I think I have the value gradation figured out now. As I have said earlier, this is a learning exercise and I have learned lots from it. The shoes were fun to hook and relatively easy. But the background proved a challenge. I wanted it to be interesting but it ended up being distracting. There are still a few things to change, but I think I can now move gradually into the lights. Still, the interplay of background and foreground is something I will continue to experiment with in future pieces–it intrigues me. I’ll post it again when the lights are in.

And finally here is the Toffee Delta tote. This is the third in the delta series and a very nice one too. (You can see the red and green ones in the sidebar photoblog.) It is made from exceptional pebbly toffee leather which has a great look and feel. The very last bit of the flocked caramel skirt adds some character to the zipper pull, zipper end and side loops.  It has carry handles and an adjustable shoulder strap which can be removed. It also has a reinforced bottom with four ‘feet’ to protect it from scuffs. Inside it is lined with some amazing African Karibu cotton in dark green and caramel and has two slip pockets and a zippered pocket. The large outside pocket closes with a magnet. This is the kind of tote that develops character as you use it–and it will be in use for many years to come. It is a great travel bag which will slip under an airline seat, or a useful tote on days when you have lots to carry. More details in the online shop–just press the button at the right of the screen.

ps if you hit the instagram button on the right, you will see the very beginnings of the next delta–another red one.

After a lot of pulling out strips and replacing them with medium values, it looks like this. I’m gradually working to a lighter value at the edges–being careful to make sure to move only one value step away. Working in medium and lighter values is much harder than working in dark values–somehow the darks allow more flexibility and imprecision. The eye seems to pick up any irregularity in both colour and value on the light side of the scale, making the background a distraction, not an enhancement. This seems better now; I’ll post again when it is completed.

On a totally different note, the Toffee Delta is finished and will be on the blog and  in the on-line shop by Tuesday. I have been waiting for some good weather to photograph it. What a crazy cold and wild weather weekend it was!

And finally, we went out to Prince Edward Point to see the bird banding and do some sketching. It was so cold I had to stay in the car! Here is the photograph and the very quick sketch of the lighthouse, sadly missing its topnotch. And, oh yes, I got to hold a Baltimore Oriole at the banding station–magnificent!

All the small hooked mats made by the women in Matangwe will be on display at the OHCG Annual in Kingston.

And here are the shoes at this stage. This background is proving more challenging than I expected. I knew that the values would take special care–but I wasn’t prepared for the issues with colour. Because the pieces I am using are spot dyes and marbelized, the background has more colour than I want in places. I find some of the turquoise distracting and think it has to go! I’ll continue to work with it and post an update on Monday.  

I haven’t had much time to work at this, but here is the progress so far. I am going to our rug hooking group today, so I hope you see a difference tomorrow. I’ll also explain what I am thinking about with the value changes. This is a working piece, a prototype, an experiment–and I am just  seeing where it takes me.

I have made a small start on the background. It will be squares of neutral colours working outwards from light to dark. I gathered a pile of strips in the right values and started between the shoes. I hope the colours will create a subdued flickering behind the shoes, interesting but not intrusive. I have always thought that backgrounds, while by definition must of course take a ‘back seat’, should be as interesting as the main motif. Check back to see if my plan works! Also the toffee Delta should be done by the end of the week.

Last night as I was trying to remember just where I store the tea (and we were only gone 10 days!) I was rereading Jonah Lehrer’s essay on why we travel. He cites various experiments which show that travel has a lasting impact, making us more creative because we’re less insular. We’re reminded of all that we don’t know, which is nearly everything; we’re surprised by the constant stream of surprises. Even in this globalised age, slouching toward similarity, we can still marvel at all the earthly things that weren’t included in the Lonely Planet guidebook and that certainly don’t exist back home.

We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.

I walked along the expanse of beach early each morning and than again at night. This was my favourite part of the time away. I’ll share a few of the photos I took and then I am off to take advantage of the secret tonic of creativity. Maybe these glimpses of this wild beauty will inspire you too. I hope so.

Christine

I’ve been fooling around with my paints this morning. This was a challenge to paint and would be even more so to hook.

More adjustments are needed (the stitching on the right shoe seems a little bright for one thing)–but the shoes are essentially hooked. Next step, the background and border. I am thinking of doing smallish squares in a medium tone for the background, kind of like tiles,  perhaps getting darker at the edges.

For those of you who have asked, the shoes are made by El Naturalista, a Spanish company. This pair is a few years old and I have certainly worn them in. I have a few pairs from this brand because the quality is tops and the comfort beyond compare. However, I did buy a pair of these yesterday!  Now they would be a challenge to hook!  (Apologies for the dip into shopping channel mode–shoes do that to me!!!)

I’ll be back with the background soon I hope.

I’ve made a little progress on the red shoes–I am well into hooking the second shoe and have confirmed the base colour. Taking a photo of the piece as you go is very helpful. Errors which you don’t see when you are working on it, jump out. Or a certain part just nags; not glaringly wrong, but not right either. A black and white photo helps even more. The second shoe needs revisiting, but I’m moving forward for the moment. The next decision is the background. I have some choices, so will report later in the week when I have made some progress.