HAPPY PORTRAIT MONDAY
Sophie, hand embroidery: Crewed Wool and Acrylic on Linen, 14 x 35", Cayce Zavagli |
Today's Portrait Monday is brought to you by Cayce Zavagli's fantastic embroidered paintings.
In her own words, "I still consider myself a painter and find it difficult not to refer to
these embroidered portraits as “paintings”. Although the medium employed
is crewel embroidery wool, the technique borrows more from the worlds
of drawing and painting.
Initially, working with an established range of wool colors proved
frustrating. Unlike painting, I was unable to mix the colors by hand.
Progressively, I created a system of sewing the threads in a sequence
that would ultimately give the allusion of a certain color or tone. The
direction in which the threads were sewn had to mimic the way lines are
layered in a drawing to give the allusion of depth, volume, and form.
Over time the stitches have become tighter and more complex but
ultimately more evocative of flesh, hair, and cloth.
My work unabashedly nods its head to the tradition of tapestry and my
own love of craft. Using wool instead of oils has allowed me to broaden
the dialogue between portrait and process as well as propose a new
definition for the word “painting”."
To view more work by Cayce Zavagli, visit her website: http://www.caycezavaglia.com/
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