Was anyone else struck by the opposition of the meanings of "reflection"? The visual reflection, as in water is superficial; the personal or introspective reflection is not. The introspective option had me thinking of creating a self portrait, but trying to come up with visual representations of personal characteristics didn't appeal to me. Instead, the chakra system, which is part of Asian spiritual practices, was my inspiration. It appeals because of the representation of the whole person. Each of the 7 chakras corresponds with a color of the rainbow...voila! I worked through a few sketches, first thinking I would depict some sort of "mirror" reflection. Eventually, I decided on what you see here. The slash through the middle was inspired by my husband's suggestion to chop the original up somehow to create more visual energy. I liked the idea of the contrast, both by adding curves, and by flipping the color progression. That also represents for me the dynamic nature of one's self. I'm not satisfied with the thread I used for quilting. (Sulky "sliver") Too flashy...I would have preferred more quiet, but I had trouble choosing thread that would work on the colors and on the black. I now think a medium gray would have been better. Oh well, it's been, as usual, a great learning experience!
Haven't made up my mind about the sparklies but I really like the concept of this quilt, perhaps because we did a whole year's focus on the chakras and their colors last year in a yoga class I take, but I liked it's impact even before I read your explanation--a rainbow without the rainbow shape and the contrasting slash does bring it to life.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder I like this quilt - I love rainbow colours! And the "slash" in opposite colours is just the little spark it needed (sometimes it pays to listen to the men in our lifes )
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