Gaia in Repose

 At long last, I can post my finished response to the Horizons challenge.  I contemplated the interesting insights from my fellow artists, and decided to create some sketches with undulating lines in my sketchbook.  I was struck at one point, how the lines took on the look of a hilly landscape, and later, with how similar those lines were to the curvilinear shape of the human body. The result is a bit of a trompe l'oeil piece. After painting the fabric, I played further with line by adding lines of quilting to provide perspective and dimension. I might well have entitled the piece "Ambiguity" because there is so much! Some viewers don't even see the figure at first.  And is it a hillscape or bed coverings? And finally, where is the horizon - where does the land end and the sky begin?

Gaia in Repose - detail

Or maybe it should be entitled "Perseverance" because of the many obstacles that hindered my completing the piece by the due date.  My trip to Taiwan - the experience of a lifetime - stopped production midway; then a family trip took me away for five days; professional obligations took priority on my return, and I am starting a new day job.  But the final straw last night was the cat deciding my quilt looked like a nice cozy spot for taking a nap.

Snoop, napping with Gaia (yes, the iron was off)

Now the piece is finished and ... what's this? The new challenge has been posted!  Back to the drawing board, quite literally. No rest for the wicked!