Emergence

As we start to shed our winter skins, I am struck by how much winter affects our posture and body language, in addition to our wardrobes. There is something about knitted hats, especially on men, that I am starting to like and might actually miss when the weather gets warmer. 

I am thinking also about the concept of emergence, defined in Wikipedia as "the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions." I am picturing embroideries of men emerging from soft watercolor strokes. As my first experiment in this direction, I made a watercolor drawing of a hat, under which I embroidered the outlines of a man in "shlumpy" dress (see below). I may add some seed stitches to the hat; I also hope to add more men. I am not sure if the men will come together in a larger piece or not, or what they are going to say to me (or to each other?). But I feel compelled to create some new imagery right now.

Spring seems to bring a renewed energy for going out of the house, outside of the norm, outside of ourselves and meeting new people. Emergence...I wonder what spring will bring for me in my personal and artistic life....

Digital embroidery - a new process to learn

Finally. Yes. I took the plunge into personal digital embroidery (the machine calls itself a personal embroidery machine. As opposed to an industrial or business machine? Like a PC or personal computer?).

My first experiments below. Clearly, I have a lot to learn about tension of the thread...

Maudlin or Meaningful?

My fear is that there is a maudlin quality to my work, and that by sharing my personal experiences, anecdotes, and feelings, it's as if my audience has walked in on me in the bathroom. I have tried to mediate the confessional nature of my work by creating fictional characters and sharing viewpoints/voices other than my own. Yet I still wonder: is my work slight because it is about the human need for lasting connection rather than a cry against the social/political ills of our time?

My work itself seeks connection. As I work on a piece about a specific person, I often think, "I feel as though I am stitching us together." Each time my needle enters the fabric, I am creating an opening to fill with thread. And if I create an opening within myself, I leave open the opportunity of allowing someone to enter.

Image at top: "Stitched Together." 2009. Embroidery and applique on fabric. See my web site for more info.