Figure & ground

The first few lessons in Improvisations are about creating figure and ground. Also known as positive and negative spaces. Nancy recommended Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design for further study. This is not an unfamiliar concept to me but she delved deeper. Like I said before, she's my guide into the quilt as art.

Here's my first study. Like in the strip-piecing class last fall, we start using only black and white.
Then she let us use a color with black. First a large bold study. This is the most successful one of these three. It's roughly 48x42.
Then from the remnants, a small busy study. It's about 7.5" x 11.5". I may cut it up more to make it even busier.