There comes a time in one’s life when you are handed an opportunity and even if you aren’t completely sure about it you just have to go for it. I was given just such a chance when the Blue Bridge Music Festival and the Newmarket Group of Artists Studio Tour teamed up for a fundraiser. Local artists were called upon for design submissions, three of which were to be chosen for completion and then be auctioned off. I was thrilled to have my design picked as one of the three.
The fun began when I was handed a violin to work on. This is where my quandary lay. I knew what I wanted to do, but the execution needed some thought. I am primarily a textile artist – needle and thread are my tools of choice. I did not want to change how I worked so I needed to adapt to be able to stitch a violin. (And I wish to state at this point in time that no useable violins where harmed during this challenge!)
I started by painting the whole violin white. The brown colour was not in keeping with my overall design so it had to go. Once the paint dried, I spent quite a bit of time looking at the violin from all sides just to get a feel for how the lines flowed. I was thinking how for me music was always a way to wind down and relax so I wanted to get that across with the finished piece.
Prior to working on the violin, I had a stitched series of sea and cloudscapes that were growing on a daily basis. I realized that I had been practicing for the violin already! A skyscape was combined with some of my favourite floral ideas and “Where the Music Moves You” was born.
Read more in our Summer 2012 issue.
Designed by Heike Blohm
heikeblohmdesigns.com
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