I'm a writer-turned-artist who stitches my stories full time using a needle and thread, felted wool, and a variety of mixed media embellishments.
Artist's statement: I feel a strong connection to the domestic needlework tradition and am particularly interested in the role handwork plays in the lives of those who create it, be it practical, expressive, or therapeutic.
My pictures depict glimpses of everyday (well, sort of) people and animals, combining a love of words, folk art and fiber. Simple shapes, bright colors and a word or two tell the story, inviting the viewer to engage in an exploration of the ordinary made extraordinary through the use of a little imagination and a lot of tiny stitches. But my work is as much about the process as it is about product.
My pieces are 100% hand-stitched. I love the feel of the wool and the slow pace at which the picture is revealed. Using repurposed and hand-dyed felted wool, I sew and embroider each layer, incorporating beads, vintage trims, found words and phrases. I take delight in giving discards a new life.
My education is in creative writing. Perhaps that explains my need for words to complete the picture. Most often my words are cut from vintage magazines of the 1920's - 1950's. Quirky colors and fonts and the hunt for just the right letter add to my enjoyment of the process and ensure that each piece is truly an original.
My pictures depict glimpses of everyday (well, sort of) people and animals, combining a love of words, folk art and fiber. Simple shapes, bright colors and a word or two tell the story, inviting the viewer to engage in an exploration of the ordinary made extraordinary through the use of a little imagination and a lot of tiny stitches. But my work is as much about the process as it is about product.
My pieces are 100% hand-stitched. I love the feel of the wool and the slow pace at which the picture is revealed. Using repurposed and hand-dyed felted wool, I sew and embroider each layer, incorporating beads, vintage trims, found words and phrases. I take delight in giving discards a new life.
My education is in creative writing. Perhaps that explains my need for words to complete the picture. Most often my words are cut from vintage magazines of the 1920's - 1950's. Quirky colors and fonts and the hunt for just the right letter add to my enjoyment of the process and ensure that each piece is truly an original.
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
Online shop: smallworksinwool
Blogs:
Membership:
FAMM (Fiber Arts and Mixed Media)
Languages spoken: English
"Dreamgarden" by Susan M. Hinckley
Tags: self-taught, hand-stitched, vintage, embroidery, applique, narrative, folk art, embellishment, wool, felt
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“Drive a nail home and clinch it so faithfully that you can wake up in the night and think of your work with satisfaction,- a work at which you would not be ashamed to invoke the Muse”
-Henry David Thoreau
In our case, it would be the needle or other fiber tool. Drive it home! And, we all thank you for your words, left here to these good folks. Invoke your Muse!