Since I spend most of my time in a studio, painting miles of custom canvases and Squiggee
Designs...sometime I lose track of what I have painted from year to year...lets be real ,sometimes I can't tell you what I painted last week....it is not because a lack of interest, but I have been doing this for more than 36 years and the canvas count does build up....
The projects that come to mind , are pieces that have something unusual that tweaks the brain...
sometimes not positive...sometimes the customer is hard to work with, or the project had problems..enough said...or I so enjoyed the project ,that it sticks in your mind and gives you great pleasure....
I have done a mountain of church work...kneelers, stolas, wall hangings...they all are unique but follow a traditional vein of symbolism and having the piece blend with the architecture of the church......
So months ago when I was contacted about a past project, I was not surprised that I remembered exactly what it was....
twin pieces for a Christian Church and a Jewish Temple.....two tapestries that stitch per stitch were identical...painting one of anything of this size and scope is no problem ...and yes stitch counting my things are a no brainier, since I paint exactly on the stitch...but this was a project that I found half enjoyable...the first piece...but the copy...I thought I would go insane....
picky...picky...picky...the two medallions...yikess ...what an absolute pain...but...when they were done and I got my life back,as I always feel after finishing something of that scope...like you have given birth...lol... I quickly forgot and moved on to the next project...
It is rare that an artist gets to see a large project finished, and to read about the working of such a large piece...
the ANG current issue of Needle Pointers magazine ,has an article written by on of the stitchers that worked one of the Tapestries...it is interesting to get the other side of the coin...but I was not surprised...when painting a difficult , large piece that seems to go on and on forever, my one consolation ...is I won't have to stitch it...lol...
the article is called
Tale Of A Tapestry...by BJ Scharath...
above are my pictures of the painted pieces.....BJ , besides being a very sweet woman did an absolute beautiful job of stitching...all in basketweave....and let me tell you that was an undertaking...no fancy stitches to hurry the boring spots of big color or background ...just plan basic old world work...
Tapestry in it's purest form...the tapestries were 39" x 21.75" on 13st....and if that doesn't
impress you..each piece had 143,354.25 stitches of painted design...makes me tired just reading this...lol
2 comments:
That is amazing!
I amazed me how she spent a 1 1/2
years stitching this, i think I am simple and wouldn't have that staying power...you wouldn't think it, but routine bores me...i guess because I have to be so organized in my painting...when I am not painting I am a loom !lol
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