Why I stitch:
For me, embroidery is therapeutic. It goes deeper than simply just drawing fiber through fabric. The process of stitching is a lesson in mindfulness, which also provides a means of channeling my memories and emotions and allows their expression through layers of color. My completed works are tangible translations of my own feelings of nostalgia, places that remind me of home, locations I’ve traveled to in the past and sometimes feel “homesick” for, or other areas that I would like to visit in the future. And perhaps, by creating these landscape pieces, the viewers of my art will also be reminded of their own happy times in similar scenes.
My Story
I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, and I have been creating art since I was old enough to pick up a crayon and put it to paper. I remember doing lots of drawing and painting as a kid, and then when I got into junior high and electives were a thing, I started taking art classes. During that time, I was introduced to mixed media collage and oil paints, and was fortunate enough to have been taught by Mr. Irwin- a teacher who I am so grateful to have had because his knowledge and passion for art played a huge role in me wanting to pursue art myself. In high school, I was able to further my artistic studies and experiment with new materials and mediums, and Ms. Rainville’s instruction of ceramics and sculpture techniques helped broaden my love for different forms of art. Once I got to college, I actually stepped away from art in the hopes of finding a “proper career”, and ended up taking a broad range of classes (most of which I didn’t really have any interest in), but those never ended up helping me identify a path that felt right. After college I decided to start creating again. I taught myself to crochet and silk screen print, and opened an Etsy shop where I sold my items. Those years, I spent playing with fibers and creating new patterns for my crocheted pieces. In January of 2020, I began my embroidery journey because I wanted to try my hand at something new, and taught myself after researching basic stitches. During the pandemic lockdown, I was able to get tons of practice while I slowly figured out which stitches I liked the best, and just found my creative voice through embroidery. These days, I am continuing to evolve as an embroidery artist and am looking forward to exploring more with this thread painting technique.
