Using light inside

Sketchbook image of how I might produce the effect of light coming through a slit.

This was an exploration of my thinking about the contrast between the slit "golden light" and the surrounding areas.

Using copper florists wire for its flexible but strong properties, and it's ability to withstand the heat of being so close to a light bulb, I wrapped it round picture wire uprights, to give the structure of the sketchbook picture. Also referring to the structure of African huts and the shapes in the little pictures below, from earlier sketchbooks and samplers.

With light coming through I can see that:
1. This emphasises the edges rather than the split
2. It might be better to give the impression of light rather than having actual light coming through.
More interesting to look at.
3. There needs to be more breadth, and more regularity, to the 'verticals' to put the emphasis on the split-ness.
4. The presence of a warm light bulb reduces the options for materials.

Another sampler I made to explore the idea of light inside was on the sewing machine, with layers of fabric split apart and joined by stitching onto dissovable fabric.

I found that the requirements of the dissovable fabric for connections and reinforcement of the stitching meant that some of the expressive lines I wanted to make became thicker and more vertical than I wanted them to be. For example, there had to be some stitching down the sides of the slit, which interfered with the pattern of horizontal lines that I wanted to emphasise, and smoothed out some of the attractive complexity of the slit's edge.

On the other hand, stitching seems to be a good way to introduce colour in a different way, and has the potential for subtle shading. I might well use this technique on another occasion, but it doesn't seem suitable for this piece.