13" x 13"
>2008 Callaway Gardens - School of Needle Arts - 3rd Prize Ribbon

The story of "Rhapsody"

Rhapsody is a Canvas Collage that was stitched for "feelings". I created the concept one day when I was feeling "down" and by the time the piece was completed, I was feeling "up". This piece was originally titled "Abandonment" and later evolved into "Rhapsody" as it took on a life of its own.

In the process of doing my stitching, I write in journals to record what I'm doing, the fabric and threads that I'm using, inspirations, current ideas and future plans. When I know that I will have to stop work on a piece for a few weeks or longer, I make notes of what I have in mind and where to begin next. I also focus on the title of the piece and direct the feeling of the piece toward that title.

Here are some of my journal entries while stitching Rhapsody:

'I'm amazed that I look for a feeling - idea - thread to express a feeling and the thread is in my stash, visible at the front at the drawer! What does that say? All of these colors were selected by me years ago for an unknown result which I am creating now. The task is to stay with the mystery of the life process and let it all occur in its own time.'

'I like to stitch upside down where the piece is hard to reach. This also reduces the conscious manipulation of the thread placement and creates a balanced composition.'

I'm letting the glitter and the overdye threads take their own meandering path. I'm fascinated with the inner voice telling me where to head. It's like a treasure hunt and I'm heading to the next surprise turn in the road (stitching). I didn't expect any of these choices today and that's the excitement of this new creating direction.'

'When I'm stitching and the work becomes planned, expected, routine . . . I feel panic. Then I abruptly switch my stitching pattern or direction and again feel content and on track with the integrity of this piece. This change of stitchery implies that I don't know whether I'm coming or going - - - yet, by the unfolding that I see here, at a higher level, I do know.'

'I'm so glad that I've stopped matching everything. Nature doesn't match, it blends, assimilates, integrates, touches, emotes, vibrates, pulses.'

'I like to treat all sections of a piece as an independent segment within a larger creation. In other words, any section of a piece (to my way of thinking) should be well designed, balanced and able to hold the interest of the viewer. Combining all of these segments is the artistic challenge. They don't "work" by chance. I am continually balancing ideas and colors to create the overall flow of the piece.'

At this point in my writing, I put the piece aside and went to Florida to move my elderly Mother back home to Toronto. These comments followed: 'I'm glad that I've made notes of how to continue. Although it's only five days, the flow of the piece is gone. Mom's here and that throws some new light (sparkle) onto the images and my issues. Her presence and her language are reinforcing the tangled web of historical details and there is a sparkle of clarity coming through. The color rust is grounding, metals rust when affected by time. It's time to move on.'

And finally - - -

'I hadn't expected most of what unfolded in the creating of this piece. I needed to get out of the way and let it express itself. All of my plans are only plans. The needle speaks and overrides my mind.'

>Click within the stitchings to see the detail images: