ceramics – Contemporary Embroidery & Textile Art Inspiration

I discovered the work of Lisa Connolly at the Knitting & Stitching Show last year. She creates stitched illustrations featuring "girls with attitude". Lisa describes her work thus: "I tackle atypical themes, immersing myself in the exploration of the strange and unusual. I enjoy conveying tales of the mundane and transporting them into the realms of the extraordinary. I believe my use of mixed media gives a quirky edge to my work, along with the humor I instill in my characters." Lisa combines illustration and stitch, and translates her work onto different media, including ceramics. I liked Lisa's work the moment I saw it. It takes the charm and innocence of these cute girls and then gives it a nice dark twist. Her work is influenced by mental illness (not hers, I should clarify) but it explores the dark sides that we all have. These girls are capable of very bad things; the scratchiness of the work and the way the threads are used in an organised chaotic manner do a great job of illustrating the point. You can find out more about Lisa, including her homeware and fashion illustration on her website. ----- 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.