Mariel's Art and Sketches: foliage

In art, artist

I have always been fond of crafts, of cottages, of simple things made with love. Well, anything made with love has never been simple at all, though in its simplicity, they feel a lot more close to the heart, more intimate. Maybe this is just me.

Anyways, ever since the Honey Bee embroidery, I found myself more and more in love with needles and threads. I was always watching my mother as she busied herself in her cross stitches and crochets, that I only dreamed of ever doing the same things she did so beautifully. I would always loved the way she did her crafts as she told me stories and sometimes, even in the silence, I was happy, as long as I get to watch her make her new piece sitting by the door with the light coming in from the outside, golden and illuminating.

I feel that these simple yet beautiful moments have inspired me to finally start doing embroidery. Sitting down with a quiet perseverance and a little bit of simple chatter with loved ones, I start making new pieces that felt close to home, to heart. I love the feel of making an image with threads, flowers and foliage all made from scratch on stretched canvas. The sketch of what I wanted to make is always the hardest part as well as choosing the colors. I love ink until now, and it is only until some time did I start using colors. I must always feel that the colors are "right" -- sometimes they are too dark, sometimes too bright. I find myself drawn to the earthy tones. But as always, like a ray in the middle of the forest whose colors I loved so much, a bit of sun light always finds its way to my colors.

As for the fondness I have for nature, it probably stemmed from my childhood days spent looking at the bright blue sky, of intently watching the leaves and weeds swaying in the wind, at the brightness of our little garden filled with flowers and bees, of listening to the songs of the birds, of the feel of the gale in the middle of the day, even the moss on plant pots and the ants crawling up the concrete walls. They were all so fascinating to me and I felt that they have always been there and will always be in existence. I felt that these things are eternal and have always felt like an innate sort of distant memory I had in me, tucked away somewhere deep inside me. They spoke to me in a way I could not understand. But now, I felt their presence every day. Even though I have some rather unpleasant days, it is to these beings that I draw strength from plus the warmth of love and home.

I have been pricked by my needles so many times, accidentally snapped them in two twice as much and still I love this. It probably wouldn't change.

Embroidery feels so much like one of the things I love -- nature and home. They are all like threads woven to make one lovely image, complex and yet filled with beauty. And we are all bonded together, hundreds and even thousands of threads all into one. And it always fills me with a deep kind of happiness.