Inspiration from Photos

I am often inspired to create art quilts based on my own candid photos. Here are some examples of pieces that started out this way. I am drawn to photos that have good composition and strong contrast of light and dark. I sometimes combine multiple images of a subject to add impact. (Magic Wall also has the added advantage of scale, being 48"X 48".) My initial artistic decisions are those of scale, cropping, color alteration, and what areas will be abstract or in focus. By the time the artwork is complete I have made many such decisions, both conscious and unconscious. I have no desire to copy the photo. It is just a jumping off place. The medium is also important to me. I think about what colors and textures will best communicate the mood and season of the photos. The fabrics have a lot to say and I try to listen to the interactions. That is why the completed artwork does not look like a photograph, but  more like a painting. I am sometimes commissioned to make artwork based on some one else's photographs. I enjoy working from candid photos taken outside in natural light. Although I am partial to images of people in relationship to one another, I also love interesting pattern and shadows created by various objects.Out to Pasture is a piece of farm equipment now rusted and at rest. I sometimes look for an unusual perspective.Weekend Quartet is an example of an out of the ordinary view of golfers.