Embroidery

Embroidery

What the Mirror Doesn’t See, Below the Surface (Skin), Self Portrait in Thread is an embroidery project that I started in April, 2014. I did a few drawings with dissolvable fabric pencils and just started to stitch. I have Crohn's disease and was interested in doing an embroidery of my bowel and where I have Crohn's. I did this fairly quickly in less than a week. From there I decided to work on my heart. I have had two open heart surgeries and you can see in the embroidery where I had my heart stitched up. 

I then decided that I needed to do a brain embroidery as well. I researched different parts of the brain and what parts of the brain affect your speech, and your sight and your motor skills. I did this because, during my second open heart surgery, I had a stroke. As a result Iost my sight for 10 days. It seemed fitting that I needed to combine all three of these organs and muscles. After I finished the brain, I decided that they needed to be stitched together and have my silhouette go around them.

I had a great response from friends and family and decided that I would try doing a second one. 

The silhouette with the words outlines and illustrates my medical conditions. The words make up the shapes of the different organs and muscles. The scattered words describe things that happened to me as a result of those medical traumas. 

After having it on view in St. Andrews, NB in June 2016, I decided to add on. Not long afterwards it would be in another show in Halifax at the Anna Leonowens Gallery. This motivated me to add on further. In September 2016, it was shown in my solo show at the Anna Leonowens Gallery for my grad show. 

In January 2017, I decided to add flames and ice. Flames to the "sick" side and ice to the "healthy" side. This grew to adding crutches on the left and right sides, as well as filling in the centre.  

A second embroidery is in the works, this will be the same size, but based on the nervous system. Stay tuned for more images of the progress of that piece. 

UPDATES:

March, 2018

I am currently working on a second large embroidery, the same size, please see Embroidery Process page to see process photos. 

June, 2018

I am finished the second large embroidery and now I am in the process of starting a third large one.  

July, 2018 

I have finished the third embroidery and am taking a brief break in August for card illustration designs. I have ideas in the making for the forth embroidery. 

Fall, 2018

Starting and finishing the 4th piece.

Winter 2018-2019

Arts NS Equity Grant recipient - starting to brainstorm and make 5th piece.

2023 - 6th piece is finished and working on 7th piece