Sumptuous Surfaces - Colour Design and March TIF

I took this photo a couple of years ago. It is a macro shot of a section of a tree fern stump. I loved the colours and textures and knew one day, when I had the time and felt ready, that I wanted to do an impression of it in textiles.

I am fascinated by nature at a macro level and my digital camera has given me a new lease of life - helping me record what I see. I also love the beauty in decay at close up. I think of all things returning back to the earth - whether they are natural or man-made - everything is ephemeral.

I smiled to myself when I saw the topic of the March Take It Further Challenge. The theme is: "Do you ever notice the little things, the small moments, the details in life? This months challenge is to do just that, pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger."

This macro interpretation fits that topic and the colour scheme pretty exactly for me. As I am also time poor - it will give me a chance to catch up with this and the February TIF within the next month. Sharon B and I are obviously on the same wavelength at the moment. What luck!

I started this piece a while ago...well, I found the brown corderoy (from cut-offs when shortening a pair of trousers) and painted the interfacing with acrylic. Made a postcard sized background area. Then I ran out of time, inspiration and any idea what to do next.

Sharon B's sumptuous surfaces design class has given me the basics of design and a framework to see how I can "Take this Further". I have been inspired to have another go. It has also enabled me to give myself permission to work on a piece of art that I feel very inspired to try.
I didn't do much art at school. I never had a chance to develop a personal style. I have just been trying lots of different things. I feel that this may be one step closer on that personal style journey.


The design outline and colour scheme...

















Here is my progress so far...