Midori
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Stitcher: |
Vicky De Angelis |
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Designer: |
"Once in a Blue Moon" by Sandra Gilmore |
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Location: |
As I write this, "Midori" is traveling to the exhibit at Callaway and then she may go to Woodlawn or the exhibit at the National Academy of Needlearts. When my well-traveled geisha returns, she will probably hang over my mantel as I found a special antique Japanese Ichimatsu doll with a kimono in the same greens that will be displayed close to her. |
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Description: |
My love for Japanese art first attracted me to this
wonderful canvas that I saw hanging on the wall at the Needle Nook of La
Jolla. She looked so graceful and elegant even as she stood there unstitched
with large blocks of solidly painted canvas in wonderful shades of greens.
As I studied her more and more, I realized that she had lots of possibilities
to fill these blocks with beautiful silks and shiny metallics in combinations
of laid filling stitches, which are my absolute favorites to stitch! As
my love for the canvas grew and grew, I knew that she had to be mine and
she quickly came down off the wall and home with me. As most stitchers do, I added her to the growing stash in the closet where she lived for a few years. One day while going through some drawers in my Japanese tansu, I came across some Japanese doll hair ornaments that I had bought a long time ago. I suddenly remembered the geisha canvas that was living in my closet! Brenda Hart was coming to Needle Nook, and I knew immediately that this was perfect for one of her stitch guides, as she really has the special touch for the Oriental canvases. Working hard for the next few days, and poring through her books, we came up with these wonderful stitches for the geisha. She was really a pleasure to stitch and everything just worked out so perfectly. The ladies in our regular Monday stitching group gave me lots of guidance and inspiration while I was searching for just the right colors, and should I do French knots here or there? I saved the hair for last and studied the hair on my Japanese dolls to get the right angles and sweeps for my stitching. The hair was the most difficult part and I did do parts of it over and over and over again! Finally, I added the kanzashi (hair ornaments). She was now finished and I realized that she was too elegant just to be referred to as geisha! I learned from Amy Bunger that we should name our pieces, so I pored through some of my books on geisha and my Japanese dictionary. I realized that she was a true geisha of the pleasure quarters because of the drape of her collar. When the nape of the neck is visible, it is very sensual. I finally settled on the name of "Midori," which translates to "green" in Japanese. As always, my framer did a wonderful job helping me select just the right mat color and frame for her. |
