EMBROIDERY
A SERIES OF THREAD PAINTINGS THAT I'VE WORKED ON. SOME OF THEM ARE HAND EMBROIDERED, SOME ARE MACHINE EMBROIDERY. THESE PROCESSES REALLY MAKE ME SLOW DOWN. IT IS VERY MEDITATIVE AND RELAXING.
HUDSON VALLEY SEED COMPANY- STINGING NETTLE
WHO DOESN'T LOVE SEED PACKETS? I MEAN EVERYONE RIGHT?! WELL, IF YOU LOVE THEM AS MUCH AS I DO, THEN CHECK OUT THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED COMPANY!
EARLIER THIS YEAR IN MAY 2016, I WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN ONE OF THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY'S 12 ART PACKS FOR 2017. OVER 400 ARTISTS FROM 48 STATES AND 7 COUNTRIES SUBMITTED PROPOSALS. AFTER DOING A FEW ROUNDS OF SKETCHES, IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WOULD DESIGN THE STINGING NETTLE PACK! KEN FROM HUDSON VALLEY THOUGHT THAT MY EMBROIDERY TECHNIQUES WERE PERFECT TO TELL THE STINGING NETTLESTORY! THEY WERE SO EASY TO WORK WITH TO GET INPUT, APPROVALS AND PAYMENT. THANK YOU KEN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS AMAZING PROGRAM!!
NOT ONLY WILL MY EMBROIDERY BE USED ON THE SEED PACKET, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE FEATURED IN THE SEED LIBRARY 2017 CALENDAR, AVAILABLE AS FINE ART PRINTS AND THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WILL BE IN A TRAVELING ART SHOW AROUND THE COUNTRY! I'LL POST THE LOCATIONS AND DATES WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE.
THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST COMPLEX EMBROIDERY I'VE DONE TO DATE. IT WAS REALLY SPECIAL TO WORK ON BECAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD WHEN I HAD A SMALL GARDEN PLOT IN OUR BACKYARD, I GREW GREEN PEPPERS, CARROTS, GREEN ONIONS AND SOME OTHER THINGS I DON'T REMEMBER!
BELOW ARE SOME OF MY SKETCHES AND IMAGES OF MY PROCESSt
AFTER A FEW ROUNDS OF SKETCHES CONSISTING OF PENCIL DRAWINGS, MARKER COLOR STUDIES AND BLACK AND WHITE DRAWINGS, I STARTED DESIGNING THE FINAL IMAGE. WORKING AT 200% SIZE, I DID A BACKGROUND PAINTING WITH GOUACHE, WATERCOLOR AND COLORED PENCIL. I USED TISSUE OVERLAYS TO DRAW ELEMENTS OF THE IMAGE SO I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THINGS AROUND TO FIND THE PERFECT SPOT FOR EVERYTHING. NEXT I PAINTED ON WHITE COTTON FABRIC WITH DYE-NA-FLOW FREE FLOWING LIQUID COLOR. THE DYE WAS FIXED TO THE FABRIC WITH A HOT IRON. NEXT UP WAS TRANSFERRING MY FINAL LAYOUT TO THE FABRIC USING A DISAPPEARING INK PEN POPULAR WITH QUILTERS. I USED MY LIGHTBOX TO TRACE THE FINAL DRAWING DIRECTLY ONTO THE FABRIC. FINALLY I WAS READY TO START STITCHING! AFTER MANY HOURS OF STITCHING OUTLINES FILLED WITH DETAILS AND TEXTURES, I DABBED THE INK DRAWING WITH WATER TO REMOVE IT. A FINAL IRONING OF THE FABRIC TO REMOVE WRINKLES, OFF TO KAYLEY AT HODDICK PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PROFESSIONAL IMAGES AND IT WAS READY TO SEND OFF TO KEN AT HUDSON VALLEY!
I BASED THE CONCEPT OF THE STORY OF THE 6 SWANS. "THE SIX SWANS" IS A GERMAN FAIRY TALE COLLECTED BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM.
PLOT: SIX BROTHERS FROM A KING'S FIRST MARRIAGE HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO SWANS BY THEIR STEPMOTHER. THE BROTHERS CAN ONLY TAKE THEIR HUMAN FORMS FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES EVERY EVENING. TO FREE THEM, THEIR SISTER NAMED ELSA MUST MAKE SIX SHIRTS OUT OF NETTLES AND CAN'T MAKE A SOUND FOR SEVEN YEARS OR THE SPELL WILL NEVER BE BROKEN.
THE KING OF ANOTHER COUNTRY FINDS HER DOING THIS, IS TAKEN BY HER BEAUTY, AND MARRIES HER. WHEN ELSA, NOW QUEEN, HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO THEIR FIRST CHILD, THE KING'S OWN WICKED MOTHER TAKES AWAY THE CHILD AND ACCUSES THE QUEEN OF DESTROYING IT. UNABLE TO DEFEND HERSELF, THE QUEEN IS SENTENCED TO BE BURNED AT THE STAKE AS A WITCH.
ON THE DAY OF HER EXECUTION, SHE HAS ALL BUT FINISHED MAKING THE SHIRTS FOR HER BROTHERS. ONLY THE LAST SHIRT MISSES A LEFT ARM. WHEN SHE IS BROUGHT TO THE STAKE, SHE TAKES THE SHIRTS WITH HER AND WHEN SHE IS ABOUT TO BE BURNED,THE SEVEN YEARS EXPIER AND SIX SWANS COME FLYING THROUGH THE AIR. SHE THROWS THE SHIRTS OVER HER BROTHERS AND THEY REGAIN THEIR HUMAN FORM. THE QUEEN, NOW FREE TO SPEAK, CAN DEFEND HERSELF AGAINST THE ACCUSATIONS. HER MOTHER-IN-LAW RETURNS THE BABY SHE STOLE, AND IN ANGER SHE FALLS INTO A FIT AND DIES.
ICONS IN MY SKETCHES ARE PULLED FROM THE STORY CONCEPT:
NETTLES REPRESENT THE CHOSEN VARIETY. ALSO THE SISTER, ELSE MADE THE SHIRTS FOR HER BROTHERS OUT OF NETTLE.
THE NEEDLE REPRESENTS THE SEWING THE SISTER HAD TO DO TO MAKE THE SHIRTS.
6 SWANS REPRESENT THE 6 BROTHERS. THE CROWNS REPRESENT THEM AS PRINCES.
DAY OF THE DEAD GROUP SHOW AT GUARDINO GALLERY, PORTLAND, OR
IN OCTOBER 2016 I AM PARTICIPATING IN A GROUP SHOW AT GUARDINO GALLERY LOCATED ON ALBERTA ST. HERE IN PORTLAND! I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW AMONG SO MANY TALENTED ARTISTS. HERE ARE THE PIECES THAT I AM DISPLAYING AND SOME OF THE PROCESS SHOTS OF THEM BEING MADE.
PROCESS PHOTOS
#LOOKUP: HOLLISTER TRAIL CANOPY 2015
#LOOKUP:HOLLISTER TRAIL CANOPY IS PART OF A SERIES OF NATURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES USING PHOTOS PRINTED ON FABRIC AND EMBELLISHED WITH EMBROIDERY STITCHES AND FABRIC COLLAGE MATERIALS. OFTEN AS I AM GOING THROUGH THE PACES OF MY DAY, I FORGET TO EITHER #LOOKUP OR #LOOKDOWN. THERE IS A WHOLE OTHER WORLD WAITING FOR ME TO DISCOVER IF I JUST CHANGE MY VIEWPOINT OR PERSPECTIVE.
THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH THAT I TOOK AT THE HOLLISTER RUNNING TRAIL. I LOOKED UP INTO THE CANOPY AND TOOK A SHOT. ACTUALLY I TOOK A TON OF SHOTS AT THE TRAIL THAT DAY.THE PHOTO, WHICH HAS BEEN CHANGED TO BLACK AND WHITE AND PRINTED ON COTTON, WAS TAKEN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GEOFF HOLLISTER RUNNING TRAIL IN BEAVERTON, OR. GEOFF, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NIKE EMPLOYEES (#3) BATTLED CANCER FOR MANY YEARS AND RUNNING ON THIS TRAIL, LOOKING UP THROUGH THE SHADES OF GREEN I THINK OF THE LEGACY THAT HE LEFT BEHIND AND STRIVE TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. WE MISS YOU GEOFF!
PROCESS PHOTOS
SHOE THREAD PAINTINGS 2013
THIS IS A FUN SERIES OF THREAD PAINTINGS I DID FOR A GROUP SHOW IN 2013 WITH THE NIKE GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO CALLED "OUTSIDE THE BOX". THE SHOW WAS A FUNDRAISER FOR THE GIRL EFFECT A GLOBAL CHARITY THAT HELPS ADOLESCENT GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD LIFT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY. THIS WAS THE THIRD CHARITY ART SHOW THAT THE STUDIO HELD, SHOWCASING A NEW COLLECTION OF WORK FROM SOME OF NIKE'S MOST TALENTED ARTISTS. CHECK OUT MORE OF THE ARTWORK AND INSPIRATION FROM THE SHOW HERE AND HERE.
I HAD TWO PIECES IN THE SHOW THAT SOLD IMMEDIATELY! I WAS SO THRILLED, SINCE EACH PIECE WAS $400 AND WITH THE NIKE MATCHING DONATION, THE TOTAL RAISED FROM MY 2 PIECES OF ART FOR THE GIRL EFFECT WAS $1,600.
THE SHOES ARE MADE WITH ONE MATERIAL. THREAD. I SKETCHED THE SHOES FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND USING FREEHAND EMBROIDERY ON MY SEWING MACHINE, EMBROIDERED THEM ONTO WATER SOLUBLE FABRIC. AFTER THE ENTIRE SHOE WAS STITCHED, I PUT THE PIECE IN WARM WATER AND WASHED AWAY THE WATER SOLUBLE PART. WHAT'S LEFT IS JUST THREAD. I HAD THEM FRAMED AT LUKE'S FRAME SHOP IN PORTLAND, OREGON TO RESEMBLE THOSE BUTTERFLIES THAT ENTOMOLOGISTS FRAME UNDER GLASS USING PINS TO ELEVATE THE STITCHING OFF OF THE BACKGROUND SLIGHTLY. LUKE DOES AMAZING WORK AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING HIS SHOP!
PROCESS PHOTOS
#LOOKUP: OREGON COAST, HAYSTACK ROCK SUNRISE
THIS HAYSTACK EMBROIDERY WAS USED ON THE SPRING 2016 COVER OF POPLORISH MAGAZINE!
This embroidery IS PART OF A SERIES OF NATURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES USING PHOTOS PRINTED ON FABRIC AND EMBELLISHED WITH EMBROIDERY STITCHES AND FABRIC COLLAGE MATERIALS. OFTEN AS I AM GOING THROUGH THE PACES OF MY DAY, I FORGET TO EITHER #LOOKUP OR #LOOKDOWN. THERE IS A WHOLE OTHER WORLD WAITING FOR ME TO DISCOVER IF I JUST CHANGE MY VIEWPOINT OR PERSPECTIVE.
THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH THAT I TOOK ON MY MORNING RUN AT THE OREGON COAST. I TOOK QUITE A FEW PHOTOS THAT MORNING AND PROBABLY ENDED UP RUNNING HALF AND TAKING PHOTOS DURING HALF OF MY MORNING THERE.
photos of these embroideries taken by the talented Kayley Hoddick of Hoddick photography in Portland, or.
