Right now summer is tantalising us, and with some really warm days appearing, it does feel like it's around the corner. Currently I'm training for a charity trek (23 miles in one day across Hadrian's Wall to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society), and with the beautiful countryside near my house, I'm really getting some lovely walks in. The woodland is in full bloom at the minute, with leafy trees, bluebells and wildlife aplenty. I've been particularly struck by the butterflies I'm seeing out there, and have managed to get some really lovely photos of them (I'll upload them soon...), which will hopefully inspire some work in days to come! So today I'm inspired by people who use flowers and insects in their artwork, to create small, detailed, and beautiful pieces. Here's a few of my favourites!
Anyone who knows me well will know that I'm addicted to machine embroidery. And one artist who creates the most beautiful pieces using this technique is Corinne Young. She is inspired by flowers and insects, but also by historical artifacts, something which I can relate to as a bit of a heritage enthusiast! She creates lovely textile and interior pieces.
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| Papiollio et Libris |
I love this piece, it really does look like a real showcase of butterflies - except here they're faithfully recreated with stitch! Amazing.
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| Plant Pots |
This is less realistic, but I think it's super cute. I love buying flowers for my mum, but stitching some everlasting ones seems like an fantastic idea to me, and these ones in their little pots are just lovely.
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| Poppy |
I love this, the detail and choice of colour is simply beautiful. The attention to detail even covers a background too, which I think is particularly nice. Beautiful work!
Next up is the incredible Abigail Brown. A textile designer based in London, Abigail uses her skills with fabric to create the most amazing sculpture, mostly of birds. I think her work is beautiful, and a gorgeously original use of textile art.
I adore these butterfly brooches - there's something beautifully natural about about them, and I love the careful composition of colours and shapes, with just some simple machine stitching to hold it together.
I know I was meant to be focusing on flowers and insects, but these birds are just astounding - I love how true to life they are while still having this beautiful handmade look about them. The peacock is especially amazing, and I just wanted to include the jay because I had the pleasure of seeing two on my walk this week - very lucky considering how shy they are!
Finally, I'm going to look at Lindsay Taylor, a textile artist who creates embroidered sculpture and accessories, inspired by beautiful natural forms from the rural landscape of Britain, especially from the Isle of Wight where her studio is located. Her work also has something of a fantasy element, which I really love.
I love this necklace and headpiece. The forms seem so natural, despite the fact that they don't represent any real butterfly, and you can tell it was created with love. The colours are also gorgeous - they remind me of summer and autumn, respectively, which is lovely.
I love her necklaces, the detail on them is just wonderful and I can really relate to how inspired she feels by nature. I also love her range of techniques - a great example of how one artist can still specialise in a multitude of methods!
I'm feeling pretty inspired now, and if I was at home I'd be setting up the sewing machine right now, or preparing to do some felting...we'll have to see if I can find the energy when I get home from work! My next day off is Tuesday...not sure I can wait till then...
Hope you all have an amazing weekend in the sunshine!
Amy x
