Dancing Trees – the final story, may be not…….

It is done – this was the state of it this morning- It lacked finesse and coherence. The canopies seemed flat and too simplistic, the trunks did not seem to support them, and as for the background…….

To work  – canopies, undid some scraps and repositioned, shadow shades were added as strips and then mauled to break up the hard edges. The two canopies kept merging and not able to find the right colour  I  dyed some scrim in the microwave, so wasn’t held up for long. Then a splurge of ripping and snipping to lift the texture. Navy blue stitching deepened the transitions from wood to leaf, (a flatter greener blue on the back tree).

And then the background. All it needed to be was an anchor, to give some kind of context. It is two layers of sheers and then horizontal stitching. The difficulty was keeping the variation and imperfections to soften the line and isuggest distance.

Confession – at this point I did photograph it  but then  hit ‘delete’  in a mad fit of enthusiasm.  Just imagine it………Done?

Now for the paint – this is usually done  as the sewing develops but for some reason I was reluctant to commit to  colour and composition so left it till later.

The paint is subtle, suggesting a surface to set the trees into the landscape, and then giving a bit of variation to the sky as well. A little bit of dry brush work on the back tree to dampen the shininess and it is done.  At least for now.

It is pinned to the wall for the moment, I will live with it for a while and see which bits annoy me and need adjustment. There is always something, colours not quite right, too little contrast, awkward shapes. It takes a while to get the idea of what is done out of the head to allow me to see what I have really achieved. Already spotting some tweaks!

Is it like the initial sketch – it shouldn’t be a copy but does it have that quality of life and movement?, of response to something seen? Not yet.

the dancing trees sketch.

Time for a coffee break and lots and lots of biscuits.