Welcome to Beneath The Folds, where Christine Cunningham explores the creativity of textile art, from inspiration to technique.
Religion has inspired artists throughout time such as Blake, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens. My favourite artwork is โThe Annunciationโ by Fra Angelica. Capturing light in my textiles is inspired by the fragmented stained glass windows of old churches and candlelight. Creating the patchwork halo in โMother and Childโ and the face of โJesusโ (1 and 2) harks back to Sunday school.
MOTHER AND CHILD
Mother and Childโ, inspired by Botticelliโs โThe Madonnaโ, captures the maternal and everlasting love between a mother and child, expressed through the union of sculpted figures, housed in a halo of patchwork adorned in light reflective sequins.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - The eternal love of a mother and child](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-The-eternal-love-of-a-mother-and-child-600x802.jpg)
Figures are stuffed and moulded to create a sculpted surface with a depth ofย six inches.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Mother and Child is a sculpted abstract image of Mary and baby Jesus adorned in a halo of patchwork and light reflective sequins](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG00502-20120727-0854-600x450.jpg)
JESUS 2
My series of โJesusโ textiles were inspired by a charcoal drawing for my โAโ level exam.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art CHARCOAL DRAWING OF CHRIST](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG00816-20120802-1810c-600x449.jpg)
โJesus 2โ has been reworked from itโs original condition to create a stained glass window set into the recess of old stone church walls, with stuffed patchwork panels created from vintage fabrics from my childhood.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - Jesus 2 - The flat applique face of Jesus is inset by padded panels created from vintage fabrics from my childhood.](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-Jesus-2-The-flat-applique-face-of-Jesus-is-inset-by-padded-panels-created-from-vintage-fabrics-from-my-childhood.-600x802.jpg)
The flat applique face of Jesus is inspired by fragmented glass of old church windows.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - A flat applique face inset by silk and velvet roses](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-A-flat-applique-face-inset-by-silk-and-velvet-roses-600x802.jpg)
JESUS 1
โJesus 1โ,ย sporting a huge 3D beard created from long layers of hessian strips, wool pompoms, cordedย plaits and tassels, beaded lengths and french knitting.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - Jesus 1 - The 3D beard was fun to do and the process of layering extremely effective in building volume and density](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-Jesus-1-The-3D-beard-was-fun-to-do-and-the-process-of-layering-extremely-effective-in-building-volume-and-density-600x800.jpg)
A halo of silk roses replaces the traditional crown of thorns.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - A halo of silk roses](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-A-halo-of-silk-roses-600x800.jpg)
THE GATES OF HEAVEN
โAngel Wingsโ celebrates life, a cycle of birth and death, with emotional turbulence captured in an overcast sky (created from a dense carpet of tatty matting scraps) and a peep at the Garden of Eden (a panel of flowered vintage fabric from the halo of โMother and Childโ). The gates of Heaven are created from angels wings, padded structures adorned in 3D rose buds. The iridescent fabric was found in a charity shop in Camden, capturing the fleeting nature of time as light passes over the surface.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - A peep at The Garden of Eden](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-A-peep-at-The-Garden-of-Eden-600x800.jpg)
An overbearing thunderous sky captures the emotional turbulence surrounding death, created from fabric scraps collected over a period of time. Our struggles to overcome adversity in life is captured in the delicate leaf detail of embroidered lace.
![Religious Icons | Textile Art Christine Cunningham - A dense carpet of fabric scraps](https://mrxstitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Christine-Cunningham-A-dense-carpet-of-fabric-scraps-600x800.jpg)
Detail of an Angelโs Wing, padded structure adorned in 3D sculpted rose buds and fragile lace leaves.
I adore the Christmas festivities and hope you have found my work interesting. For more detailed images please visit https://www.ccunningham-textileartist.com/textile-religion-gallery by Christine Cunningham.