Inspiration photo before/after

I said it might not happen, but it did: your comments totally influenced my Architecture challenge decision, and deck stairs and geraniums it is. Here's the original photo (left) and after some Photoshop play (right), so I have something more abstract to work from:

"After" is the result of several rounds of copy/paste/flip/rotate/scale, followed by application of the "dry brush" effect. This would make a lovely quilt at, oh, 60"x72" or so, but is now way too complex for a smaller work, so I'll be sampling in some way.

I've not yet started working with fabric, other than to acquire yardage, as this palette bears no relationship to my stash (other than those pops of bright red!). A wildly fauvist approach to color would be fun but is not where inspiration is leading. All those grays will be giant step away from usual for me, so that's what I'll be doing. This required a stop in at my LQS where I spent 3X budget for pale green and gray fabrics, including a "Bali Pop" jelly roll ranging from ivory to black that will be very useful.

Of course, even a fistful of fat quarters and a Bali Pop quickly adds up to more yardage than a small quilt needs, so my insanely over-ambitious muse is whispering, "a triptych could be fun."

Sometimes I wish she'd just shut up or go bother someone else for a while. I'm aiming for one and we'll see what happens.

Indecision

Having an uncharacteristically indecisive time choosing an inspiration photo for the architecture challenge. Would love some feedback on options under consideration:

1) My house is on a very steep lot. From the front deck I look out over the roofs of the houses across the street. I love the angles and shapes and color of this one, directly across the street. The shadows and lines of the corrugated metal roof change with the direction and intensity of sunlight, and there's something about that gridded front door that intrigues me:

2) On the other hand, I also love the distant view of similar roofs off to the North. They're a bit far away (maybe a mile, this was taken with zoom; that's my neighbor's lawn and palm trees in the foreground). It was hazy when I took this pic, details not very sharp. It would be fun to play with those shallow white and red triangles in a sea of green, pulling them in to middle ground distance:

3) With architectural elements on my mind, I paused partway up the stairs to the deck, and saw how interesting the lines and shadows are, especially the pops of red from all those recently-repotted geranium cuttings:

I could easily work with any of these, so long as I'm in a mood to do something primarily angular. On the other hand, there's one other nearby possibility that I've had in mind for quilt play for some kind:

4) This is one of the bridges over Honoli'i Stream, seen from Kahoa St., where I often take a walk. I think it dates from the 1930s. Although the far end of the span is hidden by foliage, you can see how tempting those multiple arch shapes could be to a quilter:

I've changed my mind several times already on which of these to work with (yes, eventually I could play with them all, but available time is meager so I do have to chose just one for now).

This morning #1 and #4 are in the lead, neck-and-neck, but #2 or #3 could make a comeback any minute.

Which option appeals to YOU most?

(No promises I'll heed prevailing opinion, but am curious to see how fellow 15MP-ers view the possibilities!)

{Stephanie}