Karen Kamenetzky Fiber Art

This continues a series focused on the Australian aboriginal notion that the “plant is the dream of the seed”.
While making this piece, I explored some new areas (for me) in construction and composition. After lots of sketches that played with the placement of the seed shape on a larger background I settled on having it curving up at the bottom. Getting the compositional balance to work was tricky.

Seed Dreaming II

Each section of the “seed” was separately built on its own piece of Warm and Natural batting. They were then  attached onto the blue silk covered “seed” shaped piece of batting. After the “seed” had all its stitching and couching (and cussing at mistakes and subsequent repairs) done, it had to be attached to the full size blue silk over cotton cord covered background.

Seed Dreaming II (detail)

By this point it had a bit of heft to it! So successfully hand stitching it securely down was a challenge for my not always up to snuff sewing skills. Once that was done, the background details-green silk cilia, pale blue dreamy shapes and hand stitching- were added.
The finished piece is 30″w x 34″h.

(photos by Laurie Indenbaum)

This entry was posted on February 12, 2011 at 10:10 am and is filed under Artwork, Process. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.