Beyond the Landscape
This piece was accepted into a juried exhibit at the River Arts Gallery, 36 Elm Street Plaza, Damariscotta, Maine. The exhibition’s theme was Texture, and the show ran from April - May 2024.
Using my sewing machine, I sewed onto cold press watercolor paper with zigzag and straight seams to create a loose grid-like background. Then I covered the sections with acrylic umber washes, glued on magazine cutout images, and handmade paper swatches. I poked holes into the watercolor paper and hand-stitched embroidery floss on the upper-right chair back and in the lower-left between the two rocking chairs. I used India ink in some areas, and colored pencils and acrylic paint in the pink floral section. The pink flowers and grid was referenced from a pattern in an encyclopedia of needlework book.
Creating this work was cathartic. It represents trauma and pain; motherhood and helplessness, but also a little bit of grace and beauty, and love, too.