Upcoming Show!
I am thrilled to report that the HandWeavers Guild of America has selected two of my punch needle pieces for their International juried show at the Fine Line Creative Art Center in St. Charles, Illinois, USA from June 1- September 7, 2013
Please see their press release at http:// http://www.weavespindye.org/pdf/Sm_Express_2013_artists.pdf
For more details!
Meanwhile, there is one corner left to do, on The night bird
A closer look reveals other areas that need attention
There can be a great reluctance to finish a piece, and it sometimes feels that the closer one comes to completion, the harder it is to keep the piece “vital” and “alive”
studiotempera 
Brilliant news – congratulations! Wish I could visit!
Thanks! I’m looking forward to the opening on June 1st and see everyone’s work. It’s also a great excuse to rush out and bay something fancy to wear!
I was thinking about what you say about ‘the closer one comes to completion, the harder it is to keep the piece “vital” and “alive”; this is very similar to writing, after working on a piece for a long – usually “a very” long – time, it is really hard to see it afresh and with same enthusiasm as when you started. You can lose faith/belief in what you are doing. Not giving up is what it is all about.
By the way, I love the colours in The Night Bird and how the leaves and feathers feathers resemble each other and make a connectedness with the natural outside the bird with the inside of the bird. But I especially love the vibrancy of the bird and how it stands out, very much alive, it somehow reminds me of a gently pulsating heart. Is it finished now?
Thank you for your very supportive feedback.
Yes, I completed the piece and before I could photograph it, it was sold (thank you, Lorna!)
Your comment about the ‘Night Bird’ is very interesting because at one point in the process of making this piece, I did have an area where the feathers on the wing appeared to form a huge heart. Although I liked the idea of having this big heart, I felt that it took too much attention away from the rest of the composition and so I re worked it to try ‘expand’ the heart outwards. I was vaguely aware of the fact that the leaves and feathers were ‘ mirroring’ each other and my intention was to ‘pull’ everything together as a whole- as you say- uniting inside and outside the bird.
So your comments are amazingly accurate and very perceptive.
Thank you!
You are very welcome 🙂 It is incredible how much can be conveyed with just threads … and some imagination and skill, of course!
PS: I am not surprised it sold so quickly. Are you planning to have an online shop-cum-gallery one day?
Maybe one day, but before that I may offer on- line classes in punch needle design and technique, as there seems to be very little information about punch needle available.
There’s a lot of fabulous hand and machine embroidery artists all over the world, and maybe punch needle can be part of that resurgence of interest in the ‘needle arts’.