The place I live in is not artistically inspiring. I am usually drawn to things with a history, a past; to things that show the revenge of time; to weathered walls and peeling paint. But although the area I reside in offers a great quality of life, it is too new, too clean, too modern and too suburban to inspire creativity. Thus I usually have to rely on other things to trigger my artistic juices.
This year spring has arrived early in California. We had summer-like temperatures starting in February. And after four years of a severe drought, we also got some rain--not enough to solve our problems, but more than we did in any of the previous four winters. The combination of warm weather and plentiful water did magic. My neighborhood suddenly transformed--from a depressing sprawl of brown gardens and dying trees it swiftly burst into colorful life. Lawns that looked dead resumed their natural green. Plants that hardly dared bloom in previous years are now covered in red, yellow, pink, white or purple blossoms.
I find this gush of life contagious. I’ve been taking long walks in my neighborhood amidst the plentiful blooms, and for the first time ever found inspiration close to home. This led me to choose atypical colors for my spring collection. Not the usual dark, in-between colors I am often drawn to, but bright pinks, magentas, purples and greens--the colors of spring.
I chose my fabrics a few weeks ago, but only this week finally found time to cut them:
These are some of my spring fabrics, in the colors of an awakening world:
Here are the first few I cut:
And then the rest, sprouting like a garden on my living-room floor:
Here are some of the real flowers that currently surround me, and which inspired my new, upcoming bags:
Enjoy spring, everyone!
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