3.27.2014

a migration of souls...

i love this time of year when birds pass high above, heading toward their summer home.

i like to imagine them as souls on their final journey.

this is the first work i've done that incorporates hand stitching and i like the bit of texture it adds. the black-on-black is a challenge to photograph for sure, but it you look closely you can see that i layered a second piece of black fabric on top of the first and that, in addition to the hand stitching, i added two "x"s in black along one edge of the second layer.



A Migration of Souls. 22"x 28"x1.5". fabric on canvas, black perle cotton embroidery.



(detail)



(in situ - note: that's one of my small stitched gouaches under the lamp)

new work in the studio is keeping me busy; i'm a happy girl these days!

: : karen anne

4 comments :

  1. Karen, this piece is simply exquisite. There's just something about black and white done well that always grabs my attention. You've created a very soulful piece (no pun intended). It's playful yet brooding....an old soul who knows not to take everything so seriously, but to enjoy life. Well, that's what I see. Sorry for rambling. Enjoy!

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    1. Thank you so much! So good to have positive words about work that feels so right - especially since it seems to mark a new direction. I'm beginning to understand that my voice is most accurately expressed with a tension between clear, bold shapes and/or line defined by subtle differences in tone. Curiously, the harder it is to photograph, the closer it is to that "YES!" I'm always listening for! Ah well...

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  2. I love these shapes, and the simple black and white-it's just beautiful! I like when people are brave enough to use black and white.

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    1. Thank you, Gail. I'm rather partial to black on white and white on white: the more difficult to photograph, the more I seem to be drawn to it! Busy week, glad it's over and I can enjoy the weekend - you, too, I hope!

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