A threaded needle is a powerful, creative tool (pictured – “Cosmic+Lagoon” by Sue Anne Sullivan)

Sewn Artworks by Texas Artists

Artist: Curated by Kim Paxson

Artist Reception: May 7, 4-6 PM

Artist Talk: May 8, 2 PM

Stitching by hand is a time-consuming meditative journey. So why should anyone care? Because the age-old craft of hand embroidery, the simple act of passing a threaded needle through a piece of cloth, continues to be relevant in an era defined by the power of digital technology. A hand-stitched piece can tell a story, become a vehicle for social comment, or embellish a surface with exuberant color and texture.

Hand Stitch X 10, Works by Texas Artists is a survey of ten women working with thread and needle at a time when embroidery (and textile art in general) is experiencing increased international recognition as a medium of choice for serious artists.  Each artist has a personal commitment to exploring ideas and materials and how both relate to contemporary art.

The artists included in this exhibit a range of subject matter, scale, approach, and materials. The list of materials used by these contemporary stitch artists is long and varied. 

The work of Beth Cunningham and Mary Ruth Smith is rooted in the experience of sewing clothes, but there the similarity ends. Cunningham shares her fascination with beetles and other insects by creating works of intricate stitches, appliqué, and beading. Smith’s work begins with vintage fashion illustrations which are then glue-transferred onto a surface of paper and silk organza laminations and heavily stitched.

Debbie Armstrong creates large-scale works with densely embroidered images surrounded by more color and more embroidery. Although Armstrong does not consider herself to be a quilter, she is drawn to the large format quilts offer.

Janis Hooker and Pamela Studstill, each in their own way, have transformed the idea
of the embroidery sampler, a traditional piece made by young women to display needlework skills. Hooker starts with a foundation of discarded blankets or scraps, and
by adding a layer of complex embroidered stitches, makes a new piece of art. Studstill’s repertoire of perfect stitches is used to create a lively surface “rich with chaos and intricacies of life.”

In contrast, a single stitch is used by Lucia LaVilla-Havelin to infill the simple shapes
in her powerful narrative works focused on social issues. Barbara Lugge employs a linear stitch of luminous embroidery floss on primed canvas. On this surface, thread is used to create shadows and a sense of animation for unexpected results.

Sue Anne Sullivan weaves wools, silks, and silk fabric strips on a rectangular pin
loom, then wet-felts her woven piece causing it to tighten and shrink before embellishing
the surface with stitches.

Miki Rodrigues hand stitches linear detail onto her abstracts made from layers of discarded plastic formally and neatly displayed on top of Plexiglas, yet another layer of plastic.

Kim Paxson stitches on a variety of materials – paper, polyester organza, and artist-made wool felt. The connecting theme of her work is the plastics that permeate our everyday lives.

Included in museum collections and publications and displayed internationally and recognized for excellence, the work of these select artists comes together in Hand Stitch X 10, Works by Texas – an exhibit that offers visual richness, social commentary, and ingenious use of common materials.