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Wednesday 10 April 2013

New Growth / Budding / Rebirth (a study in dirt)

After 6 months of solid making and selling a ridiculous amount of threadpaintings, and six equally solid months of winter, I seriously need a creative diversion.  I wanted something new, something quiet, something rich, something full of texture.   I fully planned to have some crocuses at the upcoming show (Manitoba's provincial flower) so I figured this would be the perfect timing.  I can't wait to find crocuses again!  I can't wait to smell the earth again.

Come along on a pictorial diversion and you can see where I went with this longing...

some heavy cotton canvas on good and tight to a frame


pieces of stabilizer and fabric on top


some hand dyed 'uncommon supplies' that i needle felted on top


i stitched and stitched and stitched by hand on all three for about 13 hours (noon to 1 am)

It was very late when I stopped.  In fact, it was past midnight and I know I prepared that frame late that morning.  It's like I was in a zone and unable to leave it until my unknown project was complete.  Usually I take lots of breaks.  Finally it was complete.  My family were all upstairs, sound asleep.  I went up to join them.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I woke up the next morning, long after the sun had come up.  I sat up, had a good stretch, splashed some water on my face and came back down to my mainfloor workspace.  Would you believe what I saw!?  The 'study in dirt' had come alive overnight.  ; )


New Growth, 2013 (detail)

I was very, very happy.  There were bursts of life!


Budding, 2013 (detail)

For you Winnipeg! ; )


Rebirth, 2013  5x5


18 comments:

Laura said...

You made dirt beautiful! Amazing! Wish I lived close enough to take a class or two. Can't wait to see how else spring inspires you.

Heather Lair said...

Oh, Monika, these are so beautiful! I got all choked up with the early morning shot of the first growth.... I do think winter has been toooo long here on the prairies!

Can't wait to see them when they get to Winnipeg!

Margaret said...

Best work you've done yet, bar none! I had to enlarge it twice to see for certain what I was seeing. Absolutely wonderful~

Jeito Mineiro de Ser said...

Tão lindo quanto sementes brotando "de verdade" após uma noite de chuva!
Emoção pura!Mais uma vez, estou encantada com seu trabalho!
Um abraço!
Egléa

HollyM said...

The textures and colors are gorgeous! I can't believe you could stitch that long!

Kit Lang said...

that is SO cool!

Bernie said...

I really love these. The texture is fabulous and the colors pop. Great to get into a zone and be that creative. I think you would have to agree that this is a different direction for you. No sky no landscape just a close up of the intensity of ground cover. Great that you experimenting and enjoying! Love it.
Bernie

elle said...

Excellent! maybe it was an after image from staring at white so long!!!!

greelyrita said...

Tricky! I had to go back and make sure I hadn't missed that you had put earth and added seeds. It looks that real. Holy, I thought, how come her seeds were so ready to sprout?

Patti said...

This is just fantastic! It's like looking on the ground of a prairie. So cool. Thanks for giving us a bit of spring even though it seems to be lost.

Becky said...

Wow! Those little sprouts are so amazing! How cool! Love it!

Mary Ann Tate said...

So different than what you've been doing but so you....love it:)

Monika Kinner-Whalen (MySweetPrairie) said...

Thanks you guys! It's still prairie-obsessed ; ) but yes, much closer and much larger fibres. The little green poking up is silk ribbon (Thank you RibbonSmyth!!) that hasn't been stitched back down. I dit that with strips of cotton on my Crocus & Cowpie piece I made in the fibre art class at the university last year. Remember that one? I went to stitch the grass down, but I liked the way it stuck up in the air so I left it that way. ; )

I can feel a serious field study coming on once this winter melts away (if it ever does...)

: ) Here's to an abundance of wildflowers as a result of too much snow!!

Monika
glass-half-full...

Laura lok said...

Well that's just to cool

Threadpainter said...

I left a comment on Flickr but need to say that this piece is just the best ... it looks so real ... especially at this time of year ... when the snow and ice disappear for a day or 2 and reveals the life beneath !

PrairiePeasant said...

Beautiful! And I am so longing to see the first crocus pop up! Thanks for sharing this little burst of spring. It looks so real it will tide me over for a while...

CitricSugar said...

Ummm, amazing?

I love the way you see things… I often wish I could "borrow" someone's vision for a day, and find out how their ideas come to them.

Carli The Quilter said...

You can anything, even dirt~! Beauty for sure!

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