Captivating Art and Entertainment Gallery

 Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms took my breath away when  I first saw it at an exhibit in LA. The painting was as large as a wall and colors were amazing. It was right at that  moment I knew I needed to paint it with thread. This was  the biggest challenge I took on at that time (circa 1990s).    Since then this work became my "signature" work and my most beloved. I've done a total of four versions, h

Sunday in the Park by Seurat was completed about ten years ago. I saw the original painting at the Art Institute in Chicago and it took my breath away. I threaded this one free style after sketching on cloth. In order to accomplish the shades I had to make the dots on top of dots in appropriate colors. The cloth became very thick and I ended up with a little thumb inflammation. It was worth it.

The iconic Japanese woodblock by Katsushika Hokusai,  The Wave interpreted in cotton threads.

My husband kept requesting that I make it for him, but I continued to procrastinate.  Subsequently I was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration and realized that I will not have an unlimited timeline to give The Wave a try.

Interpreting this magnificent woodblock took me over a year and I am very pleased with the results. This was my big 2020 project.

Work in progress

Close-up detail

It all starts with a painting or a photograph I see which either catches my eye or is special. In this case it was the cover of a poetry book by Leonard Cohen given to me by my best friend Ruth. In 2013 I decided to embroider the cover of the book for her birthday. 

 It started with the sketch and continued until the final thread painting is completed and stretched and framed. The thrill of creating and giving a “special” gift, few things are better in life.
 

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Finished and framed

This thread represents my fond memories of our visits to New York in the West Village with a touch of Tel Aviv. 

The palm tree in this image is not New York, but it is Tel Aviv! 

Close-up images of my process

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This was created as a gift for a friend and based on a photograph of her daughter a couple of weeks prior to delivery of a beautiful little boy. I used cotton threads and it took about five months. 

In Progress

Close-up

My thread interpretation of Van Gogh’s Still Life With Coffee Pot. I started this when we first learned of Covid so this particular project will always serve as a reminder of what we are all dealing with. Working with threads keeps me in the moment since there is something very meditative about the process of one stitch at a time. 

Work in progress

A story of Bernie and Paisley
It all started with my friends getting a dog. They fell in love with a Pug and named him Bernie. 

While Bernie was very loved by his parent he spent time alone and looked forward to the Doggie Park so he could play with his friend. 

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When their photograph was posted on Facebook, I could not resist thread painting their loving faces using my usual technique of cotton threads split and mixed for shading. 

Of note, faces of people and animals are particularly difficult to thread paint since capturing expressions using this method is a challenge.

In this case one can see how excited the Love Pugs were when they were presented with the gift of a framed “Bernie Paisley” portrait.  

The thread painting is currently hanging in their parent’s home next to portraits of mom and dad and may they all live happily ever after.

Original commissioned work of a mariachi band