The posts around here have not been very deep so far this year. It’s all just sort of been “here’s this thing, I made it, see it, yay.” I don’t want to get stuck in this rut, but it’s been hard to figure out how to express the thoughts rattling around in my head. You know, I want to make the new year’s declaration of heartfelt resolve, to stake out new territory in textiles to explore, yada yada yada. Oh, and there’s always the need to return to our conversation about the bizness of fabrics–predatory marketing and the like. You know.
But I need to tell you about one more finished project in a quick and dirty way. Sorry. I’ll be back next week without an FO, but with lots of thoughts—deep or dumb and/or otherwise.
Disclaimer: Oh this project herein is kind of NSFW because it uses a few more words in the English language than some might like. And it’ll be on display in a show called Stitch Fetsh at The Hive Gallery in Los Angeles, so you might want to take that as a warning of what you’ll see should you choose to follow any of the links below.
Back in December, Ellen Schinderman asked me to contribute an embroidered piece to a show about fetishes. After getting over the pleasant surprise of being asked, I kind of panicked a little. Her work is “edgy” and the things I stitch are downright chaste, in comparison. How could I maintain my style while playing along with the theme?
It took several weeks of fretting, but I eventually settled on a sparely illustrated, but not too explicit redwork sampler. How about statements about oral fixation—with stylized, suggestive lips?
The detail work on the lips, stitched at 20 st/in (on handdyed blush-pink linen that’s a tad difficult to photograph accurately), took far longer than I’d budgeted, so I deconstructed my statements, gathering adverbs, verbs and nouns so that the reader than build his/her own narrative.
ETA (Feb 13, 2013): This Pinterest thing is a problem.
Here’s more about the show. The work will be for sale there and online through the gallery. My first piece put up for sale ever. If you’re in SoCal, go check it out! Info here.
this is by far my fave piece of yours! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT! You rock!
This is awesome. I’m really excited for you & very much looking forward to your next series of posts.
I’ve really enjoyed your last few posts about your method, by the way.
That is such a phenomenal piece of work! Love it!!
your work is just amazing. i can’t wait to see where your creativity takes you in 2013! stunning stuff. you should be very proud! i’m proud of you!
you are rad.
Oh, wow! I will definitely have to make it downtown to see the show.
Anyone want to do a meetup for dimsum and the gallery?
I adore this, it is beautiful, thoughtful & challenging. Again, you rock.
First time up for sale ever! That is awesome. It’s such a great piece.
Congratulations, everyone will LOVE it. Absolutely beautiful work. You are a wonder.
Yay!!! Also, holy crap that’s some tiny stitching – absolutely gorgeous! Also also, furthering that notion of letting one build their own narrative, it would be fun to see this made into those refrigerator magnets that let one do just that. Excellent work and congrats to you!
Congrats! How exciting for you! Your tiny stitches are so impressive.
simply amazing…wish I could go see it in person, along with the rest of the show. I am thrilled for you to be a part of this..your work is stunning online, I can only imagine how much more striking it must be in “person”. And, I know it will sell fast.
Your work totally deserves to be in a gallery (I could see a show featuring just your work). And this piece… absolutely freaking gorgeous! Your stitchwork is mighty impressive and the shading of the lips is beautiful…
That is beautiful|!!I look forward to reading your thought provoking posts. You are just so smart and I love your logic.
Very nifty! The show looks fantastic…
It’s a beautiful piece C. Congratulations for being in the show. Will you go to SoCal to see it?
I love it. The lips are not necessarily explicit, but the words you’ve chosen to frame them leave so much implicit, that it still works beautifully as a piece that evokes the idea of fetish. Such gorgeous work.
And congratulations on your first gallery piece!!!
This turned out to be a very stunning piece! Your art is wonderful and I can’t wait to hear more about your projects.
Stunning! All of those teeny stitches, the perfect lettering, the concept: LOVE. Perfect play on language and visual.
go go go. great sampler and fun to be exhibited.
Your work is amazing, both the ideas and design and the artistry of your handwork. So thrilled to see it in a gallery show!
Stunning. The detail is simply amazing.
There’re a lot of things to love about this piece! Congratulations. :)
Wow, this is really great!
rad and mad and artistically divine!
kiss! kiss!
Those are intense lips.
Would you consider a piece with just lips?
The texture you created on the lips is amazing. And I always love your redwork. It still cracks me up to consider your work as ‘tame’. It’s all relative.
YES TO THIS!
Excellent.The quarter for scale makes it even more impressive. It will have a “dot” on it within minutes!
C, I love what you came up with for this show! It’s wonderful. I’m sure it will be sold quickly.
Those lips are amazing! I can’t believe you can stitch that tiny. yikes. I love how you kept your style for this project and yet it’s a perfect fit for the show. Congrats on having your first work up for sale.
How is it possible for you to be so consistently AMAZING!!! This is a masterpiece!! Congratulations on this step in your journey as an artist!!
Oh! I am in Los Angeles! This is terribly exciting. I will try to get to the opening, and if I can’t do that I will for sure go sometime in February.
This is totally badass.
I wouldn’t be able to buy the piece, but I’d buy a print of your photo of it (2nd shot from the bottom of the post). Hint hint.
Your creativity and talent are endless. Beautiful C!
Truly awesome!! The shading on the lips is fantastic and I always love the simple script that you use for all your words. A fantastic piece that any gallery would be proud to exhibit.
This piece of work is SO AMAZING! Congrats on having it in the show. How exciting!!
It’s a beautiful piece!
Wow. I’m impressed. It’s been a while since I’ve cross-stitched, but I know how much time and planning that took.
You are so prolific — what are you watching while you do all this work?
Love it! Mmmmm, those lips, those tiny perfect stitches. Those words.
Spot on! Ellen knew her stuff when she asked you to contribute.
Beautiful. Iconic at first glance, and then so much more, in the stitching and the words.
Ok, I’m just going to say it… “WOW!”
Absolutely beautiful, yet pointed and witty and iconic! I’d love to be able to see the whole exhibition, but I’ll just have to enjoy you piece (and what a piece).
You continue to inspire me, every time I read your blog!
wow! That is luscious! Love it :-)
fabulous! It’s about time you were exhibited and became a famous stitcher-maker
This is all kinds of awesome. The detail of the lips and the way you worked the words around them…wow.
Wow. The detail and concept are both awesome.
Pennamite and I are going to the Hive 2/23/13. We would be happy to include anyone else is in LA who wants to meet up. We might be able to arrange dim sum, the FIDM museum or shopping at Trash for Teaching if others are interested.
http://pennamite.wordpress.com
http://www.trashforteaching.com
http://fidmmuseum.org/exhibitions/current/