wellsprings - wall art

What began as doodling became my inspiration. As I stitched, I realised that the shapes and lines were like water features in the landscape - some dry, some flowing, some still. Water is life, representing refreshment and survival both in a literal and symbolic sense. I have lived through drought, and we rely on rain for our home’s water supply. The title of this work expresses the importance of water in the environment, and the longed-for times of refreshing in our lives.

After hand stitching some linen samples together in sets of four, I drew lines and shapes (mostly circles) directly onto the cloth, allowing them to intersect (or not). I cut more shapes from earth-painted and eco-printed papers and fused them in place. I then decided to outline them with the most basic of stitches, using repetition to accentuate the shapes and to add texture. After fusing the completed design onto thin wadding, I hand quilted it with very fine machine embroidery thread. The backing features linen and vintage silk which I stencilled with earth paints.

Front - linen samples, earth-painted and eco-printed papers, perle cotton, stranded embroidery thread; back - linen, silk, earth paints