Exhibition Announcement: POST PAUSE

Two of my furlough daily embroideries are in POST PAUSE, the inaugural exhibition of the new Easthampton City Arts online gallery. Curated by Maggie Nowinski, POST PAUSE presents works created during this time of pandemic by artists in western Massachusetts. Each artist's work is accompanied by a statement about how their creative practice has been impacted by COVID-19.

Bonnie Sennott, Daily Embroidery (19 Days), 2020, perle cotton on natural linen, 8 x 8 inches

Bonnie Sennott, Daily Embroidery (24 Days), 2020, perle cotton on linen dyed with oak galls, 8 x 8 inches

These abstract embroideries employ the technique of negative space embroidery. The unstitched spaces speak of all that’s disappeared from my life this year — I’ve had two shows canceled when the galleries closed. I’ve lost income due to being furloughed from my job. I’ve lost my sister Jackie, who passed away due to cancer. Daily embroidery has been a way to create something positive out of the loss and fragmentation of 2020.

I hope you’ll have a chance to visit the new Easthampton City Arts online gallery and see the exhibition. So far as I can tell, it’s not searchable, so here’s a direct link to my work.

Daily Thread: Piece No. 13 (Two Birches)

The thirteenth piece of my 2019 daily stitch journal focused on two birch trees I’ve spent years observing. These two trees stand tall at the edge of my backyard, greeting me every morning, in every season. For some reason, they give me a lot of inner strength. When they leaf out every spring, it’s the most thrilling, joyful time of the whole year.

The two birches this morning (just left of center). They still have most of their leaves and few have turned yellow yet. It’s late in October for them to still be green.

This piece is the least abstract of the 18 embroideries in Daily Thread, my 2019 stitch journal. I worked on it from August 14 to September 2, 2019, days 226–245. For this daily art project, I stitched each day using colors observed in my backyard in western Massachusetts. Each Daily Thread piece had a particular theme, chosen at the outset, such as "snow," "sky," "bark and bramble," "verdant," or "winged."

I happened to have a variegated Valdani pearl cotton that reminded me of birch bark every time I picked it up. Having devoted one piece to bark and bramble early in the year, I decided to dedicate another just to these two trees.

Palette for Daily Thread Piece No. 13

Coming up: My next Daily Thread post will be about the 14th piece, which had the theme of “waning.”

New work: While I’m furloughed from my day job due to COVID-19, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.

Exhibition news: I’ve had recent embroidery work accepted for “Post Pause,” an upcoming online exhibition organized by Easthampton City Arts. Their online gallery is under construction — I’ll share more details as soon as I get them. The show is expected to “open” around November 1.

If life is back to normal next spring, I will be showing the entire Daily Thread project in April 2021 at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. Later in the year (dates to be determined), it will also be shown at Easthampton City Arts.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 12 (Verdant III)

At the end of summer, nothing is perfect anymore — everything is a little frayed. Insects have chewed holes in leaves. Edges curl up and turn brown. The overwhelming greenness in the landscape starts shifting over to yellow, especially if there’s been a drought.

View on my deck during morning yoga

For the twelfth piece in Daily Thread, my 2019 stitch journal, I again explored the theme of “verdant.” This time I employed detached chain stitch in stacked rows, using a palette of yellow and green threads. Working from the bottom upwards, I left empty spaces here and there as a nod to the imperfections in nature during late summer.

I worked on this piece from July 29, 2019 (Day 210 of this yearlong daily embroidery project) to August 13 (Day 225).

Coming up: My next Daily Thread post will be about the 13th piece, which had the theme of “two birches.”

New work: While I’m furloughed from my day job due to COVID-19, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.

Exhibition news: If life is back to normal next spring, I will be showing the entire Daily Thread project in April 2021 at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. Later in the year (dates to be determined), it will also be shown at Easthampton City Arts.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 11 (Verdant II)

The eleventh piece of my 2019 daily stitch journal — for which I stitched each day using colors observed in my backyard in western Massachusetts — captured the lush growth and bright colors of high summer. Begun on July 11 and completed on July 28, Daily Thread: Piece No. 11 (Verdant II), was the second of three pieces with the theme of “verdant” that I stitched during the project.

I employed green, red, violet, and yellow threads for the bee balm, Joe Pye weed, and Jerusalem Artichokes that spring up every summer at the eastern edge of the yard. I love this wild, untended “garden” not only for its beauty but because it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies in abundance.

Stitching — French knots and clustered straight stitches — began at the very center of the linen fabric, and radiated outward. My aim was to create a joyful, exuberant image that embodied July’s unbridled growth. As I did for each of the 18 pieces in Daily Thread, I stitched a bit of each day’s color onto a “stitch log” (see photo below). The stitch logs capture both the colors used and the passing of time and will be exhibited alongside the finished embroideries.

Coming up: My next post will be about the twelfth piece, which also took up the theme of “verdant.”

New work: While I’m furloughed from my day job due to COVID-19, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.

Exhibition news: Unfortunately, my exhibition scheduled for this month at Easthampton City Arts was canceled because the gallery is closed through the end of the year due to the coronavirus. The show will be rescheduled for sometime in 2021. If life is back to normal next spring, I will be showing the entire Daily Thread project in April 2021 at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 10 (Night)

Begun on June 27 and completed on July 10, 2019, Daily Thread No. 10 (Night) had its origin in a night of insomnia. After tossing restlessly for hours one summer night, I went out onto my deck to watch the fireflies. Their yellow lights blinking on and off, a sky full of stars, the deep indigo shapes of the trees, a cooling breeze — all of these impressions improved my mood instantly. And I’d found the inspiration for my next stitch journal piece.

With a “palette” of yellow, white, and blue threads, I employed columns of running stitch, cross stitches, and seed stitches to gradually build up a composition based on my memory of that night. This was the first and only piece in my 2019 stitch journal project in which I stitched colors observed at night.

Here a few photos of Piece No. 10 in progress and of the “stitch log.” When I started work each day, I stitched a bit of that day’s color on a square of drawing paper, below the number of the day of the year. Each piece in Daily Thread has its own stitch log, which I plan to exhibit alongside the embroideries.

Coming up: My next post will be about the eleventh and twelfth pieces, which both returned to the theme of “verdant.”

New work: This summer, while I’m furloughed from my day job, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.

Exhibition news: Unfortunately, my exhibition scheduled for September at Easthampton City Arts has been canceled because the gallery will remain closed through the end of the year due to the coronavirus. The show will be rescheduled for sometime in 2021. I will be showing the entire Daily Thread project in April 2021 at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 9 (Verdant I)

For the ninth piece of Daily Thread, a stitch journal I worked on each day during 2019, I turned my attention to June’s burgeoning greenness. Begun on June 8 and completed on June 26, 2019 (a year ago today), the ninth piece in the series is a celebration of early summer flora.

The yard outside my condo is mowed regularly, but all around it — at the far edges — nature’s wildness reigns alongside perennials like bee balm that a long-ago unit owner must have planted. Out-of-control hawthorns, birches, walnut trees, buttercups, daisy fleabane, creeping Charlie, and more join June’s festive parade of color and rapid growth.

This is the first of three pieces with the theme of “verdant” that I stitched between June and August 2019. With this first one, I used seed stitches and satin stitch to capture the delicate colors of some of those early summer wildflowers, especially the sweet and simple buttercups, and the new, “just arrived” green of the year’s first leaves.

Here a few photos of Piece No. 9 in progress and of the “stitch log.” When I started work each day, I stitched a bit of that day’s color on a square of drawing paper, below the number of the day of the year. Each piece in Daily Thread has its own stitch log, which I plan to exhibit alongside the embroideries.

Coming up: My next post will be about the tenth piece, had the theme of “stars and fireflies.” After that post, I’ll share Verdant II and Verdant III.

New work: This summer, while I’m furloughed from my day job, I’m creating a series of Furlough Daily Embroideries. To learn more, follow me on Instagram or follow the hashtag #furloughdailyembroidery.

Exhibition news: I had planned to show Daily Thread during April in my show at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. But since the library is closed due to the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to April 2021. I’ll also be exhibiting in September of this year at Easthampton City Arts and Daily Thread will be part of that show.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 8 (Sky)

After spending several months observing colors of the earth, I shifted my gaze upwards for the eighth piece of Daily Thread, a stitch journal I worked on each day during 2019. For this piece, begun on May 22 and completed on June 7, 2019, I chose the theme of “sky.” I selected a limited palette of pale colors and used very simple stitches to create an image evocative of the sky at dawn.

I suppose I shouldn’t have favorites, but I do — and this piece is one. I enjoy its simplicity and quietness. Looking at it, at any time of year, takes me back to the early mornings of early summer: strands of bright peach and rose drifting across a sweet, pale blue sky, white clouds, the lingering moon. At that hour, the day is peaceful and still uncomplicated.

Here are a few photos of the piece in progress and of the “stitch log.” When I started work each day, I stitched a bit of that day’s color on a square of drawing paper, below the number of the day of the year. Each piece in Daily Thread has its own stitch log, which I’ll exhibit along with the embroideries.

My next post will be about the ninth piece, which was the first of three with the theme of “verdant.”

Exhibition update: I had planned to show Daily Thread during April in my show at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. But since the library is closed due to the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to April 2021. I’ll also be exhibiting in September of this year at Easthampton City Arts and Daily Thread will be part of that show.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 7 (Winged)

For the seventh piece of my 2019 daily stitch journal, I chose the theme of “winged.” I began it on May 5 (Day 125 of the project) and completed it on May 21 (Day 141).

Beginning at the bottom of the fabric and working my way upwards, I stitched colors of the birds I observed in my backyard. I kept the stitches simple — straight stitches worked in columns, either horizontal or vertical — to keep the focus on color. This was the brightest, most colorful piece yet in the series. I wanted it to convey the exuberance and joy of the month of May.

The birds stitched into this piece were cardinals (male and female, feathers and beaks), house finches, catbirds, goldfinches, sparrows, and mourning doves.

Looking at this piece, I not only see the birds in my mind, I hear their songs — the “purdy purdy purdy” of the cardinals, the haunting coo of the mourning doves, the sweet “perchickory” of the goldfinches. I don’t have favorites — I love any bird that graces my backyard. But when it comes to color, I do have a soft spot for the bright cardinals, and they became the theme of the final piece in this project (Daily Thread Piece No. 18, completed in December).

My next post will be about the eighth piece, with the theme of “sky.”

Exhibition update: I had planned to show Daily Thread this month in my show at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. But since the library is closed due to the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to April 2021. I’ll also be exhibiting in September of this year at Easthampton City Arts and Daily Thread will be part of that show.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Pieces 5 (The Far Field) and 6 (Forsythias)

Beyond the backyard of my condo, after a narrow strip of birches and hemlocks, there’s a large field that slops downhill from west to east. A beautiful big field that’s home to foxes, rabbits, and clumps of forsythias—breathtaking when they bloom every April.

“The far field,” as I think of it, belongs to the people whose house is at the top of the hill. I’ve often wondered if they will ever sell the field, if it will be developed and the peaceful view ruined. But in the 16 years I’ve lived here, the field has been left alone. They mow it now and then, and a few years back installed a large solar panel that partly obstructs my view (but not theirs). I’ve gotten used to seeing the solar panel, though there are still times when I wish it would magically disappear (at left in the photo below).

For Piece No. 5 of Daily Thread, each day I stitched a color seen in the far field. The piece began with the tawny colors of last year’s growth, brittle and bleached by winter, and the deep browns of tree bark and branches. I started it on April 1 and ended it on April 18, just as the forsythias began blooming (Days 91–108 of the project). A few exuberant circles stitched in yellow French knots marked the joyful turn from winter to spring.

Piece No. 6 of Daily Thread focused exclusively on the bright patches of yellow — there are two stands of forsythia in the far field, and every year their beauty makes me catch my breath. I began it on April 19 and finished on May 4 (Days 109–124 of the project).

Daily Thread: Piece No. 6 (Forsythias), by Bonnie Sennott, 2019, pearl cotton and linen, 6 inches x 6 inches

I used a template to create oval shapes that burst outward from the center. Then I filled in the spaces between the ovals with golden seed stitch, gradually transitioning to green as the yellow flowers faded and green leaves replaced them.

From this point forward — until fall, anyway — the project’s colors became brighter and more saturated. For Daily Thread: Piece No. 7, with the theme of “winged,” I stitched colors of the birds throughout May. More on that in my next post.

Exhibition update: I had planned to show Daily Thread next month in my show at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton’s Forbes Library. But since the library is closed for the time being due to the coronavirus, the show has been postponed to April 2021. It’s disappointing, to be sure, but it’s important that we all do what we can to prevent spread of the virus. I’ll also be exhibiting in September of this year at Easthampton City Arts and Daily Thread will be part of that show.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 4 (Transition)

Daily Thread: Piece No. 4 (Transition), by Bonnie Sennott, 2019, pearl cotton and linen, 6 inches x 6 inches

March in New England is a blustery month, with weather that shifts erratically from winter to spring and back again (sometimes all in one day!). So I gave the fourth piece in my yearlong daily stitch journal the theme of “transition.”

I began stitching Daily Thread: Piece No. 4 on March 11, 2019 and finished on March 31 (Days 70-90 of the project). There was plenty of snow on the ground during that time, which led me to work quite a lot of white and cream seed stitches.

Stitch log for Piece No. 4 in progress

As I did for all 18 pieces in Daily Thread, I stitched a small amount of each day’s color on a piece of drawing paper. In addition to recording the progression of time and color across the year, these stitch logs had a personal meaning. Stitching the day’s color on the stitch log was a small ritual I used to mark the beginning of the day’s work — to set off the time for art from time devoted to other daily tasks — rather like ringing a bell at the start of a meditation session. When I exhibit Daily Thread at the Hosmer Gallery in Northampton in April, I will hang the stitch logs along with the embroideries.

Gradually, as the snow melted, the tawny colors of the yard and far field reappeared, along with a few shoots of green. My daily color choices expanded accordingly.

My next post will take a look at Daily Thread: Piece No. 5.

LINKS

About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram