Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Catching my eye


I go through stages where different shapes or textures or colors suddenly catch my attention. For a long time it was grids, and then more recently odd triangular shapes. About this time last year, I noticed my eye being drawn to a new shape, a new inspiration, basically the gentle arcing of fan shapes. I was seeing in the wings of various birds a possible new arrangement for my triangle shapes, although I haven't been able to work that out with any success yet.


But that hasn't stopped my eye from being attracted to additional photographs of wings. Some of the more interesting ones seem to be of the wing as drawn forward, not what my mind instinctively things of.


But the lovely easy drape of feathers along an extended wing is pure poetry and gives me insight as to where the women of the 1800's found inspiration for their elaborate feather quilting designs. Surely I will find my own way to incorporate these shapes.


I also noticed another part of a bird giving me that lovely fan shape, in a slightly more asymmetrical way - a crest.


These photos are from National Wildlife Magazine, where I also spotted this one of giant clams; I have scanned it next to some antique reproduction fabric from my stash. I've always known that these designs were supposedly based on clam shells, but they rather puzzled me. Not very much like the clam shells I was used to. But now that I have been introduced to the giant clam, boy do I see the connection!

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