Contemporary artist Sophie King is exposing the flaws of the character perspective on women vs men and popping hard pills to swallow through the art of embroidery. She has been making waves on Instagram with her bold messages often emblazoned on fabric, sometimes flowers or pumpkins. The British artist is one of the many female […]
Tag: Embroidery
Hand-Stitched Embroideries Floating on “Disappearing” Fabric
Embroidery is very tactile medium. There’s little, if any, visual tricky that can come from the fuzziness of thread on fabric. Artist Katerina Marchenko pushes this idea to its limit, however, with her stitching on tulle. Stretched tightly across the embroidery hoop, the fabric seems to disappear as the layered thread and beading is all […]
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Nude Embroidery Art
Naked is how we arrived in this world, so why do we continue to feel so ashamed by our own bodies? That’s a question that many creatives are trying to answer through their embroidery art. Being fully nude represents vulnerability and to see yourself how you truly are—flaws and all. In symbolizing the naked body, artists […]
Typography Bursts Through Abstract Embroidery
Did you ever expect embroidery to encourage you to “Rise up!” or “Give Hell”? Valeria Molinari’s typographical hoop art fuses the power of language with bright and textural abstract designs. Colorful non-representational shapes—created with thread as well as beading—are carved away by empowering script. “Most of my work is inspired by my activism and the […]
Intricate Moss Embroideries Ease Anxiety with Piled Stitches
Moss might seem like one of the most basic plants, but Emma Mattson shows how beautiful it is with her intricate embroideries. Using a variety of stitches, the artist creates sculptural hoop art that piles high—just the same as its flowerless leaves. This repetitive embroidery is a therapeutic way for Mattson to cope with anxiety. […]
Self-Proclaimed “Creepster” Rachel Dreimiller Has a Gift for Spooky Embroidery
Rachel Dreimiller’s online moniker is “Spooky Ghoul” and she describes herself as a “Gothic Granny” and “creepster.” Her embroidery art is heavy on skulls and bony hands, a juxtaposition that turns a typically homey medium modern and edgy. The artist herself is equally contradictory; along with a love of zombies and Poe, she’s borderline obsessed […]
Veselka Bulkan Subverts Traditional Hoop Art by Thinking Outside of It
Veselka Bulkan is the artist behind Little Herb Bouquet, the label under which she creates exquisite hoop art. Her works are a twist on traditional embroidery, and rather than confining her imagery within the circle, tiny felted vegetables dangle off the sides. Carrots, wild onions, and radishes are all free to hang, tethered only by […]
Embroidered Breasts and Butts Challenge the Notion of “Beautiful Bodies”
Note: Contains nudity. “I love bodies,” Sally Hewett writes in an artist statement. “And it is not the conventionally beautiful bodies that take my eye, it is bodies which show their history, that have been altered by their experiences, that are decorated with bruises, scars, spots, stretch marks, freckles, pigmentation, veins.” She recreates sections of […]
From Taboo to Mainstream: Tattoo Art in Illustration, Ceramics, and Embroidery
As tattoos transition from a once taboo practice into one that’s socially acceptable, artists are implementing elements of this timeless body art into their work. In illustrations, ceramics and embroideries, tattoos have two primary focuses: one is purely decorative and adds a special flair to the subject or object. The other takes a conceptual approach, […]
10 Artists Who Contemporize the Ancient Craft of Embroidery
Embroidery is a timeless craft that transcends cultures and geography, having been found as early as the 30,000 BC in Russia, 3500 BC in China… Although it started as a way to tailor and mend clothing, techniques were developed and opened up the possibilities for decorative stitching. As time went on, tapestries became increasingly sophisticated […]