I’m not talking wine here for those who know me well (!) but this is a follow up to my last post, where I looked at using the colour red in my work. Below you will see a number of contrasting pieces where different red tones and threads have been used either as one of the main colours or as highlights within the compositions. I always use first hand experience, even if its just a fleeting glimpse of something that can inspire a series of works. The first embroidery is called “Sol y Sombra” which translates as sun and shade. The image comes from the landscape of central Spain near Santo Domingo de Silos. The light was pouring through the valley, with golden wheatfields, terracotta earth, and blue shadows reflecting the mountains, catching my eye. After drawing on site, when back home, I stripped out the vegetation so that I could concentrate on the land’s surface, and the act of stitching took over.
I am always interested in hearing what readers think so your comments are welcomed.
This next piece is called “Winter’s Song”, memories of cool light and chillier weather and the changes wrought by these conditions on the landscape.
I showed this next piece in my post entitled ” From Drawings to a Stitched Landscape” where you can see how I developed the piece, but its so very red it needs to be seen again here! The cascading fields were seen against a backdrop of wheatfields and distant blue hills, Spain at its hottest and best, rich with colour and the sounds of insects.
From the fiery reds of Spain now to the rolling Tuscan hills peppered with poppies. I use a crimson rather than a scarlet thread in this series as I feel it echoes the landscape more softly. I called this “Tuscan Serenade”. I never tire of playing with ideas that take me back in my mind to Italy, with its cypresses, hills and late springtime poppies that permeate the fields.
Finally the following embroidery was a small commission for a French family who requested a red landscape. I took the reds from Spain and mountain ranges from France, and really enjoyed the challenge of adding richer scarlet colours combied with metallic copper and gold threads. Its about 20cm square.
Just received a really nice comment via email so here it is from Meta, another textile artist who makes great work ” I love the pieces you showed, the ‘rolling’ landscape is beautifully rendered.
It must be so wonderful, whizzing your machine along on a piece like this. The winter landscape looks ‘cool’, too!” You can see her work on http://www.metaheemsskerk.com
Here’s another lovely comment from Heleen Roberts– glorious colours 🙂 makes me look at landscapes in a different way … more aware of the range of colours. Where the mind thinks is a common brown field when I look casually, but with attention I can see golds, purples, pink reds and blues
I don’t think of red as a landscape colour very often but, of course, it’s there. Frequently it’s a colour that provides an unexpected focus like poppies suddenly appearing at the roadside – it makes me notice what I was tending to take for granted out of a car window. I particularly like the way you’ve used horizontal punctuations of red in the works you’ve chosen. It gives a dynamic sense of depth and almost plays games with the expectation of which colours will appear as the picture recedes into the distance. If you asked me which season makes me think of red then, predictably, I’d say autumn. It’s interesting that you’ve not included an autumnal scene. I really like the combination of scarlet and metallic threads in the small, square work. It makes me think of religious icons rather than conventional landscapes.
strongassoup -thank you for such a kind comment and sensitive response to my work. I never attempt to imitate what I see, but extract elements to explore and develop. I agrre re autumn but I tend to look at land structures rather than trees for example, doesnt mean I wont at some point!
Can I pick your brain please Carol … (Heleen Roberts by the way, this is from my much neglected WordPress account)
I am looking for a machine that can cope with free embroidery stitching. I have a very old Victoria (German make bought in Holland in 1979!!!)) that copes very well but has geriatric hiccups too regularly now, she does my quilting admirably well though and is used for that.
In 2012 I bought an all-singing-and-dancing Singer but this one turns out to be a fusspot that gets hissy-fits when I do free embroidery … even when settings have been manually set.
Marion Barnett swears by her Bernina 1090s .
Have you got a favourite?
Hi Heleen I use a mechanical Bernina 1008 as I don’t want to have anything too clever. I need complete control over the tensions. I know many modern machines do this but I am very happy with mine (I have 2!)