Original artwork description:

Impetus is a dramatic statement piece. Rich in tones and boldly elegant in form. Its anarchic beauty in the textural stitching gives it an atmospheric appeal.

Medium: Machine Embroidery & Acrylics on Canvas
Size: 50cm x 50cm x 3.5cm

Artwork Concept:
An abrupt moment in time, of energy and the accidental are captured in splashes of paint. However, get closer and you will see this was not executed out of impulse and certainly no accident, in fact the paint splashes are not even paint but are embroidered stitch.
The carefully planned, labour intensive act of delicately stitched threads cunningly mimic paint yet for me it contradicts the very nature of painting, creating a juxtaposition between the accidental and the intentional, the impulsive and the premeditated. Paint With Thread celebrates the creative process and the progress found through error; those happy mistakes which lead to new ideas and new ways of thinking. It captures that very moment of self-discovery, when new ideas happen in a serendipitous fashion and take you in new directions.
“Mistakes, they don’t define you, they refine you”. Salvidor Dali

Expressed through my slightly anarchic sense of humour, this work also touches upon the fashionability and status of textile art. Taking inspiration from old masterpieces and defacing them with stitch, I am creating a new and modern approach to textile art. Skilfully manipulating the delicate stereotype and striping away its passive femininity, I am turning the act of embroidery into something more powerful, bringing it to the foreground and pushing back the painting, it becomes the dominant force in the painting.

My Creative Process:
To create my embroidered paintings I follow a complex process of stretching my canvases as usual and painting my abstracts in oils or acrylics. I paint these with energy and act off impulse and spontaneity. This gives the painting it’s sense of energy and freedom. After a several weeks of drying time I carefully remove the painting from the canvas then begin the painstaking act of machine stitching the paint splashes directly into it. You will see the bobbin thread on the reverse of the painting, this is the secondary stitch on a sewing machine. It tracks my thought process as you can see it jump from one part to another, revealing where the embroidery is on the front. I then re-stretch the painting over deep-edged exhibition standard stretcher bars for a professional finish.

With the embroidery embellished directly into the painting, it gives the finished artwork beautiful and unusual textures; a tactile beauty with bold anarchic charm. This painting would suit any modern interior looking for something different and exciting to brighten their spaces!

Pricing:
I try wherever possible to keep my prices as reasonable as possible. Prices vary with each artwork as it depends on how much embroidery has been applied to the painting. Some take a day to embroider, other more densely stitched pieces take several days so this is reflected in the fee.


I hope you all like my work and have enjoyed reading about them and viewing them. Please do get in touch if you would like further information.

Materials used:

Machine stitched embroidery into acrylic paint on canvas