8 Spruce Street

The latest thing I’m working on is inspired by a newspaper photograph of Frank Gehry’s #8 Spruce Street, a luxury residential high rise building in New York City. The photo seems to be taken from street level and looks straight up, accentuating the curves and layers to the maximum. The vertical flat sections undulate like steel rivers up the sides of the two towers. I wanted to select lighter fabrics for the lower levels and increase the darkness of them toward the top in order to emphasize distance and perspective. I had trouble with my color choices; I didn’t want the entire piece to be from one color family and couldn’t quite find the right combination. The yellow fabric I chose for the steel “ribbons” was perfect for that particular detail, but creates limitations of other color choices. If I use a different color for each level, it also has to work with yellow. What I ended up with (purples, reds, and browns) is ok, but may not be the best. I am ready to start quilting now, so I am hoping I will get some inspiration that will make it work.