Hope in the Storm



"Hope in the Storm" 24"x30"

With all the excitment about the book coming, I didn't have a chance to finish blogging about my commission.  This is my third piece in the series.  After the carefree nature of childhood and the craziness of being an adult, this piece deals with the struggles we face when life throws us a curveball.  Life isn't always pleasant, filled with bright color and energy.  The storms come.  Within those storms, I tried to convey hope and the sense that we are not alone despite how it may feel.     

Working with such dark, muted colors was a step out of my comfort zone.  I began free motion quilting with black thread and then painted the fabric with watered down black paint.  The result was a dark gray, which I then painted over with dark purples, blues and greens.  The background was still too dark, so I added metallic paints and a touch of watercolor crayons. The effect was a very blustery feeling.  I wanted to main circle to be the focal point and not too depressing, so I used a bright yellow-orange with the more muted red and purples.  I then added the additional small circles and copper washers.  When I first layed them out the piece looked more like a fertility quilt.  After rearranging them, I hope that isn't the first impression.  My goal is for them to be points of light shining in an otherwise challenging environment.  They could also be challenges that have the potential to sparkle in one's life.   Finally, I finished the edge with a dark purple varigated yarn and copper thread.

"Hope in the Storm" Detail