I am twofold amazed by Hillary Fayle‘s art. She poetically manages to mix together two favourites of mine: leaves and embroidery.
American Hillary Fayle started using embroidery while attending a course at Manchester Metropolitan University in England. An artist that has always experimented with unconventional materials, once returned in America Fayle found an original application to this ancient skill and she started stitching leaves with colourful threads.
Leaves are the perfect support for an artist always looking for renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly ways of creating, like Fayle does.
Embroidery is a highly evocative technique. It conjures up feminine delicacy, it carries a homely vibe and it is practiced with slow, meditative and soothing rhythm. At the same time, with its complex and meticulous patterns a piece of embroidery can resemble the endurance of a spider web, even more when associated with a natural object like a leave.
Often Hillary Fayle‘s interventions seem to be of a curative nature. She uses both traditional and originally designed patterns for ‘repairing’ apparently broken areas of the leaves. In her art the human factor organically merges with nature, thanks to her deep artistic sensitivity. Sometimes her creative incursions with needle and thread lead her outdoor, where we can imagine imaginary spiders covering the woods with their colourful web.
To know more about Hillary Fayle, please visit her blog here.
Images courtesy of Hillary Fayle, Natalie Hofert and Burchfield Penney Art Center.
via Bored Panda.