Icon or Logo?

I pondered the word Icon for a long time and asked people what the word meant to them. I got answers like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean. So the next question became....how do things become icons and ....when is a Logo considered and Icon?

I thought about the Nike Swoosh. Surely it is symbolic of athletics worldwide...so has it become an icon? I think so!

I have been doing a series of quilts with my own little creature who I call a "Dunderhogan". This seemed to be the perfect time to revisit him in all his confusion. I picked logos that most people can identify quickly and created a question mark "logo" over his head to express his and my confusion over the word. I played with felted wool on upholstery fabric and opted not to quilt the piece. I discovered that I love working with felted wool and am now creating a larger quilt with it.
Here is a close up of my Dunderhogan. He always has wide open eyes and a fuzz ball on his belly. You can see others at www.dunderhogan.blogspot.com. This one will join the gang soon.

This was a wonderful word to ponder. Looking forward to the next one.

Icon

Here it is.  When I first started to do art quilts and play with abstractions, I used the blue shape you see coming out of the rectangle on top to depict my spirit. I have done this many times, not to be confused with the leaves I also use frequently.  This image is a great comfort to me and fun to play with in compositions. When Icon was announced I knew I wanted to once again create a journey, my journey, the journey of all of us.

The piece is machine stitched, fused, tulle overlay(very frustrating to quilt over) and machine quilted.

This close up is of the bottom layers......the earth, where we are rooted, grounded.......

This close up is from higher up where I transitioned to lighter colors, showing how we break out of our boxes. This part of the quilt also has some of my hand dyed silks while most of the bottom is commercial fabric.

Thanks for a great challenge.

Peek a boo!

Here is my peek. I formed an idea and actually followed it through to completion.

Tomorrow is the day......and the background for my next piece is already on the sewing table.

Icon Peek

I just finished! Yeah! A quick peek for you all!

Lisa Kay

Ebullient

When we were given the word, I thought...what the heck? That is one word I never hear...or use... but amazingly I have heard people use it at least 4 different times in conversation since I read the definition. Synchronicity??? I pondered for a long time and the idea of water squirting from a fountain kept going through my mind. I used fabric paper again because I loved the deep colors and I wanted a cheery background hence the bright yellow dyed fabric. After a crazy summer I just needed to keep it simple.

And the word is...ICON

Icon , noun

1: a usually pictorial representation : image

2: [Late Greek eikōn, from Greek] : a conventional religious image typically painted on a small wooden panel and used in the devotions of Eastern Christians

3: an object of uncritical devotion : idol

4: emblem, symbol icon of 1960's residential architecture — Paul Goldberger>

5 a : a sign (as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning b : a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that usually suggests the type of object represented or the purpose of an available function

Have fun and I will see you all back here December 1st - enjoy!

An Experiment

I thought long and hard about the Ebullient challenge. A few ideas started to form, but nothing really gelled. And then I received the November issue of Threads magazine with an article about smocking. The effect was wonderful - it looked like woven fabric tubes. I had some sequined
organza and set about smocking it. That particular fabric was something of a nightmare to use, but I pushed on. The design complete, I finished the smocking and promptly changed my mind about the border fabric, opting instead to use a shiny, navy vinyl with a peek-a-boo opening framed with beads. Working with the vinyl made the organza seem easy in comparison. And a word of advice here...shiny vinyl is hard to photograph.

You know how it feels to pass the point of no return with a project? When you have used up your little bag of tricks and hear Tim Gunn's voice in your ear "make it work!" But the more I worked the more I heard Heidi Klum say "it looks home sewn'" and then "I'm sorry, Susan, You're out."



And so, what I have is a door. A Star's Dressing Room Door. The lesson here? It's all well and good to try new materials in a challenge - that is the point! To try new things, stretch, grow as an artist. Some experiments work out well. Some not so much. Hence the title. An Experiment. And it was. And the best part was the smocking. I will use that again, but with a lovely light-weight wool or silk. Maybe this weekend...


Susan H. in summer-what-summer-I-don't-remember-summer San Francisco