Self Portraits...

What do you look like?  My art quilt group is making a  portrait quilt, and this is my interpretation of how I look these days.  I drew a quick sketch on a piece of paper, traced it onto interfacing, then used my sewing machine to make the lines. (See Jane LaFazio's article in this Spring's Quilting Arts Magazine describing this technique). The bottom piece of fabric was muslin, with a stencil printed fabric as background.   After sketching the outline in thread, I cut away the waste muslin to reveal the background, and added shading to the dress and face with water soluble crayons.You try it - Draw a picture of yourself, then interpret it in cloth...  That is such a hard thing for me to  do, because I don't look in the mirror that often and really think about my features.  I always draw the  face, with an elongated nose, round glasses, and dopey haircut.

The pictures in my head just doesn't match the reality in the mirror.  My nose isn't that long... my glasses are rectangular, and my face isn't an oval.  And take a look at that red sailor suit ...   I don't think I've had an outfit that tame for 40 years, but it is still what I draw when I think of myself and how I look.

Pond Queen

As time goes by, my methods have also changed.  A few (6) years ago I made this self portrait, Pond Queen.  I had been spending hours and hours at the pond on our property, watching the tadpoles turn into frogs, looking for snapping turtles with my boys, and just enjoying nature.  You can see in this portrait that I still have that elongated face and extra large nose, even though this one was made in an entirely different style from the one above.  It reflects what I was feeling and exploring at the time, using a different voice for a different time of my life.

Playing in Odense

I wonder what the next interpretation will be.  How has time changed your self image?  How has your work evolved over time?