Shape Fascinations
by Anne Pilgrim
I have always made things, from sewing clothes to dolls to writing calligraphy to stained glass. When I got to stained glass, about 20 years ago, I kind of got stuck. Every time I think maybe it's time to stop, I think, no, not yet.
My first pieces were angels, and they're still one of my favorite things to make. For a long time I thought a triangle was the right shape for an angel, but when I saw some curved ceramic angels on a wall in a restaurant, I realized I could make any shape I wanted. So now my angels come in a variety of shapes, as well as colors.
I took some classes, but for a long time I worked without a teacher or a mentor, and learned from my mistakes. And I still do make plenty of mistakes, and learn from them. But as time went on I became braver, enlarging the size I was willing to make, and also going into 3D. I had made some boxes, when are 3D, of course, but very symmetrical. After I bought a Moravian star at a craft show in Pennsylvania, I decided to try to make one. The first one took a long time to figure out, but now that I've figured them out they're not such a challenge. They're popular for the holidays, look good on a Christmas tree, or some folks just collect them in a big bowl as a table decoration.
I am always looking for patterns, whether in floor tiles or quilts or buildings. I tend to the geometric, but sometimes branch out into circles and other shapes. And I love color, especially the color wheel or spectrum. We all learned R-O-Y-G-B-I-V, red orange yellow green blue indigo violet, as the colors in the color wheel, but there are so many variations within that range, and then there's clear and brown and black and white, which don't have a place but exist and are useful in many ways. For instance, when I make a piece with a definite pattern I usually put a clear edge around it, so that when I put a zinc frame around the whole piece I don't cover up any of the pattern. And I make some pieces which are outlined in black, which makes the rest of the color pop.