Although the majority of the art I create is inspired by the Canadian landscape, I do have a love of creating whimsical, underwater scenes. Maybe it's the freedom this fictional location provides, allowing for unusual colour combinations and imaginary landscape features. I can stitch to my heart's content and use up my treasured silk ribbon, hand-dyed threads and interesting charms without worrying if they look overdone or out of place. I created this piece "Under the Sea" a few years ago, and it remains one of my favourites!

By some standards, I might be considered a bit of a bead and old jewellery hoarder, but I always stash broken necklaces and single earrings away if I think there's a chance they could be useful in one of these seascapes. Sometimes their unusual shapes and colouring are the perfect thing to add. Though many of the beads are tucked away into folds of fabric, I still like to give the viewer tiny glimpses of treasure, barely visible, but adding intrigue and a fullness that would otherwise be missing.  

 If you look in the picture above, you can see I've included a cluster of feathers with naturally reflective greens and browns that give them an iridescent look. These saturated colours inspired many of the colour choices in the rest of the stitching. The red-violet colour of the silk ribbon above the feathers is a complimentary colour to the feather's yellowy-green, creating a beautiful combination that is always pleasing. Somehow in these seascapes, the more colours the better - even subtle bits of colour - the combined effect being one of richness and decadence. A close inspection of the tangled "plant" gives an idea of how the layers of texture and colour are built. First a scrap of neutral lace holds the spot, followed by feather-stitched silk ribbon to shape the plant, topped with a copper metallic thread that winds through the featherstitches providing definition of the fluid branches. It's this layering that allows for a mix of colours that is so appealing to me. Like being in a candy shop!😍🎨

The bottom portion of the seascape was first pieced as a crazy-quilt (shout out to Judith Baker Montano!), with stitches covering each of the seams. I knew I would be layering over top of many of these stiches, but somehow it seems important to work through the process as I build it. 

I absolutely love the end result! The colours are so pretty and the charms provide a playful touch. It's the kind of artwork that is lovely from far away, but truly needs to be admired close up in order to get the full effect of the intricate details. I have put this original piece for sale in my Etsy shop. If you have any questions for me regarding this piece or anything else, please reach out through the contact form on my website!