My First Maquette

I first heard the term maquette, or an exploratory, small scale version of an intended larger piece, on Jacquie's blog.  (One of many, many invaluable tips I've gleaned from her!)  I was intrigued by the technique but honestly too impatient to give it a try. I usually just dive head first into a new design, with almost no preliminary plans or calculations.  As you might imagine, this can occasionally lead to regret later on. Still, it is how I work most often, and usually I find complications to be opportunities to improvise.

There are certain designs which require a bit more forethought, however.  This piece of art, Light House by an Australian artist with an etsy shop called pool pony, was the inspiration for my first attempt at making a maquette.  I could see that making the curves and intersecting lines match up would be a challenge, as well as the way the colors seem to overlap.  I still improvised the piecing, but through the process of making the maquette, I learned so much. 

For example, when I make a larger version, there are different ways I'd like to arrange the colors to play up some overlap and create the illusion of transparency.  I will also change the proportions of some of the shapes, and I'd like to expand the design to include some repetition of the shapes.  I may change the way I cut the curves too, but I will definitely hope to use Oakshott cottons again.  The subtlety of the colors is just perfect for creating transparency.

A piece like this is quite a challenge to make improvisationally, and it is just the type of design that really benefits from a maquette.