Nedra's "Mystery Lady"

When the new theme was announced, I thought of mystery novels first but wanted to venture beyond that interpretation of the word.  I thought of songs with the word mystery in them and remembered a song by Billy Ocean called Mystery Lady which I love.  I then pictured a lovely woman with dark flowing hair and 

downturned eyes.  I found a painting that almost perfectly portrayed the mystery lady I envisioned.  Ronnie Biccard is the artist who painted the "Goddess of the Sea" which became my inspiration for "Mystery Lady".  I have actually been in touch with her, received her permission to use her painting and post my version of it. 

I had recently viewed an on-line tutorial using white crayons as a resist in fabric dying and I thought I could use that technique to recreate the look of the painting.  I did try the technique and it worked, well sort of.  I made the mistake of ironing the piece and the crayon lines became gray instead of white.  I redrew them many times before the piece was finished.  However, when I layered the tulle over the sky and hair to try to get the right colors, the lines disappeared.  I used the satin stitch to emphasize them.  I am pleased with the overall effect and look of the piece.  I do think it is better seen in person as the lighting in the photo is unbalanced despite trying many different lighting options.

It was a great learning experience though as I used several new materials and techniques; crayons, thread, tulle, paint and crystals were used to complete the look.  I started a blog called the Quilted Giraffe where I have posted past 12 X 12's.  I have made 2 or 3 pieces for the previous themes, this one included.  You will find pictures of the other renditions of the themes,  the original Goddess of the Sea and how I created it  and other work of mine at this address.

http://nedra-thequiltedgiraffe.blogspot.com/