Vancouver Skyline

As I've mentioned here before, from time to time, I go to the Stroud Artists' Book group  in Gloucestershire just north of where I live (for details, see below). This group is very welcoming and knowledgeable and it's fascinating to see how differently the members interpret the themes suggested for each meeting, producing such varied and individual work.

Last Thursday, the theme was Holes, to be interpreted in any way we chose. As regular readers will know, I've been working for some time on images of high rise buildings I took while travelling in Vancouver B.C. and one particular image seemed to lend itself to this theme. Conveniently, it already had some 'look-throughts' cut into it and it also gave me a context for continuing the creative circle I described here.

I printed out several copies of the image, flipped some, played with colour, printed on both sides, cut out the resulting shapes and holes, added small dots, and then worked on possible arrangements of the elements. Finally, I stitched the piece together in the valleys.

After much fiddling, I ended up with this as my preferred final arrangement - interestingly not the one I had originally envisaged when I started.

When I began putting things together, I had intended to line them up as below and to stick them by the small 'ears' on each side but I found this gave unsatisfying breaks in the line of the piece and less interesting central shapes on each element. When I turned everything inside out, things seemed to flow more easily and those 'ears' gave useful detail within the structure.

While experimenting with alternatives, I turned the whole thing upside down, though this seemed somehow less resolved and solidly building-like. 

Then I played further with arrangements in bright sunlight, enjoying the shadows created.

Abstracting further and playing with colour and light levels has maybe given me possibilities for follow on work?

To present the piece (more correctly, I suppose, a paper sculpture) in the context of a book group, I made it a cover / box to sit in. 

The group's theme for next month is A Book of a Painting. That will give me something to think about. As yet, nothing leaps immediately to mind! 

 * For those interested in seeing more of the work of the Stroud Artists' Book group but who are unable to come to a meeting, images of work produced are available each month on their Facebook page. Between meetings, members also post useful hints on techniques and equipment.