The CreACTive Process - Snow Leopard.

Thought you may enjoy an insight into how I work thru a new piece and how it comes together. (A full version of my CreACTive Process Theory is below this Snow Leopard article if you wish to read more.)

This is a commission in a long list of 10 commissions to be completed before I can move on to my own stuff...that's the motivation.

 My husband and I have a very dear friend , an italian mountaineer named Armando....he is like a father figure or uncle to my husband and has taught him rockclimbing and enjoyment of the big outdoors.

Armando is involved in the celebrations of 25 years since Australians ascended Mt Everest and this is culminating in a very special evening, the Australian Himalayan Foundation Fund Raising Dinner on October 9th at the Federal Golf Course, Red Hill, to raise funds for the endangered Snow Leopard.

So the brief for the commission was a quilted wall hanging depicting a snow leopard descending a rocky Himalayan Peak.

So Step 1...INITIAL SPARK...Off to the Canberra zoo to sketch the snow leopards and get a feel for their size and movement and colours and the length of there tail! a metre long, they use it for balance when navigating rocks and as a rudder when sliding down snow...cool...I bet they would enjoy snow boarding too.

Typing in to google "snow leopard images" and clicking on Wikipedia for a whole list of links to sites with pictures...all different angles plus their environment. Soak it up and saturate your mind with all aspects of a snow leopard - body, shape, movement, colouring, fur, environment, eyes, feet size, proportions,  whether they are typically in a pack or individual etc etc.

 This is the first stage of the painting...the following pics show the stitching.

Step 2 - CAPTURING - capturing your ideas and thoughts, with drawing and images and taking notes of feelings or colours ....working out how it will look, the feeling, the mood, the colouring, the message you wish to send, what you wish to evoke from a viewer.....finding a fabric as the base which helps establish the colour range, play with pencils and paints and get set a palette. Giving the piece a title helps to focus your thoughts and give definiate direction of what the message is about or the feeling. So in this case i wanted to show the rugged environment, the huge mountains that he calls home, his beauty and power, but also the idea of being a loner and isolated and out in the cold, in the moonlight but with a hint of a bright future as the snow melts and spring flowers appear amongst the rocks..the brighter future we can give him if we donate time and effort and money to his cause.

This piece is called Descending to Spring and the fabric I chose..... a batik in dark grayish mauve  and purple with a hint of warm pink over a flower batik pattern. Most of the pattern is lost but gave a varied base to work on and gave the sky some lovely texture.

Step 3 - TIME AND TIMING....giving the design and idea time to gel in your minds eye then giving yourself adequate time to complete the task....not much luxury of time with a daunting list of pending commissions. 

 Step 4 -  Active Questioning - should these clouds be darker or lighter as they go back into in the distance.? Should they be cooler or warmer in tone....does the pink hint work as a light source.? How to create the textural differences in close rocks and way distant Himalayan mountains...? these are the questions I am working through as Ii paint the image and then move into the stitching....saving the best bit for last, the layers of thread painting to create the snow leopards fur and markings...fun stuff. 

I am very pleased with the distant Himalayan peaks and clouds....the finished piece is 50cm by 1m long with a greeny olive binding. Called Descending into Spring with a hint of the Spring flowers blooming in the foreground, symbolising a hopeful future for the endangered snow leopard. This piece will be auctioned off on Friday 9th October at the  Australian Himalayan Foundation dinner celebrating 25 years since the first Australians ascended Mt Everest and raising funds for the snow leopards. For more info go to.......... http://www.australianhimalayanfoundation.org.au

NEWSFLASH - highly successful evening was had, wonderful guest speakers with amazing stories and adventures to share - such an honor to speak to people who have climbed the big one! I was very star struck by their  achievements..... of otherwise average people...sensational inspiring evening....and I am proud to say my Snow Leopard donation was sold at auction fo$1200 towards the cause. Thank you John.

 Below is my theory on the CreACTive Process - grab a cuppa tea and read on if you are game!

Helen’s 4 Steps of The CreACTive Process

1. Initial Spark
2. Capture
3. Time & Timing
4. Active Questioning

1. Initial Spark
* fabric in a shop or stash
* observation of the world around us - design/colour/shape
* image/picture in a book - feelings/tells a story
* play on words - connotations
*theme/challenge/competition

2. Capture
* Drawings/sketches in visual diary
*Take photos
* Take written notes of words/feelings/mood/colours/the story
* Label it, name it, make it concrete

3. Time & Timing
* Give the idea Time to mix and meld in Mind’s Eye
* Get your Timing right to actually start the project and make a date with your Muse without interruptions

4. Active Questioning
* Internal Dialogue
* Use a critical eye
* Constantly evaluating/devil’s advocate
* Prepared to go with the flow/allow changes to your plan and listening to the quilt talk to you as it materialises
* Ask questions such as -
• What if…the colour was darker?
• What if…the placement was different?
• Does it showcase my best skills?
• Does it answer the criteria or theme or challenge?
• Does it involve the viewer & evoke the WOW factor?
• Does the initial spark shine through?

The CreACTive Process

In sum, the CreaCtive Process an initial spark of an idea, capturing it and then allowing time for it to develop in your Mind’s Eye. Then translating this idea to reality, actively helping it evolve to its full potential and literally materialise.
Sounds a bit like Motherhood I know but sometimes my quilts are like my precious babys and it can take a while before you are ready to let them go out into the big world.

The key point I want to make is that the process is completely interactive between the quilt artist and the piece as it grows.
Creative + ACTIVE = CreACTive…..use it in a sentence this week!

For me, this CreACTive Process produces a Natural High - a buzz that can keep me going for weeks/months/years.

The quilt artist experiences the personal pleasure of interacting throughout entire process from start to finish; learning along the way.
No matter how much a viewer/s likes the quilt or appreciates the quilt, they see only the finished product and can not experience the joy of creating that particular quilt - 2 completely different outcomes from the one piece.

This personal journey for the artist is often why a piece can be hard to part with as it represents a ”good time” a bit like the fond memories a favourite holiday snap can evoke.

The CreACTive Process for the Creator is
the journey not the destination,
the process not the product.