Detail from "Rain Dance," an original quilt by Sherrie Spangler

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Inspirational lines and shapes from Texas



Everything I look at morphs in my head into quilt possibilities, so I thought I'd show you a few examples from last week's Texas trip. I zoomed into the wavy lines of a trunk at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, and later I found myself on a staircase with similar lines. Both beg to be made into art.
  
Blue Mesa Grill, Dallas, TX
The restaurant abounded with design inspiration in addition to fantastic Mexican food.


The twig wall in the lobby of Blue Mesa Grill in Dallas is fabulous! Many quilts have been based on this simple juxtaposition of horizontal and vertical lines in alternating blocks.
With Dave at Blue Mesa Grill, Dallas, TX
For example, I made the quilt "Aquifers" four years before I saw the twig wall, but it could've been inspired by the wall. It actually came straight out of my head with no conscious inspiration.



Detail from "Aquifers," original art quilt by Sherrie Spangler

It may look like these wet rocks inspired the blocks in "Aquifers," except that I made the quilt four years before I took the photo! I guess I'm just drawn to those shapes and they come out subconsciously in my work.

Does this happen with any of you, and what shapes are you repeatedly drawn to?



The clouds and sky as we flew out of Seattle are similar in design to the rocks in Texas, with a horizontal line dividing a complex area below from a simple area above in each photo.



Leaves -- what more can I say other than gorgeous natural lines and color. Any little piece of a leaf could lead to a quilt. These are from the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.




Squiggly, wiggly plants and pods in San Antonio could translate into a quilt.



Organic fractured lines in a rock walkway in San Antonio contrast with yet are similar to manmade lines in a hotel lamp shade in Dallas. Each could inspire endless quilts. More to come later from the Texas trip!
 

Have a colorful day

4 comments:

sonja said...

Ain't nature grand? oh the leaves and rocks and sticks and sky.!
thanks for the feast of inspiration all around us and on vacation!!

Living to work - working to live said...

You're like me! My friends look at me a bit bemused when I take photos of walls or tree trunks etc. We see pattern everywhere which means, I think, that our everyday experiences are so rich. Lovely post - thanks .

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

Love these patterns! And you are right, there is so much that can be translated into art from nature and the various man-made creations around us. My favorite shape is undulations, like ripples on a pond, and leaves of course, but river rocks grab my attention too...

The Idaho Beauty said...

Boy, those are some big twigs in that wall! Of course, I love the closeup of the bark, but I also love the way you get backlit shots of leaves. Really interesting and beautiful.