skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I finished the project tonight while watching the first part of Ken Burns' remarkable retrospective of Baseball, a gift from our oldest and his wife, a thank you for their Canadian holiday. There is a deep nostalgic element to this series, along with its well researched roots. It is soothing to work with this as a backdrop. I like to learn as I work. It completes the experience.
The overall effect of the project is clean, pure, and I like the movement very much. The Pearsalls silks are a joy to work with. I have no idea what will happen to this project, but I am content that I gave it the time of the last weeks. It will stay on my presentation 'ladder' until some idea will germinate.
The photography is not impeccable, but I was anxious to post an item tonight having not written for a few days. I have been so focussed on the garden, weeding, splitting and planting in the new area by the lake. The weather has been so perfect for being outside. No bugs!
I think I shall try a new photo tomorrow and render the silks more luminous in the natural light of day.
Also, tomorrow, I plan to dig up and replant a whole bed of irises close to the lake's edge. Irises need moisture and I fear that these particular bulbs have never flowered because of a lack of moisture. As well, I am putting together some seedlings that I have discovered hiding under other large plants. I'll give them to a neighbour who is starting a brand new garden having just finished the construction of her lake house. I like the surprise of lifting up the hosta leaves and finding a seedling bush or other. I have also cleaned out some astilbe and black eyed susan's from the 'birthday garden' to plant in my new lake garden. Grass seed went down also today in this new area. Have to remember to water this daily.
The watercolour of Angus Côté was my starting point.
It's simplicity was compelling.
In my interpretation, I added a few leaves to give body to my conception. These long, slender forms are my favourite. With the silk thread, using a satin stitch, the luminosity that is rendered is breathtaking. The challenge is to keep a fluidity of movement in the angle of each stitch to reach the tip with a victorious final thread giving the leaf its essential precision.
I have a flower in the garden which produces a pink flower amongst its very linear leaves and although I have entitled this piece 'asian violet', I wonder if it resembles this pink flower in form a little more. I have to ask my neighbour who gave me these root systems the name of this flower. Then, I may change the name I have given this embroidery.
Just watched the last moments of the Tour de France. How exciting to see Mark Cavendish come through with the win in the final étape. I love his big smile and openness. And then, the very reflective, composed and moving interview with Cadel Evans, the champion, finally.
Mais 'chapeau' à tous.
Here are the greens - apple greens and moss greens. I managed to do at least one leaf and the contrast with the Delpht blues is dramatic.. here is tonight's workspace.
Sitting quietly on the sofa with the music and the fresh breeze, it was a lovely evening not devoid of a certain poetry.
The blues are bright and energizing. I'm anxious to put the contrasting greens on the canvas.
Finally, the humidity has diminished and I can work without fans. The lake is sending off a fresh wind which is wafting into the studio. A little jazz music... I'll work tonight without having to freshen my palms too often.
Tomorrow, the last stage of the Tour de France. Already, we have heard an interview with Thomas Voeckler, disappointed by his questionable strategy yesterday, but philosophical about his overall performance and extends a generous accolade to his teammate, Pierre Roland, who keeps the 'maillot blanc', and who protected him through so many moments during the Tour.
Voeckler has the right attitude: he is of the school of 'doing his best' and one cannot ask for more. If this gives pleasure to the French nation, this is the bonus. And in terms of the future, he was clear. He would just continue cycling in the way he knows best and whatever the results, this is fine with him.
I like the purity of his thinking. It can be applied to any activity. Living life from the inside out is so important and if what one does pleases another, this is the proverbial icing on that ever so proverbial cake. I try to live like this daily, stay focussed on what I do best and if it gives pleasure, wonderful.
This drawing is an adaptation of a water color by Angus Côté, an artist from North Hatley, Québec. I'm not sure what the title of this piece was but its simplicity has stayed with me since seeing it and I have felt it could be interpreted with silks.
It is also the last stages of the 'Tour de France'. It is very hot in the forest, so we have been confined to the basement with the fan blowing and keeping a keen eye on television watching the Schleck brothers, Cadel Evans and Thomas Voeckler. Whatever the result, the Tour de France is a feat of inhuman qualities.
I needed something that would not tax me technically where I could enjoy the threads and the colour. Pearsall Silks, 3 hues of Delpht blue, 3 hues of moss greens and a little point of yellow... I shall enjoy this project while I follow the adventure of the road the cyclists devour.
From our comfortable seats, I venture 'To finish is to win'. For these amazing athletes, this is not sufficient and for this reason all deserve respect and wonder. Having said that, I am sad that Andy Schleck will not come in first. Somehow he garnered my support more than Cadell Evans in these last days, but I am mostly sad for the remarkable performance of Thomas Voeckler whose place on the podium, despite a magnificent tour, is still not certain. And who can forget the wide smile of Mark Cavendish who can sit back proud of his winning of 4 stages during this 21 day marathon.
Back to my needle.
I remember I had been working on a difficult silk project but was not doing very well. Technically, I was experiencing some definite challenges and even though I kept plodding onwards, I was not convinced about the effect and was quickly giving up. I even began to question whether I had lost my hand at needlepainting.
As with many things, I needed some reassurance. This pansy drawing had been sitting on my work table waiting for such a moment. I quickly transferred the design onto Belgian linen. Choosing the colours was regenerating. I set to work immediately. Everything came together so quickly and naturally. The colours were jumping off the linen. There was something pure intertwined through the threads.
This project will leave the studio next week, in its antique gold frame with midnight blue matting boards trimmed with the same antique gold accent line. The final result is small (15 cms x 25 cms framed), intimate, perfect as an silky accent in a classical décor.
My client picked it out of a selection of many... she went straight to it as if the piece chose her rather than the other way around.
I'll be sad to see it go, but thrilled that someone else will enjoy viewing it daily.
Pansies (2009 - L'Art de l'Aiguille)
The original design by Barbara Hammett called for a frieze around the central motif. I have chosen not to do it at this time and have already begun a second motif by Morris, adapted by Hammett.
So here is the finished 4" x 4" design. I completed it this weekend just before the power failure and while we were watching 'The King's Speech'. Our daughter was visiting and it was a restful activity for my hands as we talked and watched the movie. I have mounted it temporarily in a box frame. When the other 2 designs are completed, I'll see what I shall do with the 3; possibly a single frame with a vertical or horizontal arrangement, the three separated by matting boards.
I am now planning another Redouté 'Rose'.. a long vertical, linear bloom...
Stay posted.
I wish the resolution of this photograph was better. I depend on sunshine to take my photographs since I am not equipped with very sophisticated cameras and it has been raining torrents for the last two days. But I am really happy with the result. The flowers jump off the linen and the luminosity rendered by the silk is wonderful.
The remaining pleasure is preparing my message which will include why the choice of subject and a little of my experience while I worked. I anticipate two lovely days with this dear friend punctuated by visiting with her daughter who has returned from 3 months of travelling through Europe. I have known this young daughter since she was 6 years old and have watched her grow into a young adult who has a dream to be a deep, unjudgmental, reflective adult. And my own daughter will arrive from Los Angeles. Two devoted mothers with two loving daughters will spend an hour over lunch on Friday. It will be rich and full of laughter as we share.
And I know that my friend will appreciate my gesture of this gift and will also understand that:
'The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him (her) - it cannot fail....' (Walt Whitman)
Well, relief.... the colours were fast, so there was no bleeding. The next step is to stretch it over the plexi-glass which has been lined with linen. I'll stitch the final piece, centred on the covered acrylique, ready for the matting board and frame. Fortunately, I have all this ready and waiting in the studio.
It's humid here, so I have to be patient and see how the fabric moves with the changing humidity conditions. The important thing is the make sure the piece is well centred and stretched with no play inside the opening before I put it in the frame.
It is pinned right now I'll wait until tomorrow to see how it responds to the change in atmospheric conditions. If there is little movement, I'll stitch the piece around the edges to the lined acrylique and then trim the excess fabric.
I'll then prepare the glass and frame and put the whole piece together. It is an exciting and highly gratifying part of preparing a piece. I love the fact that I can do the preparations for final presentation in the studio. All that will be left is to prepare a signed 'Certificate of Authenticity' which guarantees the recipient that the piece was executed by the artist and explains the background of the piece.
Because of the investment of time, parallel to every embroidery a life, many lives are being lived, many stories are being played out. I'll talk about this aspect of my work tomorrow on my blog. All I know is that my work is a magical leveller of emotions. Somehow, fixing one's eye on a very specific point, literally (i.e. where to make the next stitch and with what colour) allows one to take a distance from events that would otherwise drive you into a hole.
I'm not sure if the photos do justice to the effect of this piece, but I feel the roses jump off the canvas and this is a welcome discovery. The weather people are announcing rain and grey tomorrow. A good test for the fabric. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and see whether I have to make any adjustments. I'm confident that all will be well.
I took this photo this afternoon during a busy day of maintenance work around the house. Two friends came with an air compressor and doused the house with high pressure water to clean away the dirt of the last few years. Faulty door locks were fixed, door sweeps were replaced, dripping taps were repaired. It was a great day.
And while all this was being done, I had time to sit quietly and work on the two remaining leaves. I had struggled all week to find the answer on colour, nuance, density and movement and once I had discovered the key, everything seem to fall into place by itself. I just had to nudge the threads over the shapes.
Tonight I put the stamens in and as I write the finished piece is soaking.... the last hurdle. I pray none of the threads will bleed into the surrounding fabric. I am confident.
I'll post the finished piece tomorrow or Wednesday. We are bound for the city tomorrow since we are much in need of supplies and food. It's been more than a week since we have ventured out of the forest so we are short of pretty much everything.
The leaves have given me lots of trouble, both in choice of colour, thread and technique. I admit to have worked and reworked more than several times and I'm still not sure. But I have decided to continue, finish, wash and stretch the piece and then decide whether the overall effect fits into my original idea and/or whether that spark which I intuitively feel when finishing is there. Often, it is only after stretching and pressing and then turning the piece over to view on the right side do I have that sensation.
I am many hours away from that moment so I shall have to be patient and remain confident. I remind myself that I often get into a bit of a dip during a difficult project and even sometimes begin to despair and rarely but sometimes give up. Giving up is not an option this time.
I plan to plant trees, baby ones, in a new part of the garden today, July 1st, Canada's birthday. We have to clear the area of some old rooting systems. It will be hard sweaty work and no doubt as I remove the debris from the earth I shall also remove the debris from my head and come to my project this evening fresh and rejuvenated and 'hopeful'.
Nothing beats getting one's hands dirty to change one's outlook on things.
