Mixing paint and embroidery

Work in Progress

Experiments in mixing media

"You begin with the possibilities of the material"

Art Quotes

I like that quote and that's what I've been trying. I experimented with a photo transfer of one of my paintings (which has been used for sticker street art quite a bit) on muslin to embroider over. I painted on the embroidery floss itself. I did the lips in white satin stitch and then added gentle strokes of acrylic grey wash over the embroidery. The black area is long and short stitch in embroidery floss. I've been itching to incorporate embroidery into some sort of assemblage, but still trying to figure out how. Somehow I just want to tack this up on some wood.

Influences
I am reading about one of my fave artists, Robert Rauschenberg
(Off the Wall by Calvin Tomkins) whose work I've always loved and been intrigued by.

Image source

I have such difficulty with bringing so many elements together (one of the reasons I love graffiti too), particularly incorporating text into a painting. Somehow it is easier with embroidery, which is odd. Rauschenberg was a master at bringing elements together and recontextualizing them with his "combines". Somehow I have to figure out how I can put my work into a piece that becomes part of a bigger picture.

"A Cat Visits"

and decides to sleep in my bowl on my front porch. I think it's a stray and been trying to adopt us. It has camped out at our front door for the last few days. Normally my dog chases cats but this one seems to have soothed his doggie ways.
Update: It deserted us when a neighbour gave it some of their cat's food.