Sunday, March 16, 2014

Homage to Braque


For years I have been a fan of the works of Georges Braque, particularly his works which were created during his Synthetic Cubist period, 1912-1914. What I admire are the interplay of shapes, the depth and playful way he breaks up recognizable shapes and his addition of bits of life's ephemera, like a piece of a concert ticket or a leftover scrap of a note. Below are some of my favorites.

Left to right- Gueridon 1913, Still Life with Violin 1913
Violin Melodie 1914, Violin and Glass 1913
I didn't want to just reproduce something Braque had created, however had I done so, I might be more satisfied with my end product. 

Because I do not draw or sketch, I started by making paper collages with various shapes, colors and textures. More images can be found on my blog

Final design 
After deciding on a design, I selected fabrics from my stash. I also wanted to use some paper cloth for some of the shapes. Paper cloth is basically paper adhered to muslin with diluted glue. In the paper cloth I created, I used dress patterns, tea bags, newspaper, and computer images I had printed. In addition to the fabric and paper cloth I also included words printed on silk photo fabric.

The next major step was cutting out the shapes and adding fusible web to the backs so they could be adhered to the base fabric. I wanted a neutral background and chose a funky gray fabric.


However, after living with this decision for several days, I decided it was a depressing color and changed the background to a lighter fabric.

Homage to Braque
16"x 20"













7 comments:

  1. Oh I DO like how this turned out. You were right to change that background. Thanks for introducing me to Braque.

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  2. This is fabulous Judy! I hope you'll do a series and make your 1st and 2nd attempt shown at your blog into quilts too!

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  3. I think this came off better than you realize, Judy! Your color choices really work, and the lighter background helps them stand out. Your simple quilting lines add just the right amount of texture without distracting from the design.

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  4. I agree this is wonderful! I love how you developed your design through the paper collage. Your use of colour is fabulous - the change in background was a good choice (although I didn't recognize that fully until I saw your new choice!) I love the text that appears and encourages further exploration.

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  5. I like your version better than the ones you show of his. I think you have done a great job with the variety of media and colours. Your focal point in the bottle is really set off by the frame you gave it, and when you get closer, you see all the little inspirational messages that you added. I love it

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  6. Your colours are some of my favourites. Wonderful warm piece! the way you have collaged your bits and pieces, draw me in for a closer look. I especially like how you "framed" the bottle in such a way as to make it appear "glassy". I had never heard of Braque; thanks for the introduction.

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  7. I am not familiar with Braque but his work looks interesting. I love the combination of items you included in your collage and really love the way they 'pop' with the lighter background. A great interpretation of our challenge!

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