As with many artists, I am influenced by so many things—the visual world has an abundance of inspiration. I have a passion for art, architecture, and maps—the language of lines, shapes, and color captures my imagination. My map compositions reflect these varied interests.
I love to design maps of real and imaginary landscapes and cities. Aerial views, with their lines and shapes, intrigue me. Repeatedly I refer to books on quilts, art, maps, urban planning, and site design. Travel is definitely something I do when I can. I have a bucket list of famous places I want to visit one day, and it prompted me to make the following quilts, one of a real place (The Acropolis) and one of a place that exists only in my imagination (Unknown Regions I).
The Acropolis by Valerie S. Goodwin, 2007, 13˝ × 12.75˝, in the private collection of Deborah Cashett
Photo by Richard Brunck
I am always bookmarking interesting sites and maps on the Internet so I can find them again. When I find a map of a place that I am interested in, I spend time looking at it to think about what I like about it. Sometimes the lines interest me. At other times, the shapes or the colors, and even the topography, capture my attention.
I also have a nice little collection of books with plenty of ideas for possible fiber-art maps. In my opinion, most inspiration comes from curiosity. As a woman who is an artist, I have learned the importance of being a hunter-gatherer of things I find creative. The following is my list of things that inspire my fiber-art maps. While my list may seem to include unrelated interests, for me they all work together. What topics would you add or take away to fit your background and interests?
• maps
• nature
• poetry
• photos of aerial views
• art
• architectural drawings, urban design
• typography and calligraphy
A map is an abstract idea of a place; it is a drawing, an interpretation of reality based on what the map maker wants to show. Map makers make choices about what to include as well as what to leave out—accordingly, a map is a reflection of its maker and how it will be used. There are many, many types of maps. Architects and other design professionals are one type of map makers. We use maps to communicate information to contractors, clients, the public, and other audiences through the various drawings we create, such as site maps, design sketches, and construction documents. Other types of maps include these:
• Road maps that show major highways
• Road maps that show streets and alleys
• Tourist maps that show landmarks of interest
• Utility company maps that depict a neighborhood’s gas and electric lines
The scale of a map is important: If the scale is small, the map can include more detail, for example, streets and alleys; if the scale is large, it might be able to show just the major highways.
Another way that maps interpret reality is through the use of symbols. Maps use marks and figures, such as points, lines, area patterns, and colors. These elements can be the tools for making a fiber-art map come to life.
Examples of lines and shapes
Drawing by Dario McPhee
USING ARCHITECTURE AS DESIGN INSPIRATION
My experience in architecture guides much of what I do as an artist, and I tap into my architectural background in many ways. For example, I take pleasure in seeing how cities are organized. Like many things around us, cities have characteristics that describe their style. There are places that were designed using an orderly grid, such as Savannah, Georgia. Other places, such as Madrid, Spain, are laid out in a more casual way.
Orderly grids of Savannah, Georgia
Drawing courtesy of Eric J. Jenkins, author of To Scale: One Hundred Urban Plans
Casual plan of Madrid, Spain
Drawing courtesy of Eric J. Jenkins, author of To Scale: One Hundred Urban Plans
City Grid IV by Valerie S. Goodwin, 2007, 39˝ × 46˝
Photo by Richard Brunck
This quilt uses a rigid system of lines and shapes based on those found in a place such as Savannah.
City Grid II by Valerie S. Goodwin 2001, 39˝ × 46˝
Photo by Richard Brunck
This quilt has a much more organic structure, such as you would see in a city like Madrid.
There are times when I work as many architects do—after the design phase, work proceeds in a linear sequence without many detours until the building is complete. There are few opportunities to veer off the path, since there are many players in this process and many real-life responsibilities.
By comparison, artists have more leeway and thus the opportunity to work more loosely. If they choose, artists can let the design process evolve. Improvisation, rather than planning out every detail, becomes the guiding force. This way of designing is relatively new for me, but I find it to be very fruitful. It helps me to be more open to free association and thus allows many different ideas to seep in. As a result, my work is now more abstract. I also appreciate that as an artist, I am working with my hands directly on the materials that create the work.
Both ways of creating are valid given the differing circumstances. But a combined approach seems to work well for me. City Grid II started with a small drawing, but the design evolved and shifted during the process of making the quilt. I think I gave myself this freedom because it was a map of an imaginary place.
City Grid II process drawings (quilt is on page 14)
In contrast, Lay of the Land I, a map of a real place, began with many sketches, very small at first. I played with the composition of the various maps that I wanted to use. It was important to tell the story of this place in a poetic way but with a degree of accuracy. After sketching, I auditioned fabrics, started working with the materials, and then let my intuition guide me!
Lay of the Land I process drawings
Lay of the Land I by Valerie S. Goodwin, 2010, 311⁄2˝ × 201⁄2˝
Another way I design is to combine inspiration from art and architecture. Artists such as Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Motherwell interest me, especially their black, white, and gray paintings. Their energetic use of line and shape communicates feeling.
For a time I experimented with limiting myself to black, white, and gray fabric.
These black-and-white quilts were influenced by maps, actually one map in particular. In the eighteenth century, Pope Benedict XIV asked Giambattista Nolli, an Italian architect and surveyor, to engrave a map of Rome that has become famous. Nolli created this masterpiece in 1748.
The Nolli Map was a big eye-opener for me! It is so simple, pure, and striking. It is one of my favorite kinds of architectural maps because it simplifies a map down to two things: black and white. It shows enclosed/private spaces (black) versus open/public spaces (white).
It is hard to resist the simplicity and sophistication of black and white. My architectural students created an amazing patchwork (pages 84 and 85) based on the Nolli Map (page 18). One day I want to create my own personal Nolli Map of a familiar place.
Organic Grid II by Valerie S. Goodwin, 2001, 36˝ × 42˝
Ground Zero by Valerie S. Goodwin, 2001, 49˝ × 35˝
Limiting the color palette to black, white, and gray made the lines and shapes do most of the work to create a very expressive design.
Nolli Map created by Giambattista Nolli
Drawing of the Nolli Map courtesy of Fredrick H. Zal, www.FHZal.com
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I hope this chapter has given you ideas about gathering inspiration from many sources, no matter how unusual and unrelated they may seem. I encourage you to revel in the freedom of making unexpected connections. Keep looking for inspiration; it’s everywhere!
LOOKING AHEAD
The following chapters explain the tools and materials needed and then guide you through a series of exercises or practices that offer opportunities to make design decisions about how to artistically represent elements in fiber-art map quilts. Technique and design exercises are included, intended to help you create fiber-art maps from different perspectives. You can explore creating maps from your imagination and those that interpret a real place. By the end of this book you’ll have plenty of food for thought and a path toward creating your own personal map quilts.
