Kate Jenkins | Mr X Stitch

all about sweets Welcome to Stitching It Real, where we explore soft sculptures and realism in embroidery. Let’s start with the topic I discover which is the most popular among textile artists dealing with everyday objects. Of course, I'm talking all about sweet things like candies, chocolate, cookies, … Why do we all like doing them so much? For me, the reason why sweets are so attractive is their colourful and detailed packaging. I think they give an incredibly large field for interpretation. I invite you to enjoy some artists dealing with textile sweets, who in my opinion deserve attention! I hope you will enjoy these delicious works of art as much as I do! Linda Dolack Linda Dolack has spent her professional lifetime recreating American popular culture in hand plicated glass beads. As well as making sweet treats, she is known for her cart art and tea pots. In her artist statement Linda says: ”I’m fascinated with American popular culture, and have chosen to concentrate on the way in which processed or “junk foods” progress from introduction to icon in a relatively short span of time. Many well-loved, but not necessarily healthy foods, trigger a response indicated by high sales numbers. It is essential for me to use humor and color in my work and that is where I believe viewers will find my underlying intention.” Kate Jenkins England-based artist Kate Jenkins has been recreating textile sweets, cakes, cupcakes and other favorite foods in wool for the last 13 years. She's all about sweets, being inspired by the everyday, particularly food. ”I was always looking for different ways to use my love of wool, textile and colour. And that’s how my art was born. The everyday has always fascinated and inspired me, particularly food. So I began to take things we all know and love – like fish and chips – reinventing them in wool.” says the artist. Ed Bing Lee Philadelphia artist Ed Bing Lee has been perfecting his knotting artistry for over 40 years. He is all about textile sweets, treats and junk food, and has created knotted sculptures of many, many delicacies. ”My initial attraction to the process of knotting was its immediacy and the fact that little specialized equipment is required, which allows for great latitude in approach as to design, concept and technique” says the artist. From my perspective… Make sure to click on each artist name to discover more. Do you have a favourite textile sweets treat that you've made or seen? Comment below!