The Thing That Hides at The Bottom of My Closet bears witness that color competency in the field of interior design does not necessarily translate to the downsized, graphic medium of quilting.I found this random reassurance in my recent creativity/color reading:
... [Y]ou may be thinking that understanding color concepts and relationships isn't going to do you any good because you have no color sense. You are told by others to trust your intuition, but, as far as you can tell, you have none.
... I have come to a simple but encouraging conclusion about color and talent: Intuition is experience.... What you take for raw talent in a quilter is partly the result of hard work and experience; you just haven't seen his or her early quilts to appreciate the progress. When an outstanding quilter says, "I work intuitively," pay more attention to the "work" part ... and less to the notion of intuition. Through hard work you gain experience, which blossoms into intuition, also known as good color sense.
Christine Barnes, Color: The Quilter's Guide
5 comments:
I like your red and green quilt and was really surprised to read that it is balled up in your closet. If you need me to rescue it, say the words and I will.
No need to have bad Chi coming from your studio space. It can live just fine at my house.
In a Gallery Management course I took, I learned that by just LOOKING at lots of art, we learn and our taste becomes more sophisticated. I think with quilting, though, it helps to actually do the work and MAKE the quilts you're looking at and learning from ...
Debra:
"... you just haven't seen his or her early quilts to appreciate the progress...."
and you will never see this puppy in person! But I thank you for the offer. My piecing was excellent, esp. for a first effort; my color/pattern selection was hideous; the machine quilting attempt was the coup de grace to the entire mess. I'm afraid to open the closet for fear it is growing.
Sophie:
Ah, there's no substitute for experience (i.e. the ugly thing in my closet). But I put a lot of work into it and I don't want to learn that kind of lesson again. Much prefer to do some experimenting on a smaller scale.
P.S. When I was practicing interior design, I got a kick whenever I felt I had elevated my clients' tastes. That's the reason the only decorating show I enjoy on HGTV is Candice Olsen's. She's had excellent training, AND she explains the principles behind her selections. I think maybe her viewers learn a little something about good design by the time the show is over.
Is Candice Olsen the one who uses a plate of food to demonstrate the colors? I'm starting to tune in to HGTV again...
I agree with Sophie, it helps to make the quilts and learn from your experience. Mistakes are expensive in time and materials, though, so it's a definite "won't do that again" learning experience.
No, I can't stand that dumb show with the plates of food or rocks or bamboo splints! Candice is "Devine Design" and she gets a little goofy with Paul the carpenter and Chico the electrician. But even my hidebound DH says, "I would like to be Candice's friend." Cracked me UP!! She's a VERY tall blonde Canadian who formerly played professional volleyball--a real Renaissance gal!
Post a Comment