TIME is not a Line

 

I started this piece a year ago, picking it up now and again.  The small squares were created first 

The small squares are of eco dyed silk, indigo on cotton, indigo on blockout curtain materials and a very old hardanger which was an embroidery I began in my teens.  That is a long time to hold onto cloth. My mother and father used to visit their friends and play cards while my sister and i would read or listen to the radio.  More often than not I would take some embroidery to do. Now it is  woven into a whole of newer memories.

It sat like this, in this format a very long time because, as happens more often than not, I didnt know what to do next. On one of the many creek walks i take from the studio to the bridge in our front yard the idea came to me as i was musing on the sun reflecting on the water.  And so the stitching began - my way of working is mostly intuitive and in this case, apart from drawing the circle on the back, 

The stitches are created by stacking running stitch one on top of the other.  Two tones of orange Japanese thread (found in Japan 10 years ago) was used to add a little shift, here and there.

The cloth of squares was set on a background of calico and basted to it.  Then I stitched both cloths to each other using embroidery thread and an invisible running stitch creating a nice, solid surface to work on.  The invisible running stitch is where the longer stitch is at the back with a small dot stitch on the front.   

Apart from maintaining the circle with stitches stacked around the shape, the internal stitches went wherever they went, stopping and starting and thicker and thinner as and when it needed to be.  I am loving the back of it also. 

Perfection is never my intent, more that i embrace the philosophy of Wabi Sabi* and enjoy that the work shows the hand of the artist and ways of working, the process. The work speaks to Time, #mapping and drawing.  Perhaps 'TIME is not A Line' is a good title ?  and is it now a finished piece ?  ... we shall see.

*Wabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy that embraces the beauty of imperfection, transience, and simplicity in the natural world and in the human experience. It encourages appreciation for the aged, rustic, and humble, finding beauty in the subtle details and the natural aging process of objects and people. Essentially, it's about recognizing and valuing the flaws and imperfections that add character and depth to life, rather than striving for unattainable perfection*