Exploring along another possible outcome, I wanted to start on creating some miniature cushion like forms to begin forming the piece. I am still in the development of my blanket piece too, so really I just want to have see and experiment with my options for my final outcome. When cutting the fabric squares out for my blanket piece, I’m left with quite a lot of scrap fabric, but doing these cushions is allowing my recycle my materials.
The cushions are double-sided portraits, so for this piece, I have to paint more portraits than I would for the blanket. However because of it’s small scale, they are easier and quicker to produce in a shorter time. Though when it comes to the miniature portraits for the cushions, I cant fit a circular pattern shape surrounding the portrait, and that originally was to be a visual demonstration of fear.
So with that in mind, the layout of the cushions is to position them into a grid like form were they are detached but still connected by a thread. My aim with how this piece is supposed to relate to fear, is by using multiple portraits, so the piece once completed will still have a surrounding and powerful impact on the space it will be suspended or placed. So what I hope to do is try bring the original portraits to life a bit as it I and the audience were the portraits and the piece is the painted space around those is the outcome piece itself.
As a stuffing for the small cushions, I used some felt I had on hand, which sufficed and gives volume to the cushions. I think that when deciding on the stuffing of these cushions, I could consider whether I could add more than just felt or another material inside. Because the theme is of fear, Its something that weighs on us mentally and/or physically. So I would maybe think about giving this soft piece of work something that it contrasts too, a heaviness by adding stones of objects into the mini pockets.
The response to doing this could be interpreted in many ways by the audience, people might see this as a comfortable weight, almost like a weight blanket that eases anxiety, and others might find the idea that’s the purpose of something that’s supposed to comfort us, but is disrupted by heavy objects, uncomfortable and I think with either of these reactions would be effective with my work because fear is something that effects everyone in different ways and people respond to them differently too.
To close the cushions, I decided on leaving the stitch bare and visible. I quite like the look of the loose threads and how they hand. So when all the portraits are in their positions, the threads will create a overflowing look on top of each other, which I think will look effective in terms of what I want to aim for with this idea of capturing the impacts of fear, I hope that leaving the thread ends will supply some movement to my piece.
Courtney Blair Art 