Sometimes I look at one of my quilts and wonder how I made the decisions that lead to it’s creation. I start out knowing very little, maybe just one piece of fabric that I want to use. Then I get some others to work with it and then, at some point I put a couple of them next to each other in a certain pattern and… bam! somethings different and I have a place to start.
Looking at my Kalico Kitty Quilt (although I wasn’t conscious of it at the time) I know I was influenced by the bold statement the aprons made in the last two quilts I made for Jackie. One person said my Kalico Kitty Quilt looked like a kite and another that it seemed more traditional than my other quilts. I’ve been greatly influenced by the Gee’s Bend quilters. If I never saw their work I probably wouldn’t be making quilts at all. Most artists find their own voice by emulating someone else’s work. I may not be there yet, but my goal is to make quilts that look like my quilts. That maybe, one day someone will look at a quilt and say, “That looks like a Maria Wulf Quilt”
Maria, my dear, you ARE ‘there’ in so many ways!
I agree that emulating someone else’s work stimulates other artists… seeing YOUR creations has given me license to step “outside” the box… and that not everything has to match precisely or be “balanced”… I’ve always been a “color inside the lines” kind of crafter, and I’m enjoying this new found freedom, so thank YOU!
and this quilt is GORGEOUS! I love it!
Yay Anne, That makes me sooo happy to hear!
You may not hear them but I think people are all ready saying this Maria. 🙂
Oh Cindy, you’re too kind.