Thanks to Philippa this is a quote from Twyla Tharp re copying - "It's no different from a young person sitting with a drawing pad in a museum copying a great artist. Skill gets imprinted through the action.
If there's a lesson here it's: get busy copying. That's not a popular notion today, not when we are all instructed to find our own way, admonished to be original and find our own voice at all costs! But it's sound advice. Travelling the paths of greatness, even in someone else's footprints, is a vital means to acquiring skill.
When I started out as a dancer in New York, I became obsessed with studying every great dancer who was working at the time and patterning myself after him or her. I would literally stand behind them in class, in copying mode, and fall right into their footsteps. Their technique, style and timing imprinted themselves on my muscles. That's one of the ways I learnt to dance."
So here I am busy copying - today I am pretending to be Eleanor McCain. Such a simple quilt - playing with colour and the cruciform symbol. Easy and effective and enjoyable to make but I'm not sure its me.... The first photo is the original - the second is my copy. I thought that with more positive negative cruciform blocks the quilt would be more effective. I've made another ATC version using patterned fabric that is interesting. Will post that one soon.
1 comment:
Well done! I think that coming to the conclusion that it isn't really you is possibly what this is also all about. Think of it as a process of elimination - so that isn't what you want to do - try something else....
Have you been able to track down the Twyla Tharp book? Unity trys to have it constantly in stock so I can always get it there and send if you want. There's bound to be someone in Sydney stocking it. Certainly Wgtn Library didn't have it so I was quite excited when I found it.
Don and I are going to Adelaide at the end of the month - Don is going to a conference and I'm just hanging around having a good time -and am planning to take the book and doing a through read through then. Let me know.
The total of my productive output this weekend was a book cover, a hanging sleeve for a school quilt and I started pulling fabric for my brithers wedding quilt... will probably post tonight.
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