Cutting & Stitching Edge

The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Erica Gray

by Mr X on 11 December 2014

Erica Gray is a mixed media artist from Queensland, Australia.

“Initially influenced by garment design and construction processes, Gray utilises similar principles to produce soft sculpture and installation art. Her art is often a reference to personal experiences as well as concerns for humanity, our environment and the treatment of animals.

“The pieces often translate into works comprising a blend of human and animalistic form that is often layered with meaning, through to pieces designed to play on emotions; works that toy with childhood memories and growing up, spending time on farms, disjointed family connections, empathy for the lost, a love of animals as well as the fun times amongst a family full of plumbers.

“Her goal in life, as in her art, is to produce works that represent her moods and ideals, from bright and cheerful, through to a representation of other expressions.”

I love a good soft sculpture. There’s something amazing about people that can produce large scale pieces that challenge our ideas of form and function. Working with soft materials presents a different set of structural challenges, so anyone who creates sculptures in this format is already a winner with me. Erica’s work not only ticks those boxes, but her explorations into what can best be described as techno-anthropomorphism really impress me.

Some of her work is scary, some of her work is strange, but all of her work challenges you. It takes the familiar and makes it strange, gives it bite. There’s a real creativity at play here and I’m looking forward to see what future creations will burst forth from Erica’s imagination.

These sculptures are just part of Erica’s remarkable portfolio of work, so get yourself comfortable and spend some time in her website. It’s worth the trip!

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The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery, the contemporary embroidered art book curated by Jamie Chalmers. Featuring 30 textile-based artists from around the world, it’s a must have for needlework fans.

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The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Bárbara Salazar

by Mr X on 4 December 2014

Bárbara Salazar is an embroidery artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“My pieces evoke the magical side of life forms. I want to transform that idea into an embroidery. From matter that floats light years ago over our head to a tiny creature in the deep sea. I like to create something that look like a mineral or a sea being but actually it’s both things. Something that could be water and the sky at the same time.

“I like to work with different types of beads and sequins, that allows me to create high-relief. I also work with metallic and holographic papers and with the reflection of light when it meets the translucent beads. I like the idea of creating a sense of movement from something static. With threads I specially enjoy working with tiny stitches to make patterns that ends up looking like a microscopic vision of these little worlds I create.”

Bárbara’s background is in fashion embroidery and her work is an evolution away from this arena into something more organic. The use of beads and sequins retain the connection with her roots, but she applies them in new ways to create depth and perspective within a relative flat space.

Bárbara’s pieces are abstract yet there is a familiarity in the work – we could be looking at scientific samples or images from an interstellar perspective, rather than embroidered art. It reinforces the way that nature repeats patterns on a grand and tiny scale, and that we should remain in fascination of the world that we are a part of.

I’m always pleased to see when artists use beads to push at boundaries. I’ll be interested to see where Bárbara’s journey takes her. For now you can enjoy her existing body of work at her website.

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The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Niki Havekost

by Mr X on 27 November 2014

Niki Havekost is a mixed media artist from Rochester, USA.

“I am currently making three-dimensional figures that are doll like in form. These stitched and painted bodies, with fragile limbs of sewing and cooking tools, began as an experiment with materials and found objects. The first doll was a gift I never intended to keep. She had me excited about the potential of the process; the process of making figures I had never seen but knew so well. I made another and then another, and somewhere along the way I started making myself.

“This work of making oneself is on going and a part of a tradition of “women’s work” that is integral to the feminine identity. I find this work both satisfying and difficult. We make and tend with sewing needles, seam rippers, spoons and measuring cups. These instruments are some of our tools, but so are our bodies.

“My body is a site of comfort and discomfort, desire and disgust that I share with my partner and children. The act of becoming a mother was an experience of profound undoing and transformation of my body. These sewing and cooking tools are, for me, deeply intertwined in the experience of my body and its functions. In the making of these bodies, I hope to come closer to understanding my own. “

Niki’s dolls are enchanting, but in a really eerie way. They have a homemade quality to them, but to me they feel as though they made themselves. It’s not hard to imagine them coming to life at night and making more dolls from things lying around the house.

As well as the dolls with found objects, Niki’s website contains a wealth of other creative output, including animal dolls and some pretty awesome beadwork.

It’s worth taking time to enjoy Niki’s creativity at her website. Tell her Mr X sent you!

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The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Helen Sill

by Mr X on 20 November 2014

Helen Sill is a mixed media artist from Hampshire, England.

“I use paper cloth and stitch to try to make sense of my world. I draw into paper and cloth and using hand stitch and free machine embroidery in an attempt to convey a personal story. At the moment I am using the power of stitch to make books, boxes and pictures.

“I am inspired by great works of art, great artists and the female (i.e. my!) experience. I respect the huge tradition of embroidery and believe it needs to constantly evolve to be relevant in today’s society. Textile art needs to be more out there in the public domain.”

I met Helen at this year’s London Knitting & Stitching Show and thought her work was really interesting. Filled with stream of consciousness commentary and spontaneous doodles that are converted to stitch, her art pieces are encapsulated thoughts made real.

There’s a rawness to Helen’s work that fits in nicely with the unfiltered content she creates – an examination of her pieces, which she makes for deliberate interaction, is a wander through her unconscious and a showcase of her thoughts on life, art and a whole lot more. It’s a nice idea and I look forward to seeing how it evolves.