I've been very busy this summer so I have not posted for a while. Summer school captured my attention, but the coolest thing I did this summer was creating this quilt based on the painting
“Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow, and White: Nom II 1939” by Piet Mondrian.
I conceived an idea during the school year to make a quilt based on a painting.
Obviously I could not create a quilt based on just any painting because
recording people and landscapes, for example, are way beyond my abilities as a
quilter, so I had to be selective. I knew I had to choose a painter who created
mostly angular designs, preferably simple designs. I remembered how Mondrian’s
paintings have been used in clothing design so I determined that I would
focus on choosing a Mondrian piece.
“Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow, and White: Nom II 1939” by Piet Mondrian
Eventually, I decided on “Composition with
Red, Blue, Yellow, and White: Nom II 1939”. I had to be sure of the paintings
true proportions in order to ensure that my quilt would be proportional to the
actual painting, so I calculated the dimensions of every rectangle and made the rectangles of my quilt proportional.
Front of my Quilt
Front Detail
Front Detail
Front Detail - I included a "PM 39" to represent how Mondrian signed his piece
I had to carefully consider
what to do with the back of the quilt. In the end I decided to create a mirror
image on the back of the quilt because I wanted the rectangles from the front
to match up with the same sized rectangles on the back. The only difference is
that I wanted the back of the quilt to only have black and white. I used black
in place of the white and other colors on the front of the quilt, and white in
place of the black. I liked this
arrangement because the white and colored thread would be easily seen on the
back, hinting at the pattern on the front. This created a new twist on the
front that I really liked.
Back of my Quilt
Back Detail
Back Detail
Back Detail - I signed it with my initials "SH 15"
It took me approximately 80 hours to create this
quilt in its entirety. This is the first large quilt I have ever created.
Previously, I have created baby quilts, and even smaller pieces. I worked hard
to make the quilt look as much like the Mondrian painting as I could, so I even
sewed “PM 39” into my quilt to represent how Mondrian signed his name on his
painting. I signed my initials on the back, “SH 15” in the same manner as
Mondrian. The painting “Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow, and White: Nom II
1939” is owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. I would love
to see the painting in person someday.
For more information about Piet Mondrian look at my fifth
post found here
