In this workshop, Ana will show how traditional embroidery stitches can lay the foundation for creative embroidery and art textile. She will demonstrate how to stretch and manipulate stitches to incorporate stitch onto surfaces to express texture and feelings. She invites you to enjoy playing with threads, without any preconceived project or application in mind. Be spontaneous with your stitch choices and color scheme. Open your mind to explore using threads in your work. Merging art with our concept of thet raditional trade of hand embroidery.
Bio: Anna Jonsdottir was born in Denmark and raised in Iceland. At the age of six she was taught by her Grandma Anna, to thread a needle and followed a pattern. As a teenager, she loved knitting and exploring embroidery techniques, and designing her own patterns. She has a degree in science and had a successful and lucrative career in the European R&D food sector. Anna moved to the United Kingdom in 2011 and met the talented textile artist Kathleen Patterson, who ran a monthly ‘CreativeEmbroidery’ course. She then studied at the Open Collage of Art, in UK. In 2016 Anna was accepted into her first juried art exhibition, ‘TheNew Forest Open Art Exhibition. Following that she received her first commission from an international public relation company. “Finally,”she says, “I had the courage to say out loud, I am an artist.” In 2023, Anna started selling embroidery kits to encourage people to use embroidery to relax in our ever-demanding society. Finding the joy of using the small tool of a needle and a thread to explore the endless possibilities a needle can bring to our life being mending, making, drawing and/or exploring our artistic side. All kits have everything needed, not popping to the shop. Just putting down the phone, opening a box and feeling the joy of using our hands to make!
Artist Statement
I am a textile, mixed media artist manipulating fibers using color and texture that reflects my Icelandic heritage, weather-beaten Northern Artic wilderness mixed with the bright colors of tropical living in the sunny state of Florida. I mainly explore the theme circle of life, connections, the concept of individualism and nature through texture and feel. I usually work in a series of several small works where each piece can stand on its own, but the depth of the work strengthens and shines as more and more pieces are brought together. As with society, compositions are endless! Isn’t us more fulfilling than I? Although we need an I to make us! That’s thebeauty of us as humans, that’s the fundamental of society.
@amjcreativitywww.amjcreativity.com
www.amjcreativity.etsy.com
What you will need
Printed reference images for color or texture reference
6 in x 8 inWatercolor paper (300g/m2140lb)–Needs to be thick enough to be punched and stitchedwithout the paper bending
Snips of handmade paper, plastic food packaging and/or watercolor paper (to make circle and semicircle)
Watercolor of your choosing
Mixing pallet for watercolors
Small container for water
Paper towel
Optional:Salt and/or tools for making texture, Tracing paper-cut into 5¾”x 7¾”or the size that covers your watercolor paper, Masking tape, Flat sponge to lay the paper on top to help with the needle punching, Drawing pencil, Eraser, Circle maker or circled small objects to trace, Small ruler, Glue stick, Scissors–for cutting paper, canalsobe used as a thread cutter, Pens–black, white, gold in various thickness(0.3-0.7mm), Chenille needles–with sharp end for making holes in paper, Thimble or helps with the punching, Tapestry needles, Beading needles, Embroidery and/orsewing machine threads-In your preferred colors and associated decorative threads
We are working on a small surface so thin is better than thick. Beads, found objects, wires, sticks, sand etc.anything that goes with the feel of your chosen colors/texture. Recycling is closely linked to textile art-use what you have.
