“Jubilation!” was imagined to express sheer joy. I endeavor to bring my art ‘to life’ intuitively. Jubilation, to me, brings to mind an exuberant expression of life. No real fanfare, of course, other than a joyful girl, jingling her tambourine through the sun-filled air.
These people are feeling lively, yet peaceful. And the doves flying in the distance represent that. The smaller dove carrying an old bell. I use quite a bit of natural textured cotton and use quilting as a way to ‘pull together’ my pieces but not as a primary concern.
There was a lot of twisting, braiding and looping of ribbons, embroidery floss, satin cording and ‘curling’ of silk in this piece. The golden sun was folded with small silver bugle beads in a circular motion to make it appear to be spinning along with the music.
I am inspired by all forms of ethnic dance and music and “Jubilation!” was an opportunity to have fun with beautiful color and textiles. It was especially rewarding to make the dancer’s skirt and move the multicolored ribbons on the tambourine around to have them stream through the sky.
When I create art, I almost always listen to classical music, unless I need the inspiration for nature outside my windows. I appreciate all styles of music and it helps invite images in my mind of places far and wide, that beloved ‘universal language’.
Music and dance are represented in my art often. It’s so varied among cultures and I find music from different lands awe-inspiring. The seed beads on the top of the African drum were blended as earth tones, and the stones surrounding it were chosen for their uniqueness.
I purposely have not refined some of my skills. I feel too much perfection gets in the way of the essence of what my art is trying to say. Colors tell a story all on their own.
There are so many rich and beautiful colors in the African culture, and this really made for a creative choice and placement of less common beads. These range from small coral shells for a necklace to Swarovski Austrian crystal beads.
