First Quarter Challenge 2014 – Lyn’s Entry
Our Guest Post today for the First Quarter Studio Challenge, is from Lyn.
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I’ve enjoyed this challenge and I’ve learnt a little about one of America’s most influential artists. Some of Jackson Pollock’s art is interesting, yet some pieces remind me of kitchen counter tops – for example, ‘Lavender Mist’:
I wanted to find a Jackson painting to inspire me so I hit ‘Google images’ and quickly found one I liked.
It was headed ‘Abstract art by Jackson Pollock, oil painting on canvas’.
Enthusiastically I chose my colour palette:
At this point, I would like to have shown you the painting that was my inspiration, but (blushing ever so slightly) I can’t.
I have since discovered that it’s really a ‘Pollock-style’ painting that’s mass produced in Asia.
So, moving swiftly on, here is my Pollock-style felt picture – finished size is 18″ x 15″.
I made a base of two layers of white merino topped with one layer of rusty-red. I started the fourth layer by making a border all around with the same red, then working inwards with ever decreasing ovals, I put down dusty orange, gold, yellow then white in the middle. The fifth layer was a repeat of the fourth. On top I placed strips of blue, rusty-red and slate in a representation of broad brush strokes then drizzled some strands of silk tops along some of them. Finally, I dotted on wool nepps to represent drips of paint.
After ten minutes of agitating the wool fibres, I folded the edges under because I wanted the finished piece to have quite straight edges, as a painting on a canvas would. They were looking good and straight during the felting but they warped during the fulling because of the uneven layers.
Happy though I was with finished piece, I decided to cut it up with a rotary cutter and re-arrange the slices. I stuck the slices to a board, took a photo, then added a border to make it look like a painting.
Now, where did I put the phone number for the Tate Modern……
24 thoughts on “First Quarter Challenge 2014 – Lyn’s Entry”
They are beautiful Lyn, either one would look perfectly at home in an abstract art exhibition. I’m struggling to choose a favourite, they both have great energy and the colours are lovely. I think the first piece might just pip the other to the post, there’s a serene quality to the curved lines that keep drawing me in.
Well done!
Thank you Teri – I agree with you that curved lines do draw the eye inwards.
Congratulations on your choices and even though it looks like someone just threw paint on a canvas, you now know that it is not that simple. You have a beautiful piece and you may even do more to it after you look at it for a while. I am still trying to find time to get started.
You are right Judy – some artists can produce work that looks so easy…..until you try it yourself!
It turned out great Lyn You did a great job of getting a paint look. l Like you I like it better after you cut it up and rearranged it. the original is ok but the finished piece is wow, it pops much more.
I just scrolled up to check – the second piece does ‘pop’ more (and it was fun chopping up the original to make it).
Lyn they are definitely modernist abstract. You did a great job of planning to make it look unplanned. 🙂 As I mentioned the forum, I like them both, but the second one is more ethereal giving it another dimension.
Thank you Marilyn. If I were to do a chopped up one again though, I’d stop just before fulling started, chop it up, then place the strips on some pre-felt and carry on with the felting process. That way the ‘joins’ would look much better.
That’s a great idea Lyn. That might be fun to try with another project.
Bravo, Lyn! Your Pollock challenge is quite spectacular, and I had to look back and forth ten times before choosing my favorite (the second one, simply because it’s got more depth!), but why choose a favorite? Both appeal. How brave to slice up your masterpiece!
Thank you luvswool – I needn’t have sliced it up (see Zed’s brilliant idea below!)
Even the bundles of wool look gorgeous 🙂
I like the way both of them look too. I don’t think I’d have been brave enough to slice either, maybe just do it on Photoshop! Great job, Lyn.
I know what you mean about the bundles of wool Zed – I love drooling over my sample books from WofW and Wingham!
Photoshop! What a brilliant idea – I really didn’t need to cut it up, although I did actually enjoy slicing the felt up and re-arranging it, but using photoshop could be useful for working out the cuts couldn’t it?
Lyn – I had to laugh about the Chinese produced “Pollock Style Painting”. But as long as it’s in the style, it doesn’t really matter where the inspiration came from. I really like how you did the layered ovals and you were quite brave about chopping it up. I like how edges of the sliced pieces show but you could needle felt them down to a background. That would be easier with a needle felting machine. Can’t remember if you have one of those. I think the Tate Modern would be the perfect hanging place for it 🙂
I was a tad embarrassed when I discovered my mistake, but as you say, it’s in the style.
I did have a needle felting machine, but after a short while I realised that it wasn’t for me so I sold it. The joins would always show because of the dramatic change of colour of wool in places, but if the piece had not been fulled I could have placed the slices onto a piece of pre-felt then felted the lot together to minimise the joins.
Thank you for a very interesting challenge!
What original idea! I like both pieces, can’t decide which I like best.
Thank you Nada – but a lot of credit for inspiration needs to go to an unknown Chinese artist !!
I love it. Great post.
Thank you Liz – I’m glad you enjoyed the post because I enjoyed the making of it.
A very painterly effect on the original Lyn and great colours. However, the chopped up version is stunning!! 🙂
Thank you Judith! The chopping up bit was fun.
did you mount your felt on a wooden board and use a spray adhesive? i was going to try using an artist’s canvas and was not sure if I need to put a a frame around it.
Sorry for the late reply – only just noticed this comment. I used a wooden board and double sided carpet tape. The frame is false. I photographed the felt after it was stuck to the board, then cropped the photo and added a digital frame to the image using ‘pic monkey’.
Thank you Lyn