Exploring Color Interactions Illuminated in Goldwork Embroidery

This summer I was extremely excited to be awarded a Faculty Research and Professional Development grant through the NC State University College of Design (where I teach) to help fund my research project "Exploring Color Interactions Illuminated in Goldwork Embroidery”.  As I have written about on my blog before, I am very interested in how colors interact when you start mixing them with the gold and silver threads and wires in metal embroidery.  I began playing around with this after completing a color wheel with Tracy Franklin for my City & Guilds Goldwork Certificate I took with her.  I think I have lost count how many color wheels I have had to do throughout my design education and it was actually a really, really useful exercise and one that honestly I don't think I would have done on my own, atleast at that time.

 

Over the last 7 years, I have viewed numerous exhibitions and collections at different museums and churches to further my exploration and understanding of metal embroidery.  I began noticing that many of the colors that you see used with the metals are very similar to the colors seen in illuminated manuscripts--- very saturated primary colors and some secondary colors. 

What I find interesting is the somewhat unexpected quality of color when used with the gold embroidery.  Purples quickly turn to black on the darker side and start to read as gold when too light.  In traditional color theory, we are taught that yellow is purple's complement but gold does not equal yellow when inserted into the color wheel, even though that is what we traditionally do.

A few exhibitions that have greatly influenced the development of this project are Making Colour that was at the National Gallery in London during the summer of 2014 and Cézanne and the Modern at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta during the fall of 2015.    

Making Colour presented each hue in a different room describing in detail the development of the different pigments in paintings.  The most exciting aspects to me were 2 parts: 
1- The microscopic cross sections used to identify the pigments made me begin to wonder what if instead of matching that blue I wanted in my embroidery I created the perception of that blue.  Why couldn't I treat my stitches like the molecules in the cross sections? 
2- Gold and silver were presented in their own room at the "end of the rainbow" of hue rooms.  There is also a great curator talk on YouTube that addresses the reasoning behind this.  So what if gold and silver were not part of the color wheel but a separate group of their own? 

Cézanne and the Modern was beyond amazing.  It was my first experience seeing Soutine and Sisley paintings in person, and they allowed viewers to take photos!!!!  (Massive thank you to the High Museum of Art and the Henry and Rose Pearlman Collection!).  Zooming in with my camera and isolating different areas of paints allowed me to see the similarities in the color interactions seen in the Impressionists, Post Impressionist and Early Modern painters and embroidery.  They utilized color in a more deconstructed way, creating the perception they wanted by using certain colors adjacent to each other instead of blending matched colors and layering transparent layers.  Additionally, their focus on quick and expressive brushstrokes creates similar texture, shadows and directional movement seen in stitching. 

In this project (it is a seed grant so project in very beginning phase), I want to look at Josef Albers and Bauhaus color theory and the color interactions in Impressionist, Post Impressionist and Early Modern painters.  These uses and theories on color interactions will then inform a set of written articles and a set of embroidery samples investigating the application of these theories in embroidery. I will complement this with research on specific embroidery precedence-- the split stitching in Opus Anglicanum, Constance Howard, Beryl Dean, Audrey Walker, Alice Kettle, and Margaret Nicholson to begin. 

So some of the main questions I am going to be exploring (and I know all of these are huge questions but again this is a seed - in the beginning- grant) are:
- what is the complement of gold?
- how does the texture and stitch pattern effect color perceptions in embroidery? (this question includes material selection i.e. wool v. silk, etc.)
- what can we learn from the Impressionists, Post Impressionists and Early Modern painters use of color theory?
- how can the luminocity seen in the Impressionists, Post Impressionists and Early Modern painters work be translated to stitching?

For the first research trip of the grant, I went to France to focus on the painting color observation part of the project.  I visited Auvers-sur-Oise (where Van Gogh spent the last couple months of his life and painted over 80 paintings), Monet's Gardens and House in Giverny, Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée Marmottan Monet, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Musée de Cluny (the last 2 were to see examples of ecclesiastical embroidery).  I thought over the next couple weeks I would write a bit about each place and share with you some of the things that I had seen and some of the ideas it is sparking in me to push my embroidery research.  Honestly, I will need a while to really process all of what I have seen the last week.  It has been amazing and I cannot wait to start stitching! 

Red Clover

Last summer when I was working on my "Weeds" embroideries, we had a large clump of red clover down near our boat ramp.  I found tons of 4 leaf clovers from it and refused to let my husband spray, cut down or otherwise get rid of the clover patch.  It may be odd, but I think clover is a particularly pretty weed and it brings back memories of childhood Spring and Summer afternoons spent making clover crowns and jewelry.  

I got really excited about this patch of clover.  I pressed the leaves and sketched the plants.  Took photographs galore.  It actually became my evening event a few times a week to walk down and see how the clover had changed or if more had bloomed.  

With this piece, I wanted to continue my Weeds embroideries using the scrap gold thread bits but I also wanted to experiment with doing long and short stitch using a Valdani sewing and quilting thread that was variegated.  I LOVE their colors and in studying the clover it was interesting how stripey and veiny the leaves actually are. I thought maybe using this mercerized sewing/quilting thread it would give it that not-quite-smooth texture of the clover leaves and by using the variegated color it would be interesting to see how long and short would use with less control over the color change.  The small leaflets off the stems are padded with a layer of felt under the long and short.

The actual bloom is created by using a mixture of bullion knots (using a different variegated color of the Valdani sewing and quilting thread) and stretched smooth purl.  I padded underneath it with 1 layer of carpet padding and 1 layer of felt.   I wanted the bloom to be pretty dimensional.  The bullion knots and cut purl are worked the same as you would long and short layering the rows in to create even more texture.  Finally, the stem is overstretched tarnished pearl purl couched with the same Valdani thread as the leaves. 

The Lake House: A Personal Project

I actually started this piece back in the Spring as an anniversary present for my husband.  Then, however, finals came quicker than expected and I got distracted.  It still has some work to go on it- more stitching of course!  I'm not going to stitch the whole thing solid, so the trick will be in deciding when there is "enough" stitching.  

The image is of my husbands' grandparents' lake house.  It is truly one of our favorite places in this world.  Until recently, there was no wifi, cable or cell phone service there.  We all just hung out, cooked, ate, sat by the fire, played in the water, hiked, read books, worked on puzzles, you get the picture-- pure bliss!  The lake backs up to the Appalachian Trail and has some beautiful hiking spots.  We have many, many wonderful family and personal memories at the Lake House.  It was where I first met his whole family all at once.  My favorite memory was when he proposed to me on the dock at sunrise.  

I wanted this piece to feel like a memory.  I was also inspired by the work of my colleague, Susan Brandeis, and how she utilizes layers, printing, and stitching in her work.  I printed (digitally) a photograph I had taken of the Lake House on both cotton sateen and silk organza.  I layered them with 1 layer of 1/8" cotton batting and a backing of cotton muslin.  I added the batting because I did not want the stitching to be flat and I thought the loft that the batting would give to the stitching would be nice. 

The threads I am using are the Valdani cotton sewing and quilting spools.  I love the colors and the soft transitions from color to color on the variegated spools.  The stitches I am using are just basic straight stitches and chain stitches so far.  I'm going to add in some metals into the water but I want that to be my last step.  More leaves on the trees first! 

Cabinet of Curiosities: Pinkeep

This summer I started a new course--The Cabinet of Curiosities: Part 1 Caskets with Tricia Nguyen.  I have long been fascinated by the 17th Century Stumpwork, especially as I have a project of my own that I want to use the techniques for (more on this later when the "idea" is coming together!).  With the help of a Legacy Scholarship awarded by the EGA and my ever-encouraging husband, I am excited that I get to take this course!

In addition to the historic knowledge I am gaining from it, there is also a series of mini-projects that I will be working through to learn the techniques.  The first of these "mini-projects" is the Pinkeep.  The materials for this project are 1750 Montrose linen canvas (approx. 24 count) and Soie Paris thread (3 strands).   The stitching is done all in tent stitch.   

I am using all the same materials, dimensions, and instructions as the project instructions require.  The only difference is that I have used different colors (though still from the 17th Century Color Palette) and my own design.  I based my design for my Pinkeep off of a photo of lily-of-the-valley at my old house.  I had taken a ton of photos of my lily-of-the-valley patch there a few years back when I was prepping for my RSN Silk Shading module.   Someday maybe I will be able to exhibit all my lily-of-the-valley's together!  

This is the first time I have worked with Soie Paris.  It has been an interesting challenge, especially with using the 3 strands.  I have been stranding them the same way as I did with my RSN canvaswork to try to keep it nice and flat.  The silk is soooooo slippery though!  I'm slowly getting the tension more even and smoother and it's great to work with a new thread.  I love the shine of the silk and the vibrant colors and I think once it "clicks" with my fingers I will be a huge fan of the silk threads. 

I thought I would try tramming the stem to make it more raised.  I am happy with the results (mostly) until the stem turns to the horizontal.  I stitched it bottom to top and maybe should have stitched it top to bottom.  Regardless, I'm fairly certain the top portion of the stem will be coming out.  No project is truly a project until something has been ripped out of it I suppose! 

RSN Canvaswork: Progress After 8 Days of Class

After my 8 days of class for my RSN Canvaswork module, I still have a lot of work to do to finish!  I have made a plan with Tracy and feel confident in being able to get it completed.  She went over each new area with me so I feel like I know what to do to finish.  It is now "just" a matter of time and stitching.

Below are photos of my progress at the end of my 8 days.  I finally got used to working with the black and white stripes.  When I first started them, the contrast really played with my eyes.  Once I got to the shoulder area where the directions were changing, the contrast did not seem to cause as much eye strain as it did when I was working on the torso.

The hat also does not show the rather large chunk that I took out.  I felt it was slightly too dark and I thought if I was not happy with it at that stage, it was better to just take it out and try again.  The same can be said for the other flower (the one that is currently a lilac color)--it's totally coming out!  I think the color is not right.  I added a shadow color to the base thread color and I think I should have gone the other way and added a highlight so the overall flower color was lighter.

I am really excited to start back on this next week.  I really enjoy the canvaswork.  It is a lot more time consuming that I ever thought, especially mixing all the thread colors.  I found that is was imperative to keep detailed "recipes" for each mixture so that I could go back and remix them correctly and achieve the slight tonal differences in the sky and blouse.  My notes for this project look like a funny code because of all the color recipes!  

RSN Canvaswork: Progress After the Weekend and Day 5

I thought when I was preparing for my canvaswork module that canvas stitches are bigger so that would mean that they would definitely go quicker.  HA!!!!!!!  They do not.  I am really enjoying this technique though and love mixing the colors-- which is a good thing because the color mixing I think takes as long as the stitching.  

This weekend I finished the neck and one side of the sky and put in a bit more greenery.  Yesterday "Take Out Tuesday" struck me with a vengeance.  I spent the morning (literally the whole morning) picking out.  In the afternoon, I started work on the sleeve.  If you will notice, the stripes follow the drape of the shoulder and sleeves and present an interesting problem/challenge for the canvas stitches.  The horizontal stripes are horizontal Parisian, vertical stripes are vertical Parisian and the diagonal fold is diagonal Parisian.  I'm presently working on finishing up the diagonal part before class so Tracy and I can figure out how all these directions are going to meet and follow the shoulder line.  

 Neck in diagonal ground. 

 "Take Out Tuesday" in action

Progress at end of Day 5

RSN Canvaswork: Progress Day 3

At the end of Day 3, I have been working on the stripes for the top and the butterfly.  

I quite like the color mixing and the texture of the canvaswork.  Mixing the threads takes a lot of the time but I think it worth it.  The stripes on the shirt are mixes of DMC stranded cottons and Valdani variegated stranded cotton.   The butterly is composed of mixes of DMC stranded cotton, DMC stranded rayon, DMC stranded metallic, and Valdani variegated stranded cotton.  Maybe I can put the butterfly's body in today so I can say I've finished something! 

For now, on to putting in some more stripes before class officially starts for the day.  The other night I gave myself the homework of pre-mixing all my thread combinations so that is saving a bit of time here in class.