Self described as an urban botanical artist, Margot Guralnick captures my attention through her vibrant displays of horticultural expression.
Composing pieces of art through a layering of found items (mostly leaves, flowers, grasses, etc.), Margot creates imagery that recalls other forms of art. Some works scream pop art, while others are comparable to scientific drawings in old handbooks. Some carefully placed compositions guide the brain through a sort of storyboard, while others seem to mimic the essence of nature in their ebb and flow.
Wherever these patterns take me, from the visual to the mental - I'm into it! It's sort of peaceful and meditative just looking at them - you can almost feel the unique spiritual journey and connection in each creation.
As spring finally brings us some warmer weather, as the sun shines and the flowers bloom, I find myself drawn towards the fresh air and the new growth. Similarly, in art, I find myself drawn to landscapes and floral elements. Being a textile nerd, when the two combine, it's exactly what I'm looking for.
Here's a little bit of spring embroidery art I've found on instagram recently.
Textural and tiny, these little landscapes have a big impact. There's something about miniaturizing that is so compelling; perhaps it's because it forces us to look closer to see the intricacy of detail.
I rather enjoy the explorative nature of this artist, the way embellishments of non-thread elements such as lace and shell bring us further into the scene.
Theres an elegant delicacy to these floral bursts - their composition and color choices incredibly soothing - like that perfect spring breeze on a sunny day.
I'm continually inspired and amazed at what people are able to do with a needle and thread. Who is your favorite embroidery artist that you've found?
Candace Hicks, associate professor of art in the School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University, has captivated our attention with some of her unique textile art series.
Notes for String Theory is a series of the very familiar composition book pages we all know from gradeschool - a symbol of learning and processing thoughts.
“These hand-embroidered pages confront the existential possibilities of the blank page,” Hicks explains. “The size, format and color palette of notebook paper are familiar and warped at the same time. From across the room, they appear as flat, linear designs, but upon closer inspection reveal themselves to be delicately textured.”
The warped lines evoke a sense of wonder, of what can be if we alter the process. There is chaos yet beauty in the linear movement on the altered pages - much in the same way we face the unexpected possibilities of daily life.
Similarly, the series "Love Note to Linear Perspective" takes the same concepts and applies them to paper - the material guiding the process, and therefore the end result - cut pieces exploding out and exploring time and space in it's many forms.
Her work in the series "Common Threads" brings our attention back to the words on a page in 146 intricately hand-embroidered books containing illustrations and a plethora of texts "documenting her life in a universe of literary and pop-cultural coincidences".
There's always something compelling about the time it takes to hand stitch a work of art - it's a delicate, sometimes painstaking process wracked with mistakes, learning, and improvement - stitches ripped and re-sewn as past choices are no longer quite right for this work; an art of microcosm macrocosm.
In these works, Candace embraces thoughts of the universe, the unknown, life as we know it, connection, and possibility and puts her stitch in time.
Alicja Kozlowska is a contemporary textile artist who lives and creates in Poland. Alicja became interested in quilting and embroidery arts in 2017, and has since taken her work to the next level - building pop art inspired sculptural objects which are inspired by the realities of cultural consumerism in the world that surrounds us.
Combining various materials from labels, newspapers, foils, felt, fabric, buttons, beads, and more - the artist embellishes her renditions of everyday items to draw attention to the impact of humans on the planet through a consumption based economy.
To view more of Alicja's work, visit her instagram page @alice.kozlow.
Julia Ibbini proclaims to be an artist and sculptor who "explores pattern and ornament through geometry, algorithms, and digital fabrication".
There is an intricacy to the cut paper and wood work which retains the delicacy of lace, a movement that flows like nature, a rigidity that builds architecturally, and an essence that pays tribute to the decorative arts of islamic culture.
There is something about the melding of history and modernity via a meeting of ancient design patterns and modern technological application that is incredibly compelling, and we really can't wait to see more.
Described in Virginia Jacobs own words, the quilted sphere is “a distillation of the continuity and indefatigability of the spirit of folk music, dance and costume.”
"Krakow Kabuki Waltz" (1987)
Virginia Jacobs is best known for exploring the sculptural possibilities of the quilt while incorporating the colorful exuberance of the textile arts of many cultures into her work. By playing with form and dimensionality, her work confounds expectations.
