Stitchy Snippets - Raw Denim

Ian Berry is an extraordinary textile artist, who is known for working exclusively with denim cloth. Berry uses discarded denim to create detailed art including portraits, urban landscapes and installations. Initially, whilst observing the contrasting blue tones in heap of old jeans, Berry was inspired to use these household items to create stunning pieces of art.

This universally, commonly worn item provides a perfect medium for Berry's diverse city scenes and portraits of cult icons. Painstakingly cut, layered and fixed by hand, these art works have so much detail and depth that from afar they look like paintings.

'To see them up close, you become aware of the depth and texture and see how each small piece of denim has been considered and crafted out of jeans with washes, and fades, which help create that painterly tone.'

Check out a selection of these awesome pieces of textile art.

Stitchy Snippets - Embroidered Sentiments

Take a tour through these beautiful illustrations by Australian based artist Laura McKellar. Her passion for different artistic mediums is evident in her work, which includes photography, textiles, fashion and graphic design. Laura's stunning textile pieces are initially worked and edited on the computer often incorporating photography then digitally printed onto fabric to be further embellished with hand embroidery. Her colourful palette is sure to brighten any chilly, Fall morning. Find out more about her work here.

Stitchy Snippets - Thread is A Thought

Cos Ahmet's art practice combines woven tapestry, collage, printmaking and sculpture. I find his tapestry collages to have an ethereal quality that is mesmerising. In Ahmet's words 'The constant thread in the works becomes my words, thoughts, a path of ideas'.

The human body is a constant reference in his work, Ahmet chooses to explore themes of the self, sexuality, identity and the human form.

Through the medium of textiles he creates metaphors for the human form such as: ‘thread as the thought’, ‘warp as the skeleton’, ‘weft as flesh or skin’, and ‘weave’ as the soul. Cos Ahmet explains: 'These ‘gestures’ take on their own symbolism and appearance, but are implicit presences, traces or imprints of identity and self.'

You can see more of his work, which will be exhibited under the title Thread is A Thought at the upcoming Knitting and Stitching Shows in the U.K. and Ireland this Fall.

Stitchy Snippets - Susie Vickery

Susie Vickery's textile art incorporates a unique blend of hand embroidery, machine embroidery, collage and animation. Her work is illustrative and often holds a story.

Crow 2 - Watch the animation here.

Vickery is inspired by her work with communities on rural and refugee development projects in Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar and India and she 'draws on issues of iconography, identity, gender and Asian art'.

Baby Krishna - ICONS OF THE ORDINARY & EVERYDEITIES

Initially working as a costumier in film and TV for more than twenty years, Vickery's needlework skill is fundamental to her work.

ON THE MELANCHOLY OF TAILORS

My favourite piece is from the 'Sweatshops' collection and it's a row of animated machinists. Cotton reels and rulers are used to create the models. The piece is so beautifully crafted and it presents such a powerful message.

Please visit Susie Vickery's website to find out more about her work.

Stitchy Snippets - Antique Textiles

Louise Saxton has an expert eye for antique embroidery and lace. Her artistic practice is centred around reclaiming vintage needlework to produce contemporary, textile collages and sculptures. Louise Saxton talks about the appeal of embroidery: 'Needlework is an ancient art form, beautiful as well as practical, and whether simple or complex in design it is painstakingly constructed.'

Saxton predominantly uses pins to fix the textiles and fabricate her collages and with this technique she can achieve a textile relief. This technique also echoes the traditional handwork experience and the labour involved.

Undertaking residencies in Mexico and Malaysia has broadened her insight into local artisan technique, influenced her work and also helped in increasing her great collection of needlework.

Saxton regards her artistic process as a 'silent collaboration with the anonymous original makers'. This transformation of forgotten and discarded textiles is integral to her work as it returns importance and value to the craft of needlework and showcases these precious pieces of handwork. Saxton elaborates: 'Historically, handmade embroidery and lace were as economically valuable as gold and silver... Needlework is cross-cultural, but sadly in most parts of the world today, it is in danger of disappearing.' Promoting traditional needlework and textiles within her work helps to protect the art form.

To find out more about her work and upcoming exhibitions look here.

Interview with Artist Olga Ezova-Denisova

I'm not sure how I first stumbled on the beautiful work of artist Olga Ezova-Denisova on Flickr, but her embroidery immediately captivated me. There's something so serene and lovely and composed in her work, and the her stitchwork is just gorgeous. It's an honor to introduce her to you today - I hope you all enjoy this brief interview with Olga!


How long have you been embroidering?

My first embroidery I made about six months ago. I found very old silk threads my mom bought them in the 80s, and I wanted to make something beautiful with them. I embroidered my first brooches with dogs. One, two, three ... I was very fascinated by the process, and I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful. Since then, embroidery began to appear in my illustrations in combination with collage, and as an independent work.




What is it about wolves and dogs that inspires you?

I have long been thinking about it, trying to understand what is that inspires me about these animals. But I don't get it yet. Maybe I'm living with an image that itself has come up with. The image of the animal that defies to be somebody. That is - to be the master of the dog is a challenge for a man. A wolf… The wolf is a dog too, just wild. And this defiance excites me, and awakens something inside me. Although in my pictures there is no defiance, my dogs and wolves are kind, loving, and sometimes melancholic.




Did you attend art school? If not, would you like to?

No, I didn’t. As a child, I attended art school for children, but, unfortunately, I didn't finish and that is why I couldn’t get a degree in art education.

But I would like to learn, I am open to new knowledge. Most of all I like to study in hands-on workshops with the artists. In Russia I regularly attend creative workshops for illustration and art techniques. My dream is to meet and attend a workshop with some cool artists from America or Europe.




I love your process shots - so many different tools and artforms! What other types of art do you enjoy?

I enjoy to work in collage-techniques. I love to mix and match different materials: paper, fabric, cutting, embroidery. I like hand-printing techniques like linocut and stamps. I am experimenting with this, and admiring the work of other authors.

In addition to visual arts I like to take pictures. I have an old Soviet film camera Kiev-19. I take it with me on my trips.




What is your favorite piece you’ve created, and why?

It's not a very simple question. Every new work as soon as it is finished becomes the most favorite. But maybe most of all I love my collage work, those in which there are mix of textures, fabrics and embroidery, because they are hard work and take so long to create and I get the greatest satisfaction from the result.





Do you have a favorite color? A favorite thread?

Yes, I have a favorite color. It's blue and its shades. My favorite thread is Iris. Though of course for different tasks I choose different thread.

***

Thank you, Olga, for sharing a little bit about yourself and your inspiring work with our readers!

To see more of Olga's work, visit:
Her blog: http://www.ezovadenisova.blogspot.com
Her Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ezovadenisova/

Colourgirl

Stitched by Sarah Walton

Just posted this on FB, but I thought you guys need to see it, too. Isn't it gorgeous?

Embroidering Voices from the Past...........

In my collage work, I like to combine old papers with embroidery and whatever else I can fit under glass. I have had these monopoly cards ( and tons of other game pieces), trying to make them worthy of embroidery. This morning while browsing through them, this little voice came into my head.......heh, heh.........with our economy, perhaps we could use a few more signs?

Sweating the Small Stuff.......

Will Mom Notice The Holes In My Sweaters

Actually Karna 1268 caught my eye on Etsy with her unusual doll sculptures she makes from sweater pieces. As usual, I am attracted by all the different techniques, colors and mediums used in one piece----sort of a three dimensional collage, if you will.

Desktop Forest Retreat

Dreamtree

Fungi Study 1

Lil Cardigan Two

I don't know about you, but this surely gives new inspiration to those old sweaters you couldn't quite throw away! I do agree that Karna is extremely talented and original, so perhaps she makes it easier than it truly is. I hope you enjoyed walking through the forest of her talent as I did. Check out all her wonderful creations in the links for her Etsy and Flickr photos.

For the Love of Collage

This little quiltie named Vera's Laundry Quilt by Gunnel I found on Flickr.

This one titled Grandmother's Sewing Box.

This one titled Januari 08.

This one titled Swimsuit Quiltie.

Gunnel, who lives in Sweden, included some techniques on her blog and Flickr photos, so be sure to check out her work. She also has an Etsy Store.



Gunnel's use of vintage things makes it especially attractive to me. She incorporates paper and fabric and buttons and embroidery----all of the things I love to use in my work, also. One more collage to spend some time looking at........

Fabric Collage