China Town, Chicago

China Town, Chicago, is quite an interesting spot! It's easy to feel as though you have traveled all the way to China instead of just taking a subway ride downtown. There are lots of restaurants, variety and gift shops as well as Chinese markets selling everything. One of the things I found interesting were the ceramic tiles around the plaza.These could easily be turned into an interesting applique or stitching project. The last two photos were taken of a couple of ceramic motifs outside a shop.

Since I have started creating textile art, my observation skills have improved dramatically. Now when I look at something such as these ceramic tiles, I wonder how it can be used in a piece of art. For example, I look at texture, colour and line. Sometimes I will make a small sketch. Usually I take a digital photos of the things I find interesting and refer back to these. My camera is a constant companion.