up a watercolour painting of a leaf. The leaf was quite curved, and I think this is why it didn’t work as a painting.
As the original painting was a single leaf I tore out around that shape, which left me with white edges around each shape. The other postcards, like this one, were larger shapes, in this case a shell, torn into smaller pieces. It wasn’t until I was into the work that the obvious white struck me. Tearing paper is always going to leave some white, but this is too much to my eye. I tried to break it up with the extra cross stitches, but I wasn’t happy with it.
So, it’s not my favourite postcard, but it taught me more about which painting to choose.
There are five in the series so far. Looking at them together for the first time I can see that they are vertical, with the exception of the eggplant, the first. Maybe the next one will be more horizontal.
This Stitch-A-Long post is organised by Avis. We are a group of stitchers who post every three weeks to show what personal stitching we have done. The variety of works is amazing, and the quality is always top notch. Use the links below to see their work.
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen
Anne Lawson Art 
37 replies on “SAL”
I like the kind of horse-shoe shape of the painting. The cross stitches in the paper provoke a feeling I cant quite put into words. Maybe its a memory from childhood associated with sewing, I am not sure.
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It pleases me that the stitching evokes memories, Emma (as long as they are of times you wish to be reminded!). Cross stitches remind me of the embroidery that my great-grandmother did. She taught Mum to sew, who taught me.
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Could you soften the bright white edges with a nice soft watercolour pencil, working around the existing stitches?
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I like that idea Kate. Nothing lost if it doesn’t work.
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I too like the horseshoe shape and without the white that would be less obvious. I wonder why you have made so many of them vertical? Isn’t it odd how our brains do this kind of thing. Lovely to see them all together.
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I am glad the horseshoe shape is resonating with people….not that I saw it as a horseshoe. As for the vertical….well exploring deeper associations is intriguing, but it maybe as simple as the paper tearing more easily with the grain rather than against it!
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I didn’t mean to overcomplicate things! But you could have laid the strips the other way on the background.
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Or at least add in some verticals…..food for thought.
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I agree that Kate’s idea could be a solution for next time.
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I will certainly give it a go, Claire.
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The series look lovely together. I see what you mean about the white edges. I usually lightly ink my edges if I tear paper for a scrapbook page so maybe that would work.
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Once you see it, it is difficult to not see it! Good to know it works for your scrapbooking, so I will try to soften them with some watercolour.
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I have complete faith you will fix the white edges. This grouping is going to make a fabulous ‘show’. So interesting! The 3rd is my favorite – Stay well
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Thanks Sharon. I really like the third one too, and maybe the second. I wonder if it is because the torn scraps are more abstract than the others?
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Personally I like the white border edges. It is my favourite of all your series so far.
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That is great to know, thank you! Maybe I need to look at the edges with fresh eyes. And see this one as part of the series.
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This one is quite bright and cheery, I really like it! I rather like the white, it makes me think of springtime.
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I love how people see these differently! Seeing Springtime is a wonderful thing. It is of course Spring here, so maybe I was channelling the happiness of the season.
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I quite like the white. It would be boring if we all thought the same.
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That’s so true Avis. I am always surprised, and delighted, by what everyone sees in these. If I didn’t show them in these SALs I would only have my own opinions about them, and that would be boring.
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I can see mixed comments on those white edges…maybe if you made some more with those edges, it will be a series all of it’s own… then it would feel cohesive. Interesting how our minds do not change the orientation of something…possibly because we start by arranging our “shapes” in a certain way, and what evolves at the initial laying down, pleases our eye.
I wonder if you laid the shapes down at a certain time of the day, and that’s how a few changed direction… Had we in mind an abstract to realist meaning. That if our shapes related to an indirect object, yes I realise this is about liminal time but maybe it isn’t.
Were you inspired by xyz…having had a morning of filling in boxes related to the scholarship application where I had to keep repeating a number of questions including “what inspired this piece of work…” “how does fit with your application statement” got sick of it in the end!
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There certainly are different opinions about the white edges, which is great. I love too how people are reminded different things. It adds to my sense of the piece.
I am very new to this abstract art, so I really have no way to go deeper into the why’s. (Something I could have learnt at Art School?!) I do wonder if a big part is as simple as it being easier to tear the paper with the grain than against it. Having said that, there are obviously other ideas, and then the viewer brings her own.
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ummm I’m not sure if Art School has/had all the answers unless you’ve a follower and want to appease the marker 🙂
I know you have the basic notion: drawing – from there you know how to get your colour mixing working – you’ve probably able to make a sketch that can evolve into what you need – you know how to observe patterns and shapes
And most of all you know how to “make” – I’ve got some of your works 🙂 and so have the buyers when you ran an etsy shop.
We get wound up in what it is “supposed to be” and then we lose that magic…
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I just love your ‘stuff’ and the processes you describe in creating them!
Good to see another postcard creation, Anne!
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Thanks Laura, I really appreciate your thoughts. There are other postcards to come.
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I know these are going to be in an exhibit someday – just amazing with the torn watercolor and stitching! I think the cross stitching you did does break up the white on the torn watercolor and it works very well!
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Thanks for the feedback Tierney, and for your positive support on exhibiting them sometime. It would be nice to see them all hanging together.
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These are intriguing, Anne.
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Thanks Alys. I get a great deal of pleasure to sit at night and gently sew, just letting my mind choose the next colour of thread.
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I think the white color make this postcard stick out from the rest of them. That makes it unic!
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Thank you for showing me another way to look at it Gun. One of the delights of showing these works on the SALs is to have other people’s perspective. I am delighted that people respond to them differently.
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The dialogue between yarns, fabric and drawing on paper is interesting … it’s poetry!
Hugs, Carmela
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Oh poetry! That fabulous, and unexpected! Thank you so much Carmela.
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Very cool to see!
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Thanks AJ! I am chuffed to have such positivity.
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I love the curving lines and actually like the white edges in contrast to the beautiful colors. Beautiful work!
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The white edges do provide a contrast, don’t they? Thanks for your feedback Christina.
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