Stitching into Reverie
an online exhibition
Every second day, for the next two weeks, I will be posting some of the artworks that I have been working on over the couple of years. Then, starting on Nov. 28, these artworks and more will be available for purchase through my online store.
My inspiration for these works, lies in the process itself, one which enables me to dream, and create through experimentation. To do so, I combine layers of collage, ink, paint and embroidery, developing my ideas through pattern, line, colour and form, exploring the boundaries between representation and abstraction. Along the way, I let contemplation and spontaneity guide me, reacting to the materials and the narratives they inspire.
This particular series of artworks have arisen from a desire to experiment with embroidery. This desire has come from a lifelong appreciation of textiles, carpets, and traditional costumes. This developed from my father, who collected these things and sold them to stores and museums. The texture, pattern, and intricate detail of these objects have always left me in awe.
As with all forms of play, my artworks are not meant to be serious and heavy. Instead, they are meant to be light and whimsical, and to bring you inspiration, comfort and joy.
Along each artwork, I have included a four-line story or poem. Writing these poems has provided me with another way to use my artwork for play. As you look at the artworks, I invite you to join in, to get lost in the reverie they bring, and think of your own poems or stories.
Day 13 & 14: 3D Tessellations
A tessellation is a pattern of shapes that fits together with no gaps or overlaps. Those who know my artwork, know that pattern is a common theme. There is something about the repetition of forms that I find meditative and comforting. Both in the process of their creation and when I look upon them. These artworks, were created from my own experiments with tessellating forms, and were some of the first pieces to which I added embroidery.
Seascape 2023, 8x10″, $175
Ohm 2023, 14x14″, $400
Starscape 2023, 8x10″, $175
Which way is up? Which way is down? In the elements of nature, a balance can be found.
ink, acrylic paint, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
Day 11 & 12: The many voices of my head
It’s often noisy in my head. There are many voices telling me what to do, or how to feel about things I experience. These voices come from different people that have had an impact on me, different places I have travelled, and different things I have learned. Their advice often conflicts. That is what these pieces explore.
Merry Go Round 2024, 20x20″, $500
They shuffled around, negotiating their space, they sent off ripples of emotions, communicating with each other.
watercolour, pen and ink, acrylic paint, embroidery thread, beads and buttons on paper and canvas
Mood Swing 2024, 12x16″, $380
One minute I am up, the next one I am down. How can peace ever be found, when the voices go round and round?
ink, acrylic paint, embroidery thread and beads on paper and canvas
Day 9 & 10: What can be done with a square?
I came up with these artworks by asking myself - What can one create a square? It turns out with a few simple lines, a square can become a face, or even a frog.
The squares found on these artworks are created from recycled paper towel. When I paint with watercolour, I find it useful to dab my brush on paper towel before bringing it to the paper. This allows me to control the amount of water I have in my brush, and gives me more precision when painting. The patterns created by the random blobs of paint on these paper towels are often so beautiful, that I can’t throw them away. And so I reuse them to create other artworks, like the ones shown here.
Sentimental Squares 2024, 14x11″, $375
A checkerboard of emotions. Are they green with envy? There's definitely some confusion, with some happiness in there too.
tissue paper and paper towel collage, acrylic paint, embroidery thread and beads on paper and canvas
A Frog's Soiree 2024, 14x11″, $375
Twilight at the pond, it's social hour for the frogs. Where should we hang? At my pad or yours?
tissue paper and paper towel collage, watercolour, acrylic paint, embroidery thread and beads on paper and canvas
Day 7 & 8 : Playing with bugs
When I was a child I would spend hours by myself, playing in my backyard. One of my favourite things to do, was to find a big rock, turn it over, and marvel at all the bugs living underneath. For me, it was like a treasure hunt.
In my artwork, I am always trying to reduce things to their essence. To do so, I ask myself – what is the simplest way I can represent this? This is another reason I love drawing bugs. Their forms are simple yet beautiful, and with a few basic shapes can be easily created and recognized.
Bug Sampler 2024, 12x16″, $500
From the earth and sky, they crawl and they fly, witnesses of evolution, they will outlive us all.
watercolour, watercolour pencil, ink, tissue paper collage, craft paper, embroidery thread and beads on paper and canvas
Up in the Forest 2024, 16x16″, $450
In the enchanted forest, high up in the canopy, the spirits of the flying ones, delivered our prayers to the divine.
tissue paper and paper towel collage, watercolour, acrylic paint, embroidery thread and beads on paper and canvas
Day 5 & 6 : The Sky Sisters
With many of my pieces I like to recycle my past artworks. These two pieces are prime example of that. When painting with watercolour it is difficult to know how a particular colour will look once painted, and so as I paint I keep a piece a paper handy and test my colours as I go. The clouds of the artwork on the right are cut from one of these test strips. The pillars that the ladies are standing on are also cut from a watercolour piece I did in 2019.
Stylites with Style II 2024, 11x14″, $350
Stylites with Style I 2024, 12x12″, $350
watercolour, watercolour pencil, pen and ink, acrylic paint, craft paper, fabric, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
To the sound of rumbling thunder, the sky sisters dance. They do this every morning, to welcome in the day.
Day 3 & 4 : Landscapes of Fabric
It is often the materials themselves that inspire my artwork, and so I am always on the look out for new bits and bobs that I can use to create. Last year, a good friend of mine gifted me a book of fabric samples and since then I have looking for ways to incorporate them into my artwork. The landscapes in both of these pieces are made with some of those samples.
Burgundy Wood 2024, 11x14″, $375
The Rocky Mountains 2024, 11x14″, $375
Deep in the woods, a commune there was, where the stars danced, to a bluegrass jam.
tissue paper and paper towel collage, watercolour, craft paper, fabric, acrylic paint, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
The trees are not afraid, they seen these storms before, they know that even they fall, the forest will grow more.
tissue paper and paper towel collage, watercolour, fabric, acrylic paint, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
Day 1 & 2 : Landscapes of Tissue Paper
tissue paper collage, paper towel, watercolour, acrylic paint, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
Into the sunset, one bird followed another. Together they found a city on the sea, where the moon invited them in, asking "will you come play with me?"
A City by the Sea 2023, 12x12″, $350
Seas, Mountains and Skies 2023, 12x12″, $350
I opened my eyes, I looked ahead, the horizon had tripled, split into other worlds.
tissue paper collage, acrylic paint, and embroidery thread on paper and canvas
The background or the landscapes in these artworks are made of tissue paper. To create them, I rip the paper into strips. Then, I use acrylic medium to attach the paper to the canvas, layering the strips on top of each other. As the medium dries, the colours change, and traces of the bottom layers emerge from beneath. What I love about this process is that I never know quite what I am going to get, and so it forces me to experiment and to react to what develops.
