Friday, May 31, 2013

Who Can Count the Apples?



When I first heard of this theme all I could think of was ‘calligraphy’. When I looked though some old course work I did about 15 years ago, I found a practise piece, written in a spiral format, with the saying: ‘Who can count the apples in one seed?’  I decided to base my quilt upon my old wonky attempts at calligraphy, supported by other ways of marks with my own hand, including mono printing, thread sketching and hand stitching.
Then I got to thinking about how the saying actually fitted into the theme.
As a teacher, having to put up with the daily challenges of trying to impart wisdom into wiggly children, it’s easy to find oneself sinking into the mire of pessimism; feeling as though I have not made much of a difference in the world. Clearly that is untrue, as the saying suggests that one seed planted can yield future orchards. Perhaps that is why there is a symbolic connection between the apple and the teacher? We all like to think we have made our mark on the world and this saying helps us to remember that no effort is wasted.
I decided to depict a dead and spent apple tree as the major element with the orchards spreading on and on into the distance.

Linden Lancaster Who Can Count the Apples?

Who Can Count the Apples? Detail 1

Who Can Count the Apples Detail 2



12 comments:

  1. You have put a lot of thought into your quilt. Very well portrayed and beautifully executed.

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  2. Great idea and beautifully portrayed, the apples look good enough to eat

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  3. What an interesting idea - it is amazing how widely we interpret the same theme. Your thread work is complex and conveys your ideas so well.

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  4. Fantastic imagery and so interesting to look into. Beautiful detail & colours too. Did you print text onto organza?

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  5. Like your quilt. I would like to see it in person.

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  6. I love this one!

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  7. I've never heard this saying before and I love the idea of it. I think your piece has terrific layers in it for deeper and closer inspection. Wonderful, Linden; wonderful!

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  8. New saying for me too and so smart! The idea and the quilt is wonderful!

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  9. What a beautiful thought. This piece is just gorgeous, visually and in it's sentiment.

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  10. I love this! Is the spiral printed on organza? How was the printing on the background done?

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  11. Hello Marti, the text was printed on a product called'Extrav Organza'by Jacquard, which is a silk organza and goes through the printer.
    I used a text stamp to give the background some texture and to attempt to soften the contrast between the tree and the background.

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