Creating is About Alchemy!

Alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.

“When you love something like reading—or drawing or nature (Paula adds quilting)—it surrounds you with a sense of connection to something greater. If you are lucky enough to know this, then your search for meaning involves whatever that Something is.

Moisture, mist, fog, dew, condensation, humidity, snow, sleet, ice, and rain are magical transformations we know intimately.

It’s an alchemical blend of affinity and focus that takes us to a place within that feels as close as we can get to “home”. It’s like pulling into our own train station after a long trip—joy, relief, a pleasant exhaustion.”
From Stitches: A Handbook of Meaning, Hope, and Repair by Anne Lamott p. 22

Vibrant Orange Can Be Seen Everywhere!

After I requested friends send me examples of orange things that excited their senses, Carla G. was the first to respond. She sent me two crittters–her “cool cat” quilt and this bright giraffe which she described as a WIP or work-in-progress. The coiled fabric basket glows with vibrant energy. Carla wrote this about the gorgeous stained glass window that now abides in her house. “My husband and I commissioned it last year from stained glass artist Beth Erbe of Cutting Edge Glass Creations in Farmington. We didn’t use a color wheel or anything, but just played with colors in Beth’s studio until it “felt right” to us.

Here is another photo of Carla holding her just-finished quilt featuring orange and complementary colors.

Kathy G. jumped in with her usual high energy and sent photos and this message, “Is this top orange enough for you? The pattern is Modern Fans. Spread here is a quilt for a niece. Will get it quilted next week. My loveseat in the process of being reupholstered (by Kathy). Thought you might like the orange arms.” I do, I do! I’m fascinated with her color combinations!

What an ambitious project to strip her love seat down to the bones and create anew! This is “extreme alchemy”.

More creative explorations continued to arrive via computer.

Jan B responded at length to my post and wrote this about the three photos she sent, “Hmmm, I thought…what am I doing with “orange?” Not much, I think…but then I saw your point about orange juxtapositioned with turquoise/aqua, and had a little aha moment. I am probably more likely to resonate and use aqua in my quiltings, but together, orange and aqua make a lovely tune!

Here is a photo of a piece I’ll be putting in QUILT Guild of NWA Show (Apr 5-6, 2019). It has red-orange with mint-aqua, grays, butternuts and Kona snow and newsprint. Together the orange/aqua combination makes the piece very lively.

Another photo is last year’s Kona Color of the Year: “Tiger Lily” which was a gorgeous vibrant orange. I stuck some of it in several of my quilts last year…because you know, once Kona’s year is over, they discontinue that color. (I’ll share if anyone needs some Tiger Lily for a project.)

One more photo: I am using this lovely as a backing for a tree quilt. I love the play of the bright colors on the mud-gray background and the swirls kind of look like the cross-cut of a log. Iam really enjoying this fabric, especially with the batik trees and aqua grunge skies on the front.

So, you see, YOU have reminded me that YES, I am using orange. Thank you!”

Each of these communications was a gift to me!
Lila R sent these last two gifts. Abve, is a photo of a watercolor she did of blood oranges arranged on her table. The photo itself is an interesting composition with the jumble of brushes and the paints barely visible in the upper corners. The small creation below features her “signature” indigo bird and bright accents of green as well as orange on that tawny linen background. I believe Lila has made this for the QUILT guild small quilt auction inn April.

Thanks to each of you for participating in this community roundup of delightful orange projects or accents of orange. I’m going to close with a photo of tomatoes grouped by their shades of yellows, oranges, reds and greens. Creating vivid arrangements is a “magical” process that does not have to be complicated!