Thank you, LoieJ

LoieJ wrote the following comment and I thought I would respond:

"I love your work posted here. Also the ones in QA. I don't know enough about "analyzing art" to say exactly why it appeals to  me so much, because I often don't like collage type art. There is something both soothing and contrasting about the elements. Is there something that makes collage work universally? Or is that just a personal thing:"

Thank you LoieJ, for taking the time to drop a note! I am glad you like my work, it has been a lot of fun for me.

The series, In the Woods, came about becausr I frequently take a lot of pictures of trees, especially their tops. When I spent a week up at our cabin without any art to work on, I spent a lot of time just looking at branches and the leaves still hanging on, the pine and fir threes and just the calmness of it all.

When I came home I began this series, first creating screens for printing and then painting fabric. Once I had a bunch of fabric together, I added fusing and then cut out fabric working on 5 x 7 pieces. It is easy for me to work in that size as since the fabric has a lot of texture to it, I don't need big pieces.  Just a few well placed elements seem to make it work.

But the series itself seems calming to me, as you mention.  Al the images are trees and branches and the colors all relate to the earth and woods, and granite which we have a little of but a lot more up at a higher elevation. So, I think that is why is comes together...I really haven't given it much thought before.

The pieces in Quilting Arts were so different as the patterns created were pretty  busy.  Working on these, I found that I needed to follow the same rules of traditional quilting by varying the size of the patterns, the textures, etc. And not too much or it gets overwhelming.

I notice a difference between the new "in the woods" pieces which I thought were going to be a continuation of my California Dreams series but they have become something different. I am using all fabric that has been screened in the woods series whereas with the California Dreams series there is a lot of just dyed fabric with screening over different pieces.

Thank you for asking about this as it has made me stop to think about it.

If you google collage you will find numerous different artists and numerous different ways of doing it. Some I find very appealing and some not so...but this is what makes art so interesting, there is something for everyone.

I think, that in creating art quilts, I have been using a collage method for some time. Certainly using pre-fused fabric lends itself to this. It is also fun to play with. I can work intuitively and try different things while I work.  And the mind is always asking "what if?"

I would just like to make one comment on working intuitively.  I feel that one reaches that point or capability when the knowledge about composition has really seeped in.  Some people seem to absorb it from the air, others need to study it.  I do find that taking the time to write about work that you like and why you like it helps us all to sharpen those skills.