Butterfly Collage
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Stitcher: |
Marianne Frost |
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Designer: |
Marnie Ritter |
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Location: |
This piece is displayed proudly in my home. |
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Description: |
Taking
this wonderful class gave me the opportunity to learn and creatively apply
new techniques to my needlepoint. Marnie presented her students with
a piece of white congress cloth containing only the drawn outline of her
beautiful design. Each student then applied transfer paint, Japanese
rice paper, and gold leaf to her canvas, creating a unique background for
each design. Every
stitcher’s piece reflected her own interpretation of Marnie’s design.
Looking at the flow of the stems and leaves, I saw in my mind a field of
windblown grasses. In my painting, I tried to convey this feeling by
applying the paint in a flowing fashion. The
challenge to me came when it was time to apply the rice paper. There
were several different patterns to choose from and a variety of ways to
distort the paper when applying it to the canvas. I wanted to convey
a light, flowing feeling like dandelion seeds floating in the wind. The
final collage technique involved applying the gold leaf. This bit of
glitter makes the background of the piece come alive. Again, it was
important to me that a light, airy feeling was maintained. In stitching this piece, we used primarily a single strand of silk floss with a few accents of metallic blending filament. We pierced the canvas threads to achieve the beautiful curves, and to maintain the direction of our stitching. Although each of us used the same silk colors throughout the design, we were encouraged to use our creativity in the shading of the design elements. |
