Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird is a 10X10 fiber art piece that is mounted on a 12X12 painted canvas. Little Boy Blue, an earlier piece shows a Mountain Bluebird which is entirely blue. The Eastern Bluebird however is characterized by it's red breast. This piece is painted and inked on a whole cloth background. The leaves are made in much the same manner as described in the previous post regarding 3D Foliage using Misty Fuse. Here, the leaves are appliqued and tacked down in such a manner as to come off the surface and extend past the edges of the piece itself. I think this allows the artwork and subject to integrate more easily with the canvas and allow for a dynamic interaction. I love breaking the boundaries so to speak! Also, notice how the leaves bend and do not all lie flat on the surface but instead provide more dimensionality to the piece.Edges of the leaves are finished with 3 dimensional paint and the entire piece is completed
with a zig zag stitch along the edges. The canvas was painted blue to bring out the rich color in this male's plumage. Eastern Bluebird is heavily stitched with Superior trilobal polyester thread and rich beautiful colors from Aurifil as well. This piece is Part III of Miniature Naturescape Series following Finding Your Feet (Red Robin) and Tranquility (Yellow Warbler). I am really enjoying this series and still would like to revisit the concept of using the same bird in the first two of the series to recreate Spring and Winter settings. I suppose that will have to wait for another day. Today, I am heading back to the studio to try and finish a large wolf that is part of my Naturescape Grayscale Series. This piece is made of various materials and is very tactile. It also has black Misty Fuse leaves!