Tuesday, February 28, 2012

arriving in the new world


i've been thinking a lot about emma lousia. my great-great-grandmother who left her wealthy british home in yorkshire, married an irish soldier, and eventually moved to lancelot, ontario - dirt poor farmland.
this is my first piece for emma louisa. i plan on doing more.

i dyed a beautiful piece of linen that robyn sent to me a few weeks ago - dyed it a good solid victorian colour. and added crochet lace that i purchased on etsy and then worked it with embroidery and vintage ric-rac and beads. all from her old world. the restrictions and the comfort of those restrictions. and the crow - the world she ended up in. the cold lonely sound of a single crow. against a clear blue sky, a rocky landscape.

7 comments:

Uli Day said...

Very haunting and evocative, thank you for sharing your work and the story.

Joni of Fully Wooly Primitives said...

beautiful - love the embroidery - thanks for sharing..Joni

Taos Sunflower said...

Wouldn't she be thrilled to see that you honor her so.

steffani f. said...

Shawn, the combination of old and new works very well. Keep going! Your onto something. smile... steffani

Brenda Stratton said...

Beautiful.

Shammickite said...

will you frame this lovely piece? or keep it so it can be handled and touched?

Kerry O'Gorman said...

hey Shaw,,,what an image that is ! It really does convey a story and with the vintage linen...lovely! What fun to work in these other mediums...catching up on your blog...thanks for stopping by and your kind compliments...cheers!