Tuesday, April 21, 2009

OK, hold everything

Yesterday I showed you how I finally got a patina on my birdfeeder's copper roof. That was a by-product, actually, of experimenting with my washers. I layed them all out and sprayed them with the vinegar/salt mixture. The brass washers turned nearly black. Some of the copper washers turned blue-green. All of them changed and became, to me quite interesting. And suddenly they no longer belonged on the geometric piece at all. They brought to mind all kinds of other ideas.

So now I have put the washers aside for the moment and am back to the geometric piece. I have to say I was truly surprised by how many of you expressed a preference for the random placing of the washers on that piece. Really?? That did not work for me at all. Hmmm. I wasn't in love with the other arrangements either, but definitely not the random. What I am going for here is something very cool. Very minimal and ordered. Maybe a little bit Agnes Martin—well not that cool and ordered, but definitely not random.

Here's my latest idea.

Again, these are just laid in place. Some interesting stitching would hold it all together. I made all these bits from polymer clay. Here's a closeup.

So, if you liked the random placement of the washers, this probably isn't doing much for you, but I am persisting. Like I said before, it's an experiment. BTW, these photos are much more representative of the actual colors in this piece than the last ones I showed.

The STASH group is going to the beach for a couple of days. I am taking this along as well as another little project. I'm sure I will get some feedback from them. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that the Census Bureau doesn't decide I need to start work immediately within the next 3 days. I look forward to our beach retreat all year and I don't want to have to leave early.

11 comments:

  1. Oooh, the white beads have a completely different feel than the washers did. I'm getting more of a Bauhaus vibe, or something late Deco (I can't put my finger on the artist, but it's there, deep). The variation in the bead shapes adds the bit of spark that the random did with the washers. Me likey!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't like the random placement either - I just didn't have time then to post a comment and say so!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That piece looks very European somehow-not random for sure. The white beads are good but something old world-ish and simple would be good too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I didn't like the random either. I like these new beads, but I think you should just keep trying different options. You'll know when you find the perfect solution.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the rhythm of this piece. And I like what you're trying to do with the embellishments. The white pieces really pop. I like that.

    These remind of row houses. Maybe you could use the beads to give each house a different personality. Keep going.

    You're right about the hardware. It's for another piece and I'm anxious to see it. Love the texture and colors.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, much better. Nice and clean. Symmetrical, but not quite. Peaceful even with the red.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:31 AM

    I was one of the random lovers but what I really like is the look of the paper underneath the patina'd washers. The residual staining is very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Whew! I'm glad to see the truer colors. The pastels just didn't look like a Terry creation. I like the white beads but agree with Deborah--keep trying different placements. It doesn't feel like you've found the right spots, yet.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with Beck. I was perplexed by the pastels. It wasn't you at all.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Terry,
    I really like this piece. I like the shapes and the white clay on top of your colors. I really like clean geometric as well and liked the lined up washers too.
    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another vote for the random. What I liked was the introduction of the curves and looseness to the otherwise very linear controlled feeling of the piece.

    I like where you're going now with the white beads, and agree with Sandy and Libby that it looks like Belgian row houses. Here's what I thought of:
    http://www.letsgo-europe.com/Belgium/bruges/belgium_020.jpg

    Best of luck with the Census job - my mom has already had someone come to the house.

    ReplyDelete