The Finished Product

As you know I handpaint needlepoint canvases but rarely see the finished product.
Well this time the client has sent me a pic of a design completed and framed, and it is stunning.

Here is the camvas before it was worked :-

Bright poppies on a complex background.
And here is the finished canvas :-

The flowers have come alive!A lovely job Val.

Enjoy your stitching or creating and have a good Christmas and a great 2014 everyone
Nicola

 

A Brand New Website about another of my Passions

Hello everyone , 
 
As some of you may know I have another passion ... local history.
After over 25 years of work I have finally published a website devoted to this deserted old goldmining town of Whroo, Victoria.
Whroo Victoria

The site is comprehensive and there are lots of pics.
Set in the middle of an Ironbark Forest 7 Kms south of Rushworth in Central Victoria ,  this old town holds so much information hidden in the gullies and overgrown bush.

If you have ever been to Whroo Im sure you will have felt its magic , the remains of housesites and, of course, the quiet tranquil cemetery where over 420 people are buried, so many of them children as shown by the picture below.

The small fence has been sawn off and the marker stones moved around a little.
It has given me great satisfaction to be able to discover who is in the cemetery, although as the original plan disappeared years ago, only a third of the graves can be identified.

The tracing of the family histories has been slow but rewarding too .... sometimes I feel I know these people better than the ones around me!!

Enjoy the peace the site inspires.
Regards
Nicola

 




 

Eucalypt Habitat: Whroo Cemetery

www.whroocemeteryinterments.weebly.comEucalypt Habitat: Whroo Cemetery

Winter Warmers now added to the website

Cold hands?? Those colourful mittens are now  a must in the Southern Hemisphere, its been cold.
Have also added some cosy soft scarves and a shawl to the collection.

They are all soft and have my usual trademark detail - beading, embroidery and handmade tassels.


AND DID I MENTION?????
ALL AUSTRALIAN ORDERS HAVE FREE SHIPPING :)

http://www.materialassets.com.au

Off at a tangent

Well it seems ages since Ive added an article here. A lot has happened!
I havent been idle though on the creating front, apart from a long and tiring weekend over Mothers Day  ( did I  mention Im a florist??)

Its cold here, especially in the mornings, so Ive been creating mittens ....

... and painting more canvases

so Ive been busy.
Some of the sari silk scarves are still available from the website:-
http://www.materialassets.com.au

Now what will I create next?
So many ideas flying around ...

Nicola

Creating Heirlooms

I use this phrase to describe my work as much of it is timeless and will last for years.  So much of life seems to be use and throw away, but beautiful things deserve to be kept and cherished.
As a handpainter of needlepoint canvases I am creating a design for someone else to stitch , it is intricate, painstaking and slow , but the result is a masterpiece in itself.
Here is one I have just finished, and I know the customer will work it beautifully.

A large canvas, approx 100 cms x 60 cms.Each stitch painted seperately. Dont believe me?? Look at the closeup.

The notion that needlepoint design is old fashioned and traditional is definately not the case in most of the painting I do!
(By the way, needlepoint is the correct term, tapestry is WOVEN, needlepoint is STITCHED.)

I work from just a title, or may be asked to paint from an image supplied.
The paintings are worked in silk, cotton, wool  .. whatever you choose.The painting is mine ( and covered by copyright) but the final work is yours .Sometimes colours are changed, sometimes downsized when framed.



To see more please visit     http://www.materialassets.com.au
..if you havent already. :)
Nicola

OLD FROM NEW

I wonder how many artists have unfinished or discarded canvases stacked against the walls??
Every pic Ive seen of a studio shows some..they are ready to be reworked or maybe even painted over.
Its the same with textile work ..some seemed good but then maybe they werent. Unpicking and reusing yarn or a textile piece is similar to a painting in that the individual items may be reused to create something else, the old masters of the art world certainly did this with canvases or boards.

Here is a Rose Trellis piece, felted, knitted and material roses on a green garden trellis.
I loved it for a while, then it was taking up space so I dismantled it, saved the roses and TAH DAH .......

Now reassembled on a small painted blockboard as a picture, and they are reborn.

Wonder what else I can find in the stash??
Nicola