I’ve been working on my artist statement. This is the first sentence.
Done ?
Four more letters towards my #44lettersmore project. I have 30 letters so far. I’m unsure if these are done , they might need something a little darker. Also my spectacles crashed to the floor and split in two. So I’m working with an older pair… This might explain a lot .
Art practice Yoga Practice
which I do three to four times a week now. The difference with today’s practice is that I rescheduled my yoga to immediately after I got up this morning. I followed through on an intention to practice at a specific time. For this I gain clarity and presence. It’s remarkable what a shift in schedule and attitude can do!
What have you altered that makes a difference to your day ?
#100 Day Result – Time Lapse photo
#100 Day Result. Time lapse photo, As in a month has passed since its completion. Flouting the rules of marketing, always the rebel. But honest.
It was coincidence that the warm and cool colours balanced 50/50. A happy accident I’d say. Towards the end of the project, around day 75, the compositions became more abstract, with the shapes and tonal values of the letters and ground stitch merging together. I found my process.
And the fonts that have contrast are more identifiable, especially the the pale letters against the ground fabric. Like the signage on a road, which is apt since its where I’ve spent much of my time. On the road. Another rebel story.
Yes and No
Yes! I’m happy to say that I completed my project, #100 Day Result, finishing up on July 27th or thereabouts. I stitched one hundred Applique fabric letters. My sense of self and artist self merged into one. I became an artist.
I maintained my daily practice through one hundred days. It felt good. A new process emerged from the experiments, or even multiple processes as I tried hand and machine stitching in differing ways. I was riding the crest of the wave and keen to continue, I made a start on supplementing the missing alphabet letters. I call this project #44lettersmore.
Then along comes the ‘no’ part of the blog title.The ‘no’ represents a pause, the delay in daily stitching. I slip back into resistance, I deny myself the pleasure of making. As I write now, I see I am concentrating on the negative but it ( this negative) has to be acknowledged. It is a pattern of mine, a recurring theme. I will be going happily along then I stop suddenly and drift away from my intention, for no apparent reason. It then takes ages before I realise I’m off the beaten track. Much has been written about this, I know because I have All of the books ! So I have gleaned an insight as to why I behave in this way.. But it is a battle, a silent stealth that creeps back.
Do _ Day 22 #100Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Day 22_1 #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Day 22_2, # 100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Do Your Best
Do. Your. Best.
Mum’s maxim still rings in my ears, even after all this time. The power of words to linger, to imprint in your mind, to guide, to remind.
‘do’ is hand stitched. I’ve taken the stitches across the letters here, to echo the background. I love to hand stitch. I love machine stitching also. There’s no need to choose one above the other, just enjoy each process.
As this project develops, I notice I am searching for specific letters to complete a word. There are no ‘b’s’ left, so I reversed a ‘d’ instead. I could expand the lexicon but will stick to the plan and only use the remaining letters. Keep some boundaries, test some limits. It will only be a problem if I want to spell.
‘i’- Day 17 – #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘t’ – Day 18 – #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘t’s’ – 100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Fast and Slow
This is a fast and slow process. It is about the speedy sewing machine, where the fabric is manipulated with free flowing movement. The machine whip stitch causes the bobbin thread to be pulled to the top, creating little dots and pulls around the circles, echoing the edge stitch of the letter. I like this spontenaiety.
Then it’s slow and purposeful, stitching by hand to define the letter. The choice of colour and weight of thread influence the outcome. Using the same thread on the letter as on the back ground creates balance, using a weightier thread brings colour and texture to the surface.
Double sided art
Textile art has two sides. The reverse side is always a surprise.
Word game_2 #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Word game_1 #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘Yes’ #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘The’ #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘Door’ #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
‘Opens’ #100 Day Result © Maggie Winnall
Word games
The letters are growing in number. It’s time for a little fun, (or pun !) time for a word game and this is what I came up with. I especially like the vibrancy of ‘opens’.
Aaliyah the photographer
Good enough
Aaliyah (age 5) took the photo of me holding the little square of O. A black and white graphic O with white stitches. Stitching the square is the easy and best part, establishing a regular sequence around the stitching is not ! I chop and change every day. It’s day 11, a good enough day to remind myself to implement ‘the making routine’, the way I did with yoga.
