the eagerness of dawn

There is something about dawn--that proverbial promise of the new day. The sun rises slowly and majestically. The sky lightens and the day begins. So cliched and yet also so powerful.

Now those who follow my blog know that one of my very favorite things to do in winter is to snowshoe up to the top of nearby Helicopter Hill and watch the sun rise. I  get my DH off to work--give him his toast--it is always "perfect"--and lunch. Drink just a bit of coffee and then put on my snowshoes and start off.  I know the trail well--up and down the mountain, through the brush and then it is just up to the top. Always changing a bit but always the same.

For me this is the subject of so many quilts. The drama of standing alone with the sky and watching these moments so fleeting and sure and yet each so very different.

Always I hurry--will I be late? The trail is almost routine--one foot in front of the next. Watch out for that rock. Interesting trails in the snow. Deer and coyote. Fox and turkey.  Plow through the brush--try not to slap myself in the face. I glance at the sky through the trees. Do I have time yet? Then up and up. Until finally I am at the top slightly out of breath. Warm from the exercise.

In the north the clouds are a lush rolling pink.

The valley ahead soft with the mist of the heat and snow. Rolling grey and blue. Mauve.

I concentrate on the sky where the sun will rise. As the season moves toward spring the sun rise moves along the mountains.

So many colors in the sky. At first dark and haunting. The moon just a crescent hanging above the scene. Too faint for my snapshots.

The yellows move into greens and teals. Again so subtle my camera does not catch it.

Then I see it. First the glow in the sky where the sun will rise.

Then the first hint of light. So quietly and surely it slips up. It is hard to pause in this drama to snap an image. I point and aim then watch again. Waiting silently.

Until finally that shining diamond of light.  Soon the light will glow on the trees.

The roses fade into the light. I turn for home. My mind is focused on my hot breakfast. Cheesey grits this morning. One of my favorites. Sunlight will be touching the house when I return.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop and absorb the moment, isn't it? Take a deep breath and just be in something so essential and known but also so individual and different. At least that is what I do. And you--what is essential to your soul?  Do you stop and watch the dawn?

getting the grey right

Sometimes one quilt just leads to the next one. Sewing together my quilt trees, I kept wondering what would happen if.... Can I make another one in greys? Maple trees catching the sun, glowing against a dark almost ominous sky. Hmm. That could be interesting.

The grey sky almost pieces itself or that is how it feels. Sure I had to dig for some fabrics. Decide how many warm colors to include. How dark to make it. What other colors to add? Adding that wonderful dark mauve that is almost a grey. Hints of blue.

But now the landscape that will anchor the sky. I want a bit of light. Just that promise of gold lingering and reflecting off the maples. I pin up fabrics to get an estimate of the color that works.

OK--there is something haunting here. How to echo it in the piecing? I start--cut some fabric, start sewing. Sometimes the only way forward is forward.

 Well that didn't work--I don't want the ground to clash with the sky. No need to finish it. Let me try again.

Closer isn't it? But still a bit too bright. I can do better. The ground should be sultry. Complex but not competing with the sky and the maples. Let me see how this works.

Yes, that is great. Colors that will tell a story and still fit in with the gold of the maples. Enough grey to echo the sky but not clash.

Don't you love it when you can't wait to finish a quilt? Do you ever wish you could just sew more quickly? So hard to be patient when my mind is spinning with more colors, more quilts. Does this ever happen to you?

it's 2013!!!

Dear all,

OK--I will try to avoid some of those cliches. You know, how quickly time passes. A retrospective on the year that just passed. Time to move forward. Make new resolutions. Set goals. I am sure you have heard them a lot during this time of year. One tradition that I had not heard before came from a daylily forum that I participate in. A gentleman from Pakistan--yes, apparently there are a number of daylily growers in Pakistan--daylilies in town squares, outside businesses, it must be lovely. But I digress. Anyhow, one year when he was visiting Japan he was invited to a FORGET THE YEAR party. Business associates, friends, relatives, whatever would get together just before the New Year and forgive all transgressions so that they started the New Year with a clean slate. What a nice tradition, isn't it? Worth thinking about.

And now to return to quilts. I hope that many of you got to see my article in the December January issue of Quilting Arts magazine. What an honor to be interviewed by Kristine. What a wonderful job she did asking me questions that I had not previously considered. Isn't that the mark of a good interviewer? And then I discuss how I am sewing those very thin strips that currently intrigue me. Worth checking out. And yes, I do have copies available in my studio.

Meanwhile I am working very hard getting ready for the Baltimore Fine Craft Show. Yes, it is in less than two months--February 22-24--at the Baltimore Convention Center. I just looked at the list of decorative fiber exhibitors and I confess I was blown away by the quality of exhibitors this year. I will be at booth 4208. My nose is to the grindstone and my fingers to the sewing machine as I try to make my booth stand out. Oh so much work to do. So many ideas for new quilts.  More on the show next month but if you want further information check out their web site: http://shows.craftcouncil.org/baltimore

And yes, I have started cleaning and organizing the studio. For those who can make it into Shelburne Falls, I do have several smaller "old favorites" on sale.  I may try to post some of them next month. And for everyone else--the quilt of the month is back. This time it is enchanted city. This was a quilt I made several years ago and was hanging in a gallery. I love the dimensions of this piece. So many different colors and such movement. It is about 40x40 inches. The quilt was priced at $1200 but for the next ten days--or until sold--it will be $750 plus shipping and any applicable taxes. So if you are interested.... This is just a snapshot that I took but it should give you a general idea.

Meanwhile do have a great New Year. Enjoy the return of the sun. And if you are in the Shelburne Falls area, I hope some of you will drop by to see me--I plan to be open most days unless the weather is bad.

musings on developing a style

Recently I received an e-mail from a quilt maker who had read my recent article in Quilting Arts magazine.  "How to you develop an individual style?" he asked. "Any tips would be appreciated." Great questions, Michael.

OK--I have actually been thinking about this a lot recently as I developed the quilts with thin strips. After all, even though I was changing the technique and the look of the quilt, I still wanted it to look like an Ann Brauer quilt. What am I known for? What interests me? In short, who am I? And how can I use the new techniques in ways consistent with my work?
 
This is a concept that has many parts and lots of stories. After all, I have been making quilts for a long time and some of what I do is now so inherent to the quilts and even to who I am that I don't consciously think about it.  Answers though can come in stories. The world as a red wheelbarrow--to reference William Carlos Williams. If you can't get it one way, then circle around and look at it from another angle. That is one of the reasons that I began exploring the thin strips. I felt that I had worried the wedges as much as I could and needed to try looking at it from a different approach.

I am fascinated by the vastness of the sky and the possibilities of the horizon. I remember when I first moved to Boston how confined I felt. The sky was only visible in small sections between the buildings and the trees. That winter amazingly the Charles River froze so solid that it was actually more or less "safe" to walk on it. Now before anyone else tries this--please be warned that there is a danger here--it was probably foolhearty then and it would definitely be STUPID now. But I did it and there was nothing finer than feeling the vast promise of the sunset looking west along that river. Interestingly, when my sister recently moved from the Midwest to Virginia one of her first comments to me was that she missed the sky. See, there must be something essential.

Putting the red sunrise in the middle of the sky as I did in prairie dawn captured the size of the sky as I looked up.

Prairie dawn--quilt--96x96"--Ann Brauer

If you look carefully, you will notice that the red was formed using the wedges that I used throughout the quilt. But it was just a short jump from prairie dawn to capturing the sky. Note how the magenta square floats on the horizon. I loved how the intensity of the color and the contrast of the textures added to the story.

Capturing the sky--quilt--45 x 45"--Ann Brauer

Isn't the same true for desert solitaire?

Desert solitaire--quilt--45 x 45"--Ann Brauer

 

And even into the sky?

Into the sky--quilt--45 x 45"--Ann Brauer

One tip I always tell people like Michael is to make the same concept more than once. I am lucky that in order to get juried into the fine craft shows that I need in order to support myself, I am required to submit five slides of my work. Early on I learned that juries want to see consistency in your work. After a while, I know from experience sitting on a jury that your eyes and mind become numb from seeing so many different images projected in front of you and there is a relief when you see a consistent and calm set of slides. Sure you want to put your best foot forward and having five exact duplicates would be too boring. So you do want each image to display a different approach to the same question. Again it is telling the story but from a different point of view.

For me it is easy to create three quilts that are consistent. By four or especially five quilts though my mind tends to wander and there is frequently one oddball. Still I find it a great exercise even if you are not creating work for a jury.

Now I realize that this doesn't answer the question how to keep the same style when changing the technique. Nor does it  discuss how to figure out what you want to do in the first place. Maybe this should be another blog post or two? But this one is getting long. So I hope this helps, Michael. What suggestions do my other readers have? Any thoughts? Or questions?

condensing the rainbow

OK--many of you may be familiar with my iconic quilt--rainbows of summer. It was large and square and included a sweep of the colors of the rainbow. What a statement of joy and fullness it offered. Is it a landscape? A seascape? One of those quilts that "just happened". Well, it didn't just happen but the decisions I made seemed inevitable when I was done.

So it was with some trepidation that I took on the task of making the quilt only half as wide. How could I get that complete sweep of color while maintaining the integrity of the piece. Certainly I wasn't going to make the individual wedges of fabric smaller. That would have lost the splashes of color and fabrics of the quilt.

No, I had to figure out the proportions of each color. The fabrics would have to be more important--more significant--since they had to do more work carrying the color progressions. This would be hard.

As always I told myself--make what I know. So I piece the row of yellow. So intense. So lonely on the design board, isn't it?

Then I study the quilt and make the green--a bright green with lots of yellows. This I know.

The bright teal though is harder. It must have some of the green. Hints of the blue. Just that right intensity. I cut lots of fabric and make a test sample. Is this the right shade? What will it look like as the whole?

I tweak the colors and sew. Yes, there are 12 blocks in each row. How long it seems to take. When will I finish.

More sewing. Again one row at a time. Slowly. I stop and think. Ponder the right colors. Pull out the fabrics and then do a test. Or two. Or three. It goes on and on. This takes months. Literally.

When will I ever finish? I had promised it for November. But that month has already passed. And so I work as hard as I can. But still it involves so much concentration that I can only do a bit every day. Then I sit and look at it. Wonder what comes next.

Even the sewing it together is long and precise. Sew the seams. Add the binding. Hand finish. Isn't it amazing how different it looks when it is sewn together?

 I work all week-end. The customer needs it by the holidays. Finally it is done. No time for a good image. Just this snapshot from my point and shoot. Yes it is straight but I just pin it up and take from an angle. That is OK.

 How empty my design board looks as I wrap it and place it in its box to ship to its new owner. What will she think? Does it capture the rainbow? And for me--what next? I have an extra wall for displaying quilts at the Baltimore Craft Show this February. And a customer who may want four related quilts about the rainbow. Would this be a good project?

And you--how do you start a quilt? Do you sometimes feel they will never get done? And can you indeed condense the rainbow?

the frolic of birch

Sometimes one just has to take that small breather. A short break. A walk around the South End of Boston just before the CraftBoston show opened on Sunday. For me, it was the last day of the last craft show for the year. The weather was lovely. Warm for December. And I had been inside for too long.

I love looking at these majestic brick buildings with grand staircases. Ornate iron fences around small front gardens. Such care in the planting and arrangements of these miniature spaces. Some with lights wrapped around the fences. Others with carefully chosen greens. The urn with the chili peppers. Simple and elegant. What fun I had looking at all these variations. Imagining the characters of Henry James.

And then I noticed them. The simple branches of birch against the greens. Distinctive. Sure. Almost like oversized candles. What a great idea. So complete. So modern. So seasonal.  Don't you just love it?

And then I saw this was a theme. Another vase of greens. This time with just one accent of the birch. Interesting how adding more greens so changed the look.

The tree made of birch wrapped with lights. Simple. I could even make this if I wanted to.

The reindeer. Sweet. That must have taken a long time. But how clever.

And the star. Another great construct. Not sure if I would ever make this one either.  Wouldn't it be fun to see it at night.

Now will I go out and gather some birch branches and decorate our house? Not sure. I do have quilts to make. Though it might not be a bad idea. We do have plenty of birch. A simple arrangement might look so festive. So many possibilities. Hmmm. I do know my little frolic was just what I needed. Refreshing. Do you have such frolics? What do you do? And do you have any ideas for using birch as decorations?

the conundrum of eggplant

Recently I have been thinking a lot about of all things--eggplant. Aubergine.

No, not recipes for eggplant--although I did have the most marvelous sandwich of eggplant and avocado and cheese with just the right tangy sauce when I was in DC--delish!!! But I digress. I am thinking about the color--eggplant. That dark rich purple color of the European eggplant. More red than blue with sometimes just the hint of dark brown. So sumptuous. So rich and festive. We all know it--but do we understand it?

The color. So dark. Intense. Almost royal. But not quite that blue.  What is it composed of? I search on the web and discover that it is more red than blue on the RGB scale. Sometimes with just a hint of green. You can check it out here.
 http://www.i-freeware-download.com/web-colors/hex-rgb-hsv-Eggplant-cId-859.aspx

I snap a picture of the fabric that I call eggplant. Is it too red? Or is it just the flash?

Should I tame it with browns and greys? Or let the colors glow in their own warmth? I arrange the color progression for the placemats. Yes, there are accents here. Just a hint of reds and pinks? Have you noticed how calmed the color can be on the walls? Just a hint of green and brown added to make it all the more sophisticated.

But no I want a bit of pizazz. A statement. A bit of life and warmth to the placemats. What do you think?

And the table runner with the skinny strips. How will the colors combine? Isn't it in making a color progression that one finally understands the essence of the shades? I don't want it just eggplant--that is not how I work. Instead I add bits of this and that. What will be the overall effect? Will the color dominate? What fun this is? So much to play with? Is it too busy for the elegance of eggplant? Or when the whole is seen does it all blend together?

Have you noticed that making a color progression can really define the color in ways that a simple swatch doesn't? How just changing one or two fabrics in the progression can change the nature of the quilt? Is this why I love doing them so much?

Oh--so much to do. What fun I am having? I could make another with a bit more browns and greys. Or are there other colors I need. After all, I am doing CraftBoston this coming week-end and I do want to have a great selection. What do you think? For more info on CraftBoston you can go here:
http://www.societyofcrafts.org/cbholiday/holidayinfo.asp and if you want a discount on tickets do e-mail me.