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Tuesday 11 December 2012

Threadpainting Progressions

I'm going through a sort of funk I think.  (Blame it on the weather.)  I am having trouble articulating ideas.  We have had about 5 hours of sunshine in the past few weeks which is very rare for the prairies.  It sure kicks the energy level!  I feel like I have nothing to say, and I've had no desire to head out with my camera either.  I don't have the blues, but I do have the blaahs.  The good news is that I have been quietly and steadily sewing.  I've created four new pieces since my show went up at the end of November!  I love them.  I'm kind of grateful I haven't been over-blogging.  Taking it slower in blogland leaves so much time to produce art.  So... here's my latest.  I'll start with the work in progress.  It's from the shots I took out on Floral Road in the springtime.

machine work done, hand stitching begun

Here's the back of the work.  You can see more easily what is done my machine, and what is done by hand.

the backside

I stitched in cat tails, grasses, tree trunks, a fence post, and TADA!  I even stitched the little Redwinged Blackbird from the original shoot.

bird on a wire

It's odd for me to be silent and not talk much.  I really enjoyed filling my quiet time with stitches instead of the internet.  Perhaps I'll continue on this route through the winter, posting a few times a week instead of daily.  Seriously - don't you agree that the web is a gigantic time sucker!?

signing my work in thread

Believe it or not, this piece is already done and popped into a little spare frame I had laying around from earlier this year.  I thought I'd experiment with a different approach of covering the edges of the art with the floating mat like a painting.  I haven't settled on this yet - I like things both ways.

Finished:  Floral Road, 2012  (available)

A guild member who saw my current exhibit wrote me a very sweet note, and suggested I try white frames.  I don't think I would all the time... but LOOK how pretty this particular thread painting turned out!  Thank you so much E. for the suggestion.  : )  Here it is on my wall, glare and all!  lol  You can see me blocking the reflection of the window behind me.

Floral Road all pretty in white.

Ahhh, it's nice to stare at all that spring green.  ; )  Stitching this out has kept me sane under these unusually grey skies.  I hope you enjoyed this post.  Thank you so much for stopping by and say hello anytime.  Linking to WIP Wednesday at The Needle & Thread Network.


17 comments:

Ellie said...

Oh I know what you mean about the blahs. I can't seem to work up the motivation to go out with my camera at the moment. It's either really cold or really wet. Maybe it's just the time of year.
Your work is lovely as usual and interesting to see the back of it. Keep up the good work. :)

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Beautiful work Monika. I love the addition of the Redwing Blackbird, your white frame looks great.
I agree with yo about the internet, finding a balance is important (but hard).

Unknown said...

Awesome! Beautiful work. :0)

Anonymous said...

That's really beautiful, and it does look really great in that frame. It's just so bright and summer-y, I guess, and the white frame adds to that too much sunlight feeling.

Teresa @ http://twistfullyyours.blogspot.ca/ said...

I totally understand. I have been feeling like that for some time this year...too little sun; too much rain...no energy! My laptop has been broken for the past couple of weeks. I got a lot accomplished in that time! The white frame...LOVE IT! It looks so clean and fresh.

sherry said...

i understand as we have had too little sunshine here in the central interior of bc...i like the white frame as your work does become to focal point but i am with you as it doesn't give a border around the work...the work is pretty stunning to say the least....i think i must be a stubble jumper at heart because i love these little snapshots of the prairies...they cheer me up just to look at them...yes the internet is a huge energy suck...

Patti said...

I miss the sunshine too, and I'm really getting tired of snow every day! Your thread painting so just so gorgeous! I was pretty sad that the class got cancelled last month, but hopefully in the New year?

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

this cold spell with the wind chill has me wanting to stay snuggled inside as well!

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

by the way...I would LOVE to take a thread painting class from you...but we will be away a lot for the next couple of months. Let me know if you are planning one, and I will try to come.

Susan J Barker said...

I swear if I didn't get up at 5am and eat breakfast in front of the computer, I would not find the time at other times of the day! And sunshine on the prairie is the one thing I miss from that part of the country, but I do much prefer my geraniums blooming in December...

Wendy said...

The white is quite striking! I like it.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

What a beautiful piece and the white is perfect for framing it! I think you have made your own sunshine in this work of art. I agree that sometimes the internet can steal too much time, I go in spurts where all I want to do is be creative in my sewing room!

Bonnie58 said...

Gorgeous as usual, Monika. BYW, i managed to score 2 of your snowglobes from Sask-Made Marketplace. It wasn't easy and took some strategic shopping, as they seem to have a hard time keeping them in stock, but I am dancing in one spot and the grandma's will be so pleased when they receive their Xmas gifts from the boys. I totally agree on the lack of sun. This snow every day is getting to be a bit much. It's going to be one long winter. I may resort to standing quite frequently in front of my canola field this winter, remembering summer. Thank-you for being you and have a great holiday.

M-R Charbonneau said...

I know exactly what you mean about the blahs! Hope they pass for you soon, Monika. Your pieces are amazing though!

Lisa said...

Oh Monika, I hate the winter blahs. October in Ontario was all rain, all the time and man did it give me the blues.
Your piece is stunning. I love it with the white frame.

elle said...

Sun and red winged blackbirds. We have lots in MB!

Kit Lang said...

Soooooooo delightful. :)

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