Originally Posted by abdconsultant
How about a little bio please.
This image was taken from a photo from one of my favorite vacations-- two weeks my husband and I spent in Naples, Italy; we'd just arrived, the sun was setting and we were out near the western point of the section of bay where Napoli sits.
Beyond that, I did not represent Italy in the rest of the self-portrait.
As I've written elsewhere, I chose to do a realistic self-portrait because I also draw and paint figures and portraits, and the concept of "painting" with fabric appealed to me. That said, for this swap, I think I would have done something different, more along the lines of what others have done to represent who they are while at the same time making something others could enjoy. I'm not sure how much my swap partner will enjoy having a portrait of an unknown woman.
I included the "ocean" in my self portrait because I was raised along the Pacific Ocean in California, and I miss it very much. Not sure if you can tell, but I tacked on a small clay bird just above my shoulder. In my earliest dreams as a young child, I was a bird flying over my family's home, which always made me think I was a bird in a former life.
If I'd made more time for this, I would have added an outline of Mt. Tamalpais and/or a representation of the Golden Gate bridge in the upper backgrounds. The bay area still calls to me each time I return to it.
Also missing is some sort of representation of my family history research. But hey, how much can you cram into one 8.5x11" quilt? :-)
It was a good exercise, my first ever swap, and I learned a lot.
-- Jillaine