Peace of Mind

I wanted to share this textile I made that brought me Peace of Mind.

It looks like an old piece of rag from a distance, but if you look closely you can see a lot of detailed needlework. It took me a lot of mindful time to dye and stitch. They were small chunks of time amounting to hours that I didn't think about much else apart from the piece of material in my hand.

This textile is part of a larger collection I am continuing to make titled 'Not Broken, Beautiful'. This collection is inspired by things that are damaged or decaying or rusted or falling apart, that can then be viewed as having a whole new layer of aesthetic beauty that was not there before. 

My textiles have become an exploration into accidental mistakes during the dying or printing or stitching process, and then highlighting these imperfections by patching them over or with meticulous embroidery.

 Primarily here I was using gold stitch, inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi - which means to repair broken pottery with liquid gold.  I love that idea - the something broken has not become rubbish, but with a bit of care can become exquisite.

For this piece I mixed procion dyes to get a layered shade of blue, and painted it with different brushstrokes onto paper. I cut these painted backgrounds into squares, wanting to replicate marks I had found in a battered pavement.

I printed the colour to the fabric using the heat of an iron.

Some of the squares moved in the heat transfer process and left gaps in the fabric. 

The textile became about embracing these gaps to add colour and texture. I filled them in with delicate stitch that required patience, focus and mindfulness in the present moment.

 The process of this slow stitch was meditative and cathartic. The acceptance of the mistakes was soothing. Embracing the imperfections brought me a sense of peace.

Peace of Mind

I was thinking about this topic as we have decided on it as a theme for an upcoming exhibition. Some lovely local art groups and mental health groups are going to submit work that for them discusses peace of mind. Paintings, drawings, sculptures - theres going to be a great variety as everyones peace of mind is different. The exhibition is at Bridport Mind Fest between 5th-10th October. 

I'm going to submit a piece too, Im hoping to make a new piece along these lines. 

I'm also organising a little table with the question 'what does peace of mind mean to you?' and supplying postcards and crayons for you to submit your own response and put it in the exhibition. I think that it can be anything that brings you a moment of calm - maybe its the act of what you're doing, maybe its the subject, or maybe its the meaning behind it.  I hope to see a lot of post cards with different ideas of peace of mind. The more ideas I can get on this topic, the better!

I've been meditating a lot recently which is helping me to feel more grounded. But in terms of calm focus on just one thing, nothing really hits the spot like sewing for me. I think because it is slow. I'm naturally impatient. And it makes me have to be patient. This piece has reminded me of that. I keep feeling like I don't have time, but there is always time if we make it. I'm going to make some time.