A what? The dictionary defines triptych as ‘a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together’. A young friend and I made one of those arty ones. It took us a month of weekly get togethers. We finally finished it this last Monday.
It all started when I was donated a huge boxful of wool. I asked for ideas on what to do with it. Fellow blogger Opher, who recently holidayed in Australia commented that the Aboriginal wool art he saw in Darwin was impressive. Of course I just had to google it. And he’s right, it is. I was inspired.
This was the beginning of the first canvas. We decided to use a sign my young friend called her ‘secret S’ as the common theme across all three canvases.
Planning and drafts is what determines the quality of the final outcome in any project. So it was with ours. The canvases were primed with old house paint.
Then followed a period of discussion about designs, stencil creation and transfer to canvas.
Although it seemed a bit tedious to my young partner, she learnt a lot of skills along the way.
The first canvas was the most complex and work intensive. We had settled on using acrylic paints, various textured wools, buttons, faerie stones and pearl beads. Being a crafter of many years standing, I have collected an impressive supply of craft materials. We were literally spoilt for choice.
Once we’d chosen the materials, we played around with how to use them to best advantage before gluing them in place. What followed over the next few weeks was a LOT of gluing using a combination of PVA and quick drying craft glue. Our fingers got pretty sticky.
Along the way we did have a few differences of opinion. The skill of negotiation and compromise was learnt. Like any good artist, the last thing we did was sign and date each canvas.
Oh, and we spent quite a bit of time on deciding what each item was to be called and what it represented.. This information was written on the back of each canvas:
THE SECRET ‘S’ TRIPTYCH
An artistic collaboration between SB and RAILI TANSKA
October 2017
- SOIL, SAND and STONES
represents the earth and nature as beautiful. It makes us happy to see the world clean.
2. SEA and SKY
represents the beach, ocean and The Blue as graceful. It makes us feel peaceful to listen to their sounds.
3. SOUL
represents the heart and spirit as calm. It makes us feel good.
And here are all three together.
My young friend took them home to hang on the wall in her room.
© Raili Tanska
Lovely.
Oh Raili these are just beautiful and you can feel the essence in each one.. Now you have inspired me.. I had been thinking on doing a painting, as my knitting is almost completed that I am doing at the moment..
And I have lots of crafty items laying about. So my friend….
While I might not make a Triptych I will I think start a canvas that has things glued on it..
You and your friends can be proud of the results.. They are lovely.. xx ❤
Thank you so much Sue 🙂 Enjoy your art work. We had a lot of fun making these !
🙂 xxx 🙂 you have given me lots of food for thought.. xx ❤ thank you
Excellent. I look forward to seeing its fruition xx
A lot of medieval triptychs were painted on doors. The two doors could be opened so you had the three panels displayed.
Yes, now that you mention it, I do recall seeing photos of them
Wow Raili must say u r really artistic. Great beads and so beautiful
Thank you – glad you like it !
Welcome and yes absolutely
Those are lovely. I really like the first one. Funny. You’d think I’d be drawn to the second or third… How interesting!
Grounding …..earthy.
That’s why it’s so odd. I’ve always hated that earth is my element. And yet here I am. I seem to have lost my inner dragonfly…
Perhaps it’s in hibernation 🙂
They have a pretty short life span, you know…
Who – grounded individuals?
Dragonflies… They have a life span of seven months.
Aaah – you must be hatching new ones 🙂
I was hoping you’d post the end result of your project. These are beautiful – although my inner organiser rebels against the order of arrangement; I’d place the first one in the centre, although I know they are already arranged exactly as they should be. 😉
Yes, I had the very same feeling ! Maybe it needs to be in the middle anyway. My young friend has now taken them home. It will be interesting to see what order she hangs them in,
Interesting indeed. It might occur to her to put the third one in the centre, with the elements on either side…
It fascinates me that you have created this trychotomalogical (yay! I made up a word!) question, by making the first part of the tryptich in such clear contrast to the others ..
I’m stunned by your word-smithing prowess! I don’t really know why it worked out that way – it just felt right 🙂 I have a question about words. I originally spelt tryptich the way you do, then spellcheck said it was wrong. So I changed it to triptych. But that looks so wrong to me! Which is it?? We used your spelling on the back of each canvas. I turn to your expert opinion on this most puzzling phenomena
I usually spell it with a Y. Hee hee 🙂
I have a feeling I move the Y around, depending on my mood, but it’s triptych here in the UK.
I like it with the Y first 🙂
We are poets – we can break literary and grammatical rules if we wish. Go on, push the boat out; ignore the fury of traditional tryptinifitionalising officanodo’s and tryptophilic rationalists – change the shape of trippy-tichies 🙂
Yay, I’m a trytinifitionalising trippy-tichie radical! Now all I have to do is learn how to pronounce it 🙂
That’s the spirit! 😄