Norrie MacIlraith

My Grandma LeGrand’s old travel trunk was kept in the garage filled with everything imaginable: we played dress-up; friends donned costumes for role acting & producing short productions – whatever could be thought of. I took piano lessons, I was recruited to High School Orchestra, and 4-H Band to play Bass Fiddle, and went to Pacific Music Camp Weekend for All State Music Orchestra. Saturday was reserved to listen to the Metropolitan Opera on radio. My parents provided special outings to “The City” – San Francisco, or over to Sacramento three or four times a year – attending plays, concerts, musical theatre, ballet, and orchestra offerings. As an adult, I have continued to be involved with all the fun and magic these endeavors offer. I have painted sets, designed and built costumes, been a costume director for Community Theatre, and even had a few parts acting. My career in Nursing has used role playing, music, and imagery in my Integrated Health Practices.

Crescendo is a very special work representing my love for music, theatre, imagination and play all thrown into multiple experiences as a child and extending throughout my adult life. This endeavor was brainstormed after a CST Abstraction discussion about music and seeing colours which allowed my Magical Child to soar high! I have based this work on Ravel’s “Bolero”: I find this music almost hypnotizing, mesmerizing, and meditative. It also allows a bit of magic to prevail, as first single instruments start the rhythm and/ or one of the two distinct melodies. Each orchestra section follows being introduced and then alternating the melodies among themselves as the music builds until all come together in a continuous blending, with each round undulating louder. Is it any wonder that an “Explosion” concludes this work?

In representing my Magical Child, this work incorporates a number of techniques to achieve Crescendo as a wall hanging with movement. The cotton background was hand painted using very light to dark purple. An off white wool batt-blanket was wet felted to provide a stable felted base to attach other designs. Snare drums are heard throughout the music – they are represented by enlarging circles of brown tone roving, needle felted to background felt. The two melodies are done in two color schemes of wool roving which was needle felted onto a felted base. The orchestra comes together playing the melodies, and then end in the explosion. Quilting of the background is done in undulating waving lines representing the musical flow. Embellishments completed in differing colors, beads, and stitching, feature each instrumental section of the orchestra and work their way across the work. Crescendo has allowed the magic and imagination to be combined in this abstract interpretation of this music – such fun!

Crescendo 2022 20" x 96" plus Extensions Mixed Media Textile NFS n.macLTD@icloud.com