December 06, 2012

a gift

The season of gift giving is upon us and I have a gift for you. Yes you! December is my birthday month and once again I decided to pursue the shameless quest for birthday wishes by offering a gift for my blog readers and newsletter subscribers. I am making a new small artwork specifically for that purpose. At the moment it is still in the stitching stage and I have some teaser pictures below of how it's coming along. The finished piece will be revealed on Monday, December 17th (my actual birthday) and the lucky winner will be announced that day too. Watch for my newsletter this Friday with more details!

I chose my photograph of a window in St. Petersburg, Russia, and this is what's been done to it so far.
it started like this
then I made it teal
and decided it needed more background
somehow the background became winter like.. must be December influence.
then there was a possibility of three
a double layer of chiffon was what I liked best
pinned onto white silk shantung and ready for machine stitching
machine stitched
hand stitching in progress
 Tune in on December 17th for the reveal!

21 comments:

jill said...

Ohh, I've never been first to comment before. I love the look of the window so far and I'm a December baby too so it would be a lovely present!

Nancy Mirman said...

I'm not sure the following is a mood, but I would say "the beauty of age". My husband and mother were born on Dec. 10 - a very good month. Happy Early Birthday!

Unknown said...

This piece puts me in a contemplative mood, thinking about history and the richness of world cultures.

Anonymous said...

Your artwork puts me in the mood to go try doing something like it. I haven't used photos printed on fabric yet but think about it all the time. Maybe today I'll actually do it - all because you were kind enough to show your work in progress.
Linda F.
LLfasrn (at) aol (dot) com

Dagmar said...

Hi Natalya,

your art makes me think of the Old Country, Germany, where I grew up. Makes me feel warm and fussy :) Your art is amazing.

dagmar at dagmarbleasdale dot com.

Cindy Green said...

Hi Natalya,
My daughter also has a December birthday - wish I had thought to name her Natalya - it's so appropriate and special! Your artwork evokes a feeling of nostalgia - a longing for the solidity and integrity of those who came before us. Thanks for sharing your process!

Gloria Hansen said...

One day we should share photos. I have hundreds of old, decaying archways that I photographed in various places in England. You can see some in the Witley Decay series I made on my website.

Your piece looks luscious and dreamy, just lovely!

Jane LaFazio said...

yummy. Aside from the fact that your work reminds me that I want to visit St. Petersburg and the Hermitage museum, the mood of your work is always (to me) pensive and evocative of the past.

Paula Kovarik said...

forgotten spaces, inner memories and a transparent window into the past. It makes me contemplative and curious, reaching for an inner truth.

Elena B. said...

Your lovely fabric creations remind me that someone said the eyes are windows to their soul. They both reveal and obscure.

Vivien Zepf said...

I love that old scenes inspire you to create new artwork celebrating the past -- a wonderful artistic circle! (Of course, your skill with needle and thread help, too!)

Karen L R said...

Haunting, dreamy, ethereal, with a twinge of longing...these are words that your beautiful work conjures up for me, Natalya.

I appreciate your birthday giveaway generosity, and hope you have a fabulous day on Monday!

Thanks for the chance!
xoKaren

Anonymous said...

I also have photographed architecture and would like to incorporate it into fiber/fabric work, and although I do not want to copy your process, I find it quite inspiring and would love to try my hand at it. I like how photographs capture a point in time, but like dreams and memories, the details are not always clear. So, your work invokes the passing of time. Preserving those fleeting views on fabric seems more permanent than storing images on a "cloud"...

Christine Staver said...

Natalya, Your work is always inspiring. I love old things and looking at your new window puts me in the mood to read one of my favorite historic novels....either Outlander or Pillars of the Earth. Also seeing your window has motivated me to drag out one that I printed on fabric last summer when I took a class with you at Create NJ. I think I will turn it into a small quilt! Thanks for the give away and enjoy your birthday.

Bev said...

oh wish i could sew this is just gorgeous...
bev

Linda A. Miller said...

Beautiful work! Viewing it puts me in a quiet reflective mood. Thank you for this generous offer and Happy Early Birthday!

KrisR said...

VERY cool!

Norma Schlager said...

What a lovely piece and I love seeing your progress.
Happy early Birthday!

Lisa Call said...

Mood - hm - I'd say one of connection to the past. That is probably not a mood you can find on a mood ring but your work has a richness of history that I adore.

Rebecca said...

Natalya,

Love your work and the dream-like state it evokes. My mood is of the history of place with a quiet contemplation of that history.

Kris said...

Beautiful.
Reflective would be my mood. And intrigued.