Going Floral...

in a big way. I didn't think that was my style, but there is a story behind the images. I went out to take photographs in the local graveyard, intending mostly to take lichens and moss, that kind of thing, for another purpose entirely, when I came across three tulips. I suspect that they had been placed on a particular grave, but then kicked or thrown apart, and left where they landed. One was tucked into a tree trunk, so perhaps they were placed in a more deliberate fashion, but either way, I was struck by their beauty. They were obviously dying; no water for a couple of days, and it has been cold around here. Nonetheless, they looked amazing, so I took some close up images of them, which I then manipulated in Paint Shop Pro. Yesterday, I printed the two images above out on Big Bertha, and I'm just about to go upstairs to spend the afternoon stitching them. Although I don't usually, I might even enter them into a show, if I feel they're good enough. I used canvas which had been prepared for inkjet printing; whilst it is firmer than the cloth I would usually use, the results are good, and there doesn't seem to be any reason why stitch would not be successful. We'll soon see...

I see these images as a logical extension of my abstract and non representational work in both paint and cloth. In some ways, they relate quite closely to the painting I showed you yesterday. I don't really see myself stitching into straightforward, unaltered photographs, or including them in my work. If it's a good photograph, then it's a good photograph, and should be shown as such. If, however, I can express a feeling or an idea by taking a photograph, manipulating the image and then stitching or painting into it, Iwill. That feels like a legitimate use of photography in my work. That said, the series of portraits I'm making don't seem to require stitch, and may well be presented as photographs, pure and simple. It's important to understand when to stitch, and when not to. Just because I can, is not a good enough reason; the stitch has to add to the meaning of the piece, or it should not be there.