Monday 15 August 2016

Canvaswork Course

In recent months I have been working on a series of canvaswork embroideries as part of a course in Contemporary Canvas Work an Intermediate Certificate course with the Embroiderer's Guild 


 I had already decided that where possible, I would restrict my thread choices to a monochromatic palette of creams, whites, beiges and grey. For some time I have had more interest in creating texture and visual interest in my work by simply varying the stitches and the weight and type of thread. The body, life drawings and old anatomical drawings have also been of interest so my challenge was to incorporate both the subject matter and the techniques into a 'body of work'



The course involved completing a variety of exercises involving working the traditional canvaswork stitches, examining ways to adapt the style to have a more contempory or experimental feel. There are lots of samples, my plan is to transfer the samples from the folio to the artist journal and create a book of white stitched samplers.


There were two minor projects to complete and a major project. The first minor project was to work a vessel or bag using traditional stitches. I opted to make a slip case for a book. The stitched piece forms a mirror image wrap around cover for the journal and could have also worked as a wall piece.


Each side was worked in a different design.


The second minor project could be a book cover or wall piece. I made a book cover to fit an A5 Artist Journal. The journal was made to fit into the slip case.




For the major project I decided to create an artist folio - The Body Within. The folio was to contain a series of 'stitch' sketches and then a final piece.


Some of the stitch sketches, each is approximately five inches/twelve centimetres square.


The finished piece, approximately A4 size. Adapted from an antique drawing depicting a foetus within a woman's body. The leaves in the mid section of the body referencing a cabbage which opens up to reveal the foetus.

.


No comments:

Post a Comment

//