While I rested earlier today I had a breakthrough. A small one, but I really was not expecting anything. In the lull before sleep everything comes to my close eyes. I am anxious about building shadow boxes for Daedalus and Icarus. My hanging problems will be solved. Plus, this time I am psyched about developing the inside of the box into an anthropological curiosity. Instead of having clean lines and surfaces in the box, the interior will be painted and/or covered in fabric. More detritus of anything can be added in from dirt to medicine bottles and wrapped sticks. The other framing issue is born from my fascination with layering the small and tall. Weaving are beginning to form in my head in tandem with quilted sections. I have a schlew of wooden dowel rods that I plan on using to give reference to a loom. Painting and collecting for those boxes would give it a kinship with Icarus and Daedalus.
The whole problem is cutting the wood and building it flush and flat. Squaring it off has always been a problem for me. Every time I build, squaring the form, has always been hit or miss. The perfectionist in me feels I've wasted my time and the wood. Other times I relax and buy "l"-brackets. Another issue is securing glass on the front. Some might say find someone to build it for you or buy it off the internet. For the first time it dawns on me to find it on the 'net. Meanwhile, my gut reminds me about cost effectiveness and at heart a DIY spirit.
I am back at Medicine Quilt III and I have one panel left before I move onto the next series of cut panels. I'm ecstatic! I play my doubts and champion my trials every day with this. After mediating doubts come panel four of this set, I could not help but wonder if the pattern was to simple and too damn repetitious. I played and eventually fought off this burning urge to change the design to a lyrical jazz like staccato. My mind was screaming for more bells, whistles, and drums. It took a lot out of me to sit in my confidence that the design will be powerful enough in its simplicity. On the flip side I made a few insertions no the panels so to not let the eye get bored for even reading across the finished quilt. That decision partially came out of resistance to waste space. Granted the quilting will handle that. I love building tender passages in quilts. It is the part that you rub your fingers across time and time again. Time seems to stop in those moments and contemplating beauty is all you are.
Intelligence demands I sketch, meter out, and plan The King's Ransom. Ideas are fleeing from me as quickly as they arrive in the middle of the night. Beyond that I'm in denial about using my sketchbook again. The words "later" and "tomorrow" always eek out. I the fog of getting out of bed and crossing the room to hit the light switch, I always lose the muse. A light in the bookshelf seem apropos, as well as keeping paper and pen close the the bed. Back to task again harvesting everything given. Which also means back to a dream diary. Looks like winter plans are upon me. Got to make sure the tea and cakes land close by as well.
As ever, stay hungry and curious.