Thursday, January 27, 2011

Color: STAT!


Thinking in Stripes (before quilting) ©2011, Hannah K. Hunter
About this time of year, I begin to get a bit squirrelly, especially with the tule fog of January (and February and March).

This dense fog, named for the tule grass wetlands of the California Central Valley, makes me feel cozy at the beginning of the season, all tucked into whatever world I happen to be occupying. But like snow in colder climes, the pleasure soon begins to gray.

I long for big splashes of color, wide skies of brilliant blue and the glowing yellow sunflowers of summer. Looking out the window this morning, I knew it would be awhile.

Of course, there is a cure for this: the studio. I go in and I want to inhale great gulps of color: carmine, fuchsia, tangerine, chartreuse, coral, jade and emerald green.

I've been working on a full size quilt for an upcoming exhibit. As I tried to work out the pattern for it, I began a smaller piece that could capture my color hunger and satiate it at the same time. I wanted the quilt to be irregular, with large "bites" of color, color that could explode inside me when I look at it; the same sensation that a child might have when she pops a Starbursts into her mouth and savors the eruption of harmonic sweetness that follows.

How are you coping with winter in your domain?

15 comments:

  1. Hi hannah, your work is wonderful!
    It is full of summer and this is also what I want.
    thank you for your nice post:-)
    Greetings from Germany

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  2. Hi Hannah...this post is just what the gray doctor of winter ordered for our friends in northern climes. I love your quilt piece, yup, candy colors and delicious.

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  3. Thank you Rolf. I can imagine how wonderful summer sounds to you--I remember being in northern Germany in February and staring at the frozen North Sea! Stay warm!

    Beth--love the'yup'--it goes with the sensation of color popping and Starbursts bursting--thank you.

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  4. A colour burst to start my day! When my friends overseas start wishing for Summer it's about the time that I start wishing for Autumn. I can't wait!

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  5. Sometimes the gray skies of winter can be very dreary, but then there comes the occasional sunny day, with sun bouncing off snow, making the whole world brilliant. I try to savor those days and keep a memory of them as the best of winter to carry me through the gloomy ones.

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  6. We all needed this boost of color --thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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  7. Robyn--One of the aspects of blogging that I enjoy the most is hearing from people at all points of the earth and in all seasons.

    Altoon--Yes--absolutely. I remember that quality of light on snow, growing up in the Midwest.

    Diane--Thank you! Color is like vitamins isn't it?

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  8. This is going to be a dynamite quilt Hannah! The colors and lines sing to me!!!! Brilliant!
    Have fun putting it together and sewing on it!

    I've been enjoying the sun around the tulle fog.

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  9. I just love the stripes! and the Color! And the design. art quilting at its best, I think.

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  10. Yeah for color! I love movement of this piece!

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  11. Hannah~ what energy your little piece exudes. I love it.

    ~ Madeline

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  12. I understand your longing for color...the palette of winter is so muted and soft...but I don't mind it really...it helps me to stay soft too.

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  13. Lynn, Thanks! I am looking forward to backing and binding it when it returns from the quilter.

    Anne, Thank you for visiting and for your vote of confidence. I appreciate it:)

    Paris--yes--that is exactly the feeling I wanted the piece to express. I love that word "exude".

    Laura-I can see that feeling of softness express itself in your photographs of your winter; they are gentle, embracing and tender.

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  14. Wow! you certainly counter balanced the fog with strong bursts of color for sure!

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  15. Donna--It certainly lifted my spirits!

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