While things have been quiet on the blog, I assure you, they have not been quiet in my studio! I continue to work on my new book and cross freelance projects off my list. So many exciting things are happening that are still under wraps and I'm trying to squeeze in teacher appreciate holiday gifts, something for our amazing school crossing guard, various friends and family. 'Tis the season to knit like the wind! As always, dear readers, when I see something interesting happening in our small crafting world, I love to share it with you. I've gotten back into embroidery lately and when I saw these I was struck by the colors, detail, and how it felt like these people were so realistic they were about to walk out of the cloth. Check out the below work by the incredibly talented Cape Town-based artist Danielle Clough. Original article found here.
Intimate Embroidered Portraits by Danielle Clough
by Kate Sierzputowski
Cape Town-based artist Danielle Clough embroiders portraits of friends and loved ones, adapting black and white images of subjects into multi-colored works. By working from black and white images the resulting works are not tied to the colors present in the original images, creating vibrant pieces that feature bright oranges, purples, and blues.
The portraits featured here were produced by Clough for the upcoming book Queer Africa II, a collection of new stories about love on the continent of Africa. The editors, Makhosazana Xaba and Karen Martin, were drawn to Clough’s work for the publication because of the conceptual linkage of her layered yarn to the personal narratives told in the book, which Zaba explained “adds meaning and speaks to the zigzagging nature of our lives.”
Queer Africa II will be published next month through MaThoko’s Books and be available online through both Amazon and African Books Collective. You can see more portraits by Clough on her Instagram, and take a look into the artist’s process on her blog.
