Beginner's - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
week! Who know what I will be experimenting with tomorrow? One
thing is for sure in my method to create, is that time is not ever taken
into consideration to achieve a piece. I take time to make things nice
and detailed. No matter how many days it takes. I like the watcher
to come very very close to my work to discover how many details he
can find, and stay a long, long time to enjoy all the tangled elements.
I make it impossible to see everything in one glance!
As for the Shisha, this is an Indian traditional embroidery. A little bit of
history first: Most of the Banjaras tribes living in Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Andhra Pardesh provinces (North of India) were using mica or glass cut
into different shapes in their embroideries. The slightly convex silver
glass used in the past for this process was thought to frighten away
evil spirits who were terrified by the sight of their own image! Today
again, the Shisha embroidery with small mirrors is very popular, and it
is still in use to embellish the garments of the Indian ladies. However,
in the more commercial items such as cushion covers, wall hangings
or purses, the ladies now use a big silver plastic sequin instead of
the mirror, and the effect is quite amazing too! I give a contemporary
interpretation of the Shisha embroidery in my Shisha pieces. I mix silk
fibers, which I spread on a raw silk background, free machine stitch
over it, and then embellish with lots of beads, Shisha mirror embroidery
and traditional stitches.
Please tell us a little about your materials: What is your favorite
thing to work with? What types of fabrics, beads and threads do
you use?
Karen: Natural Fibers! No synthetics! My favorite fabric is raw silk. I
have tons of it! I especially like its fantastic sheen, and double color
thread is the best of all, because as you pass by in front of it, it changes
of color! Once again, it adds some alive feeling to the material and
interaction with the viewer! I have one stunning pieceof raw silk, that
shifts from violet to orange, and another exquisite one that changes
from sunflower yellow to shocking pink! Really amazing material. And I
also like the unevenness of the fabric, with sometimes big extras from
the cocoon that makes you remember it comes from a worm! I also like
t batiks, and I try to avoid any synthetic fibers as much as I can. Same
thought process for the beads: I prefer glass beads, clay beads or
terracotta beads instead of plastic beads. I guess this is a side effect
of the deep respect I pay to our planet, and it can show in my choice
of material, preferring natural non-pollutant materials instead of an “all
plastic way of life!”
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