Excited, motivated, exhausted, overwhelmed

Wow, what a day, and it's not even over yet! I got up at 6 am this morning and was out the door by 8:30. I caught the 9 am train to Chicago and was at the Art Institute by 10:30 am. I wandered the galleries for four and a half hours taking photos, writing notes, getting inspired and becoming overwhelmed. I am exhausted.

On the other hand I have a million and a half ideas for quilting. Pollock inspired some thread painting ideas. Picasso inspired some interesting color combinations. O'Keefe inspired some lovely applique ideas. Of course there were many other artists that was inspirational as well. I focused on the use of color to indicate light. Unusual use of color in landscape and figures (One painting had a woman with green bosom and a blue leg but it didn't look out of the ordinary as well.

If I learned anything today it is that I have to expand my view of color. I have never had real trouble with color. Whatever I put together always seemed to work, but I think it is time to take color to the next level. I need to start working with using color saturation to represent light and dark. O'Keefe's flowers use shadow to indicate petals and I think that would be valuable in applique or in translating flowers to a paper pieced pattern. Of course with fabric as a medium I have many choices, I can use paint or thread to indicate shadow after the top is pieced, I can use creatively colored fabric or reverse applique techniques to indicate shadow while piecing. There are so many options!

I tried taking notes of all my ideas as I walked but it was so busy and there was so much to see, I fear that much of it was lost. I gave up half way through with trying to take notes - about the time I decided that it would be awesome to paper piece some Frank Lloyd Wright window patterns in an inspired quilt.

Watch these pages later for more ideas that come out of today's trip. I need to go home and scrapbook my photos and examine them and make my ideas cohesive.

Oh and I got a few "coloring books" of Mexican art, FLW windows, geometric shapes, and Mandalas to play with too.

Wow, I have a lot to do this weekend. And I made the resolution to not start any new projects until I have finished what I have started! I better get moving so I can play with my new ideas.