Improv Monday ~ Pausing to See

Welcome to Improv Monday! View the archive and please join the conversation!After a bang of initial energy, the linen quilt on my wall has remained untouched for almost three weeks... but finally PROGRESS!

Many hours of pausing to look at this quilt were required before I could commit to sewing the pieces together. Pauses are a necessary part of seeing.

Sometimes I find it helpful to pause before falling automatically into the next step of the process. Pausing helps me see what is actually present before responding. Pausing allows the essence of... the created object, painting, quilt, sculpture... relationships to emerge. Do you have any experience or insights to share on the role of pausing in your work or life?

Even though this pattern is simple, what I can now SEE emerging are the patterns and colors of the flowing fog and landscape in the Sunset district of San Francisco. How fitting since the quilt is a commission for a couple who live in the Sunset. They helped me fine tune the pallet. I love that it subtly describes the natural environment where it will eventual live.

I overlaid the two sides of the top half of this quilt in photoshop just for fun. Very fog like don't you think? View the process slideshow of this quilt in reverse progression.

BTW - This concept of pausing, comes from the I Ching. Stay tuned for my next modern quilt-along which will be exploring pattern making, and creative flow through random and synchronistic processes using the I Ching... coming soon!