As the days lengthened and the turn of the new year approached, the work on my artwork for Cloth in Common became more than a sketch and a collection of inspiration photos. BUILDING, our new prompt, and inspiration from Susan Lapham and her focus on building blocks were on my mind and my design grid paper all through the Holidays. The plans became a part of my daily life, and at the new year, the beginning of sorting through my stash of hand-dyed fabrics grew. I was truly inspired by the photo below of the gorgeous sunset sky over Mirimichi Bay in Southampton, Ontario, with credit to Craig White, photographer. I dyed cloth and sorted my stash.

My original ideas included the story behind the building of the “THIRD BRIDGE CROSSING” along the Cataraqui River between Kingston, ON where I live, and the busy Highway 401 I travel each day. The hope is to divert some traffic and allow for better access to the main downtown core of Kingston, along Lake Ontario. A huge project and in progress for the past two years.

I hoped to celebrate the workmen and women, the designers and I collected inspiration photos and planned the layout for my new work to include a “link to building” in the progress of the bridge project. Shipping of the photos from the company in the USA did not arrive mid-January (or even now) as hoped and the project changed dimension, focus, and time. Disappointment moved to determination…

Off in a new direction, I cut and pieced small ‘building blocks” of colour, and using IMPROV and very random cloth choices as I developed the sky and water became a day-by-day passion.

Along the Great Lakes, we get hugely wild winter weather in January…so the blizzards, ice rain, and the loss of internet services off and on for the first three weeks of our new year prevented many working days during January in my studio. So, back home my tiny JANOME GEM 760 machine saved the day… work proceeded, back and forth to town until the finish last evening. Tired and sad to miss a deadline, the work is happily hanging where the visitors to our TETT Centre for Creativity and Learning can stop and recall the beauty of our southwestern sunsets over our beautiful and precious Lake Ontario.

I have been so excited to have this opportunity to learn, be bold in design play and take on some challenging prompt and design challenges along with our worldwide Cloth in Common friends. There is much to learn, and talents are stretched for every artist working with a prompt. And yet, the eager anticipation of seeing a finished piece of art reigns as proof positive it can be DONE!

(And, yes, I still have corners to adjust on my shared ‘Sunset over Lake Ontario’ piece to make it a true FINISH)

Bethany Garner, Musings, Prompt: BUILDING

40w x 40h

Artist hand-dyed fabrics, cotton, machine pieced, and quilted.