Mirjam Gielen – January 5-7
Website: http://patreon.com/mirjamtextiles
Mirjam Gielen is a Dutch textile artist creating organic embroidery. She is inspired by nature, especially by its patterns, colors and textures. She often creates new, imaginary images derived from what she sees in the natural world. Her preference for natural colors prompted her to start eco dyeing and eco printing.
Mirjam finds that the randomness of eco prints results in a surface that invites intuitive stitching and encourages a dialogue with the fabric.Mirjam started her career as a textile artist while writing books for children and young adults. Making “wordless” art with threads and fabrics turned out to be the idea way to refresh her brain in between chapters and double her creativity. Over the years this practice grew into something more serious.
Sharing her process, her knowledge and experience with others makes her happy.
Artist’s statement:
Mirjam is a textile artist creating organic embroideries on a background of eco printed and eco dyed fabric. She’s inspired by nature, especially by its patterns and textures. She likes exploring, looking at details and finding similarities with her own nature. She uses techniques like embroidery, eco printing and crochet to create images and objects that reflect natural phenomena. Her goal is to make sustainable art, using eco printing and dyeing, and organic or reclaimed fabric and threads.
VIRTUAL LECTURE: Tues, Jan 5: 9:30 am (CT):
The Benefits of Hand Embroidery: What You Put into It and What You Get Out of It
There is a lot to tell about hand stitching being beneficial for your well-being in many aspects (quite a bit of scientific research), but there can be the other side like your inner critic holding you back, past experiences, feeling in competition with others, etc. Mirjam will address both sides, from personal experience.
Virtual Workshop: Versatility of the Running Stitch
Tues, Jan 5: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Wed, Jan 6: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Thurs, Jan 7: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
In this workshop participants will explore the versatility of the running stitch. First by making a sample piece with several variations on the running stitch in a free style. This will help to experience the possibilities of this stitch and at the same time to feel at home with a free, organic style of stitching. Central in this sample will be the stacked running stitch, a variation of the running stitch that is used in Indian Kantha stitching. With this stitch you can create organic patterns reminiscent of ripples in water or sand on the beach, but also tree bark or the patterns of animal skins like zebra.
We will create a small triangular scent bag together, decorated with running stitch in one of the variations from the sample.
After that we will stitch on a felt dryer ball with the stacked running stitch but if participants want to use this stitch on something else, a piece of clothing for instance, that is also a possibility.