Thread Paintings Capture Homes in Their Distinctly Native Surroundings

Stephanie K Clark builds homes from swatches of cloth and spools of thread, embroidering tiny dwellings which appear to absorb the sun and moonlight from her small-scale scenes. The structures and their surrounding landscaping appear in vibrant colors while supporting and environment-specific trees, cacti, flamingos, and dogs lay nearby in faint black outlines.

“I considers myself a painter and I paint with thread. The process of transforming string into art struck me as something visually stimulating with complex simplicity. My background in painting has allowed me to explore the material using techniques that derive more from the worlds of drawing and painting, engaging both traditional and innovative techniques in employing formal qualities with density, texture and pattern. The embroidery floss is my palette and the needle is my paintbrush. I create a method of embroidering the threads in an arrangement that would initially create value, color, depth and as I lay the colors down they instantly blend themselves. This process has had its way with me, leading me from hobby to art. My work is an ode and influenced by the worlds of tapestry and my love for craft. Using thread instead of oils has allowed me to bring new purpose to my painting process. My work blurs the lines between fine art and craft. I like to think I can reclaim the word “craft” which contains the idea of an unusual frame of knowledge and skill passed on from generation to generation. The use of craft such as embroidery fits my concept of domesticity, therefore my process and material becomes involved in the concept of my work.” – Stephanie K Clark

Thread Paintings Capture Homes in Their Distinctly Native Surroundings: