Dreams, daydreams, fantasies, or nightmares – why not capture these in stitch?
Exploring your dreams using embroidery, collage, and mixed media may be a new way forward for you and your work – just beware that what you’re portraying may not be easy or comfortable.
But it may also be the beginning of a new conversation with yourself and your viewers, addressing issues that resonate deeply within, allowing for a sense of freedom and self-expression.
Now a dream is described as a series of ideas, images, emotions, and sensations, occurring involuntarily in our minds as we sleep.
Hello – that’s the perfect starting point for new work, isn’t it?
You might think this is too ‘out there’ to try – but stick with me – look at these two artists whose work is based on their dreams.
Contemporary Australian embroidery and textile artist Cheryl Bridgart creates dreamscapes using free-machine embroidery.
Her work is outstanding – and it’s all based on her dreams.
Cheryl creates one-of-a-kind visual stories that she initially sketches onto paper before transforming into her uniquely embroidered art.
And it doesn’t stop with wall art but continues into wearable art and hats that Cheryl wears, all of which showcase her playful themes full of personal imagery.
Her intricately detailed work hovers somewhere between her dream world and reality – and the end result is stunning, full of colour, visual texture, and thousands upon thousands of beautifully expressive stitches.
Another artist is Livia Papiernik.
Livia does not hesitate to boldly express her subconscious to encourage conversations about mental health and well-being, using written and visual diary entries to reflect her innermost emotions and feelings.
With a passion for textiles and mixed media, Livia draws on feelings of nostalgia, comfort, and safety to create her large installations and embroideries where her illustrative style creates wonderful textures.
Both these artists are storytellers – and their dreams are the conduit for their creative expression.
Your dreams are simply a beginning, a time for generating that conversation with your inner self – enabling your personal, creative visual expression.
Why not fold a large page of paper into small boxes and draw a daily cartoon?
Each could be a different dream – or each box could represent a specific dream narrative, forming your very own story scape.
Write captions underneath – they add context.
Either way, it’s a great starting point for new work, full of your emotions and sensibilities.
For years, graphic artists, writers, and filmmakers have created work based on dreams, so why not textile artists?
Use your dreams to release emotions, make a statement, or simply capture memories.
After all, they are yours!
All views and opinions expressed are my own, except where acknowledged information is included from other sources.