I'm prepared....I think!

I usually don’t get nervous when I play. I have been well schooled in how to practice and perform. When you start very young, not playing often upsets you more than playing. Since I’m coming to giving workshops later in life, I’ve experienced nerves. Geesh!

Anyway, I think I’ve prepared sufficiently for the workshop Monday. Update as I unpack afterwards.

It’s been challenging to keep working on ideas. The mailman delivered the brochure for Bach Fest 2019. So much music! I finally had to hide the brochure with all the concerts listed so I didn’t pick it up and distract myself. I need to put the sketches for BWV 549 into thread. I’ve got all these options.

Time to get to work!

Two Hearts in One completed

Two Hearts as One by Martha Ess (front)

Here is the version in olive and deep red:

I’m glad I tatted this beauty. Thank you Martha Ess for giving us a great design to tat!

For my next version…..

Two Hearts as One by Martha Ess (back)

I considered tatting the pattern with picots only where necessary. Using beads, of course, and joining. But then I realized that it would be that much harder to tell which side is the front. And it would complicate the pattern just enough my brain might short-circuit. No explosion, but too many mistakes that would need to be dealt with. Not worth it.

I’ve had ideas for my Bach Fest piece. Last year was so much fun. And the bookmark continues to bring Joy. I’m seeing where a fugue subject takes me this year!

A Gigue to thread

Bead added….

Earring tatted….(no picture as it’s a gift)

Walk on the beach enjoyed…..

And as a special bonus, the sky was clear yesterday morning, so I enjoyed a wonderful colorful sunrise!

I have been considering possible designs to tat as I play through the “Gigue” Fugue. The notes are arranged in groups of 3. I’ve been toying with ways to weave in groups of 3. I have several possibilities to try. And wouldn’t it be fun if I had a thread that changed colors in the same proportion as the music changed key centers? I’d like something a bit brighter than the Herbal Garden. The music is so happy and cheerful sounding! That triangle piece is so lush and calm. I’ll just have to dance over to the stash and see what I can find!

Of feet and knees and melodies

The saga continues with the foot. Now, I’m more concerned about rehab of the knee. I’m learning far more about anatomy and how the human body is supposed to work and how my body has been accustomed to working than I ever wanted to know. I’d prefer to just get from point A to point B without thinking about it all. Sigh. The good news is, I’m making progress at the 3 steps forward, 1 step back rate.

Before I share pictures of the second round of my interpretation of the Saint Saens movement, I wanted to share a bit of how I have been thinking through my design.

There are elements of design that all artists deal with. Sometimes it drives the whole project, other times, things just fall into place. Changing facets of each element change the art. That’s all I’m qualified to say on that. I’ve only scratched the surface learning about all that. I don’t feel it’s necessary to spend a whole lot of time on deciding how I’m going to tat, but I am basing my art on the thought that it is important to spend time looking carefully at the music and assigning visual cues to what we hear.

If that’s clear as mud, don’t feel bad. I’m still striving for a way to express my process.

For this composition, I’ve decided to correlate the color of the beads to what section of the orchestra has the “melody” or whatever we recognize as a theme. Each element of tatting (ring, chain, etc) roughly correlates to phrases or sections. Finally, I’ve decided to use only 1 color thread. And I’ve decided a circular “doily” overall structure suits the composition.

If you glance up at yesterday picture, you see some green thread. That’s a metallic sewing thread added using the “daisy picot” technique to represent the piano part. There are 4 phrases to the melody lifted out for the movie. The strings and pianos play it first, then the organ and brass. I ignored the brass frequently in this version. I felt guilty until I really looked at how he composed the 2^nd movement and then made that call for this movement. When I create something representing the 2^nd movement, I’ll revisit that decision.

Tomorrow I’ll explain what I saw in the fugue subject.