Working in a Series
What's with all the repetition?
As I have established, I am not a classically trained artist. Yes, I have training on how to make a quilt but most quilting classes do not discuss the principles of design. So, when I first heard about an artist working in a series, I thought well that sounds boring and repetitive. Like, REALLY boring. Why would I want to keep making the same thing over and over?
I remember, very distinctly, during the final critique at an art retreat with Nancy Crow her saying she wanted us to go home and make the assignment 10 more times to really understand the principles. And I thought “why on earth would I do that???”
I had already started my vertebrae series before this art retreat, although I didn’t really understand the purpose. I say started but really, I had made two. It would be another year, I think, until I really got it. I think it took looking back on my work to fully appreciate what working in a series does for your work, your voice, and your skill as an artist.
I’d like to begin this discussion by stating for the record that I love Vertebrae 1. It hangs in my hallway and I see it every time I come home or go anywhere in my house. However, it is a little naïve. The color palette is not as sophisticated as my work today and there isn’t much variety in it in terms of size of how the vertebrae are made.
After I finished Vertebrae 1 my mentor suggested that I make another one and start a series. Because I didn’t understand what working in a series is all about, Vertebrae 2 is very similar to Vertebrae 1. Very similar color palette and the vertebrae are all still pretty regular. They undulate in a very rhythmic established pattern. In fact, looking back at them I’m remembering now that I tried to keep the colors the same.
Then I studied with Nancy Crow, in May 2023, for two weeks at the above-mentioned art retreat. The biggest thing I learned was how important color value is and to also use neutrals and brown. I was so fascinated with these concepts that I went home and made Vertebrae 3 in grayscale to really solidify the concepts.
I also learned some new cutting techniques and how to think about overall composition.
With this new skill set I acquired, I embarked on Vertebrae 4 and was more thoughtful about selecting colors and how they would interact with each other. I think Vertebrae 4 really shows my growth up to that point. Vertebrae 5 and 8 show even more growth in developing my voice.
Vertebrae 6 and 7 were both experiments and while I learned by making them, they do not express my voice as much as the others in the series.
At this point I could look at all these versions and truly see how far I had come. I could now see distinct figures and grounds, sophisticated color palettes, and beautifully interesting shapes. Which is kind of why I thought I was done with my vertebrae series. Until about 3 weeks ago. I woke up at like 4 am with a start. This thing I’d been contemplating for a long time about the vertebrae finally made sense. I felt brilliant and dumb at the same time.
Let’s have a look at my genius idea.
You can see in the photo below that each time I make a vertebrae segment that it has these jagged edges. I find them so beautiful but I always have to cut them off to have a smooth edge I can easily sew to the adjacent piece.
I’ve been trying to think of how to preserve that jagged edge since 2023. Then it occurred to me to simply sew an extra strip on the outside that matched the background. I kinda felt dumb I hadn’t figured it out already.
I decided to test it out last week and indeed, my experiment worked! The photo below shows a portion of Vertebrae 10 – Abby Normal. If you don’t get that reference, please consult with your Gen X friends.
Check out how the jagged edge is retained but I still have a smooth edge to sew to the adjacent piece.
I also learned a cool new-to-me technique on how to set one piece of fabric into another.
I now fully appreciate what a series can do for an artist. They are so powerful. They are a way to experiment, focus on a specific aspect, try a new color palette, and overall, truly grow. It wasn’t until I had new ideas about what I could do with the vertebrae series that I understood that a series is about growth.
In the last 10 days I completed two new vertebrae quilt tops and started on a third. Each one is a way of looking at the subject matter in a new light and I have learned something from each one. They continue to push my skill set in every way!
Along with my Vertebrae series, I currently have two more called Fluid Dynamics and Calcium Carbonate Structures. I have a couple more in the works that I hope to share more about soon!