Valerie Wilson, Author at Valerie Wilson Fibre Artist

Author Archives: Valerie Wilson

Inspiration in Downtown Winnipeg?

Last Sunday I went on a Photo walk in downtown Winnipeg, organized by Don’s Photo . People were encouraged to bring their cameras (not camera phones) and focus on Colour. I was looking for something fun to do and this sounded like it! About 40 people showed up and we had a beautiful sunny, warm day. We wandered along a predetermined route, and were encouraged to take photos of whatever inspired us. Staff were available to answer questions about photography, and help with cameras, if needed. I had a ball! I really had my doubts that I would see much that I would find interesting. It turned out not to be a problem. I have over a hundred photos! Here is a sample of a few: This reflection was really neat! It looks as though one building is inset into another one. Nice contrast between the modern buildings and the old church too.

This plant was very colourful and fit the criteria for the day.

These flowers were great too!

A photo of me, taking a picture of my shadow. You can see how lovely and sunny it was that day.

A unique view of St. Mary’s Cathedral.

These reflections on the sides of buildings were very captivating!

Will any of these find their way into quilts? I am thinking about the leaves and the flowers. The reflection might be interesting in an abstract quilt. Hmmmm…. Tell me where you have found inspiration in unexpected places.

Stepping Out – my latest portrait

My latest portrait is done! This little girl looks as though she has just started walking, and is delighted to be able to get around on her own.

I was thrilled to have it finished! The next thing then was to decide on a title for this portrait. I have a difficult time naming quilts. Do you? My husband suggested “Spokesperson”. Funny, but no. After some deliberation, I finally decided on “Stepping Out”.

I did some research on the car, to try and date the photo. I love researching the details! It helps to bring the person, and the piece, to life. I found out that this car was probably a 1920 – 30’s car.

Then at a recent vintage car show in Selkirk, MB I found a 1925 model, beautifully restored! I was thrilled! I took several photos and used these to help with some of the details that were “flashed out” in the original photo.

Vintage 1925 car

One major part of this quilt was done twice, to get the look that I wanted. I redid the entire car as I decided that, although looking great, it was too bright in relationship to the little girl. I wanted the girl to be the focus, not the car.

Stepping Out – first attempt

I find that I always resist changing anything, as I see all the work that needs to be done again. I try to talk myself out of changing anything. So I go away for a break, and as soon as I get back, I look at the portrait. If something is still bugging me, I resolve to change it. I am always happier with the result in the end. I then take a deep breath, and just start.

Have you ever had to redo part of your quilt? How did you meet the challenge? Do you have any advice for people facing the same situation?

A Sneak Preview of my Latest Portrait Work

This is my latest portrait in progress. I have done more work on it since I took this photo, so this is only a teaser.

This little girl intrigued me from the first moment that I saw the photograph. She is just starting to walk, dressed in her rompers (puffy looking, probably from her diaper underneath), her hair sticking out in all directions and holding on to the spokes of this 1930’s car. She is just so cute! It brought back memories of photos that my parents had taken of me and my family. I always wonder what the story is behind the photo.

Portrait of girl with 1930’s car

The original photo was quite small – only 2″ x 3″, so I enlarged it, so that the child would be closer to life size. The larger size also makes it a lot easier to recreate the details. This piece will finish at 25 1/2″ x 35 1/2″.

When I start on a new piece, I choose the details that I think are most relevant to the picture, and then decide on the values (e.g. light, medium and dark), and finally the colours that I feel best fit the scene. I wanted the little girl to stand out and be the focal point, so I chose a bright red for her T-shirt. The car will be a blue-green, to complement the red. You can see some of the fabrics, that I am thinking of using for the car, on the right side of the photo.

The method that I use to create my art is fusible applique, where a sticky film is adhered to the back of each piece of fabric, and then the pieces are assembled like a puzzle to create the picture. Once the picture is complete, it is ironed to fuse it and to keep everything firmly in place. Then, I add stitching to add further detail, and finally quilt the piece to add dimension. I am looking forward to getting the car started!

Let me know what you think!