Artist Meredith Woolnough creates unbelievable pieces of embroidery based on specimens from the natural world. Her work is so unique that you might not even be able to tell that it’s actually embroidered unless you look really closely. So, I was delighted to see that that she’s shared the process of creating her work in a fantastic series of photos that document the production of a piece called “Coast Pennywort.”
The inspiration for my new piece Coast Pennywort (hydrocotyle bonariensis) came from a plant I picked up on a walk around my local area. This plant, commonly known as Coast Pennywort or Kurnell’s curse, is a weed in most parts of New South Wales but I have always loved the shape of it’s fleshy leaves with their intricate internal vein patterns.
What makes Woolmough’s embroidered work really unusual is that, once she is finished embroidering her pattern onto her base fabric, she removes the excess fabric from the work so that all she is left with is the thread that she’s sewn with the machine.
When the design is fully embroidered and connected the base fabric is removed and the piece is carefully mounted on pins so that it appears to float above the base board. This mounting process is very important because it results in delicate shadows that add another dimension of depth to the piece and brings it to life. The piece is then custom framed in a shadow box behind glass like a precious specimen that is ready to hang on the wall.
If you’d like to know more details about Woolnough’s process and the other fantastic work she makes with it, be sure to read the rest of her blog post here!
[via Lustik]
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