Remember my Green Man project? It’s still in process, but not the part of the process that includes actually making anything. Here’s where you saw it last:
Yes, that’s paper and crayons. And that’s about the last I’ve done with it. However, like with other parts of my work this year, I’m learning a lot, reading, trying methods, and looking at other media with new eyes. My new eyes have noticed more faces and masks than ever, and I finally got the point — the Green Man is, in essence, a mask.
You can see faces and masks anywhere, in actual people you know, in your pets, and in flowers, to name just a few. The first quilt I saw incorporating a mask was in a round robin I was in several years ago.
Round robin unquilted top, center by Nancy Rehling.
Last weekend I visited the National Museum of Mexican Art, in Chicago. So much of the art included faces and masks. Here are a just a few. Where I managed to record credits, they are in the captions. Click on any picture to open the gallery.
The variety of ways we express faces is fascinating. These, and a few other things I’ve seen recently, give me all kinds of ideas.
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Just a note — I mentioned in my last post that I haven’t compared types of fusible web, so I couldn’t claim to use the best one. Here is a blog post by Jessica at Sweetbriar Sisters with that comparison. Take a look. If you have comments on the fusibles you’ve used, or have other great ideas of how to appliqué in similar ways, please let us know below! Or tell us about faces or masks you’ve made in quilts or other art.
Catbird Quilt Studio 