Her Light Escape (43 Days)

On this last day of summer, I thought I’d share a piece I worked on between May and August. Her Light Escape (43 Days) is one of my negative space embroideries.

For this piece, I used a circle template and stitched around randomly placed circles of varying sizes, using Valdani pearl cottons mostly in colors of the flowers I grow in my deck container garden. As always, the garden—which I dub the “Hummingbird Cafe”—exists to feed the local hummingbirds, which arrive in May and leave in September. I’m so blessed to be able to watch (and hear) these tiny visitors all summer.

As with my other abstract embroideries, the composition was not planned in advance but developed bit by bit as I worked. I used mostly seed stitches, layered over and around patches of white running stitch, with a few spots of satin stitch here and there. None of the circles is stitched completely around. Ephemerality—everything arriving and leaving, here only momentarily—is the theme.

These details let you see the stitches more closely, as well as the sides of the piece. I love exploring how much can be done with a limited number of stitches. Seed stitch and running stitch are so simple, yet yield much variety just through varying the size of the stitches and how densely they’re placed.

The title comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson about summer’s end and the passing of time:

As imperceptibly as Grief
The Summer lapsed away—
Too imperceptible at last
To seem like Perfidy—
A Quietness distilled
As Twilight long begun,
Or Nature spending with herself
Sequestered Afternoon—

The Dusk drew earlier in—
The Morning foreign shone—
A courteous, yet harrowing Grace,
As Guest, that would be gone—
And thus, without a Wing
Or service of a Keel
Our Summer made her light escape
Into the Beautiful.

On this last day of summer, I think of all that’s come and gone over the past few months. I think of the hummingbirds, those quick little bits of magic. What a delight they are! I feel sad that summer is ending, but I’m so grateful to have once again witnessed the daily, amazing parade of beauty.

Progress Report: A New Negative Space Embroidery

A few weeks ago, I began a new piece using a limited palette of Valdani threads and linen dyed with walnuts from the tree out back. I’m continuing my explorations of negative space embroidery, using a circle template.

So far, I’m employing just two stitches—the “irregular” running stitch that I absolutely love, and here and there small amounts of satin stitch. As usual, I’m improvising the composition as I go.

Now that I’ve spent some time with it, I am thinking I will leave the center of this piece mostly empty. The stitching will cluster around the edges. A theme of keeping safe, staying close to the sides like a new swimmer, of holding on to things known and dear is emerging. Maybe I’m influenced by the uncertainty of life during this pandemic? I don’t know. I think we all have times when “keeping to the sides” is just what we most need. There’s a time for adventuring and a time for staying still.

Anyway, here are a few photos of the piece in progress. The purple that you see is from a disappearing ink pen. It disappears with time and also easily washes out.

I’ll post again soon about the negative space embroidery that I finished last month. I just need to stretch it and take photos. Until then, I hope you’re well and enjoying the transition between seasons.

If you’d like to see progress photos more frequently, please join me on Instagram.

Daily Thread: Piece 18 (Cardinals)

For the eighteenth and final piece in my Daily Thread project, I chose the theme of “cardinals.” When I considered the flora and fauna I’d observed over the course of the year, I realized how much the cardinals meant to me. For one thing, they’re here all year long, bringing flashes of color to even the darkest days. For another, the male cardinal’s song in early spring is one of the loveliest sounds I know of. It never fails to lift my heart and remind me that longer, brighter days are coming. What better way to round out the year and the project than by honoring the bird whose constant, colorful presence brings joy to every season?

I worked on this piece from November 26 to December 26, 2019, Days 330–360 of the Daily Thread project. I chose white linen because the palette of reds, oranges, and neutrals would stand out much better against white than against a natural linen. I wanted the piece to be as bright and uplifting as the cardinal’s song.

As wth the other pieces in this yearlong project, I worked with one color of thread and one type of stitch each day. For this piece, I limited myself to short running stitches, arranged in horizontal and vertical groupings.

I set myself a few “rules” for the process: 1) use one color per day; 2) keep the straight stitches in each day’s work parallel; but 3) vary the length of the stitches and the space between each; 4) establish a pattern but sometimes leave it partly incomplete; and 5) don’t fill every space.

I had planned to show Daily Thread during 2020 in two shows that ended up being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since exhibition of the project had to be postponed, I decided to “exhibit” it online via a series of blog posts. I hope you’ve found these glimpses into the project and my working process interesting; you can read all the blog posts here and see the project in its entirety here.

Exhibition news: My April 2020 show at the Hosmer Gallery, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been rescheduled to June 2022. The gallery is located in the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts.

My September 2020 show at Easthampton City Arts—also cancelled due to the pandemic—is in the process of being rescheduled. I’m very excited about this venue because it will give me space to show all of the Daily Thread pieces along with the daily “stitch log” i made for each one, plus other examples of my abstract embroidery work. I’ll post the dates as soon as I know them.

In the meantime, you can view two of my 2020 negative space embroideries in the online exhibit POST PAUSE. The show presents works created during the time of the coronavirus 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.

LINKS
About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Pieces 16 (Leaves) and 17 (Fallen)

The 16th and 17th pieces of my Daily Thread stitch journal were completed during the fall, and the palettes I chose for them reflected the changing colors of the landscape here in New England.

For Piece 16, the theme was “leaves.” Like the month of October, the piece embodies both change and continuity. Small seed stitches in green, yellow, and ochre—the colors of the summer season just passed—are clustered at each side, pressing up against horizontal and vertical groups of running stitch in orange, brick red, bright yellow—the colors of changing leaves in fall. The strong vertical emphasis was meant to suggest permanence and stability. After the fall show of colorful foliage comes to an end, the tall tree trunks remain rooted in place, connecting earth and sky in all seasons.

I stitched Piece 16 from October 12 to October 31, 2019, Days 285–304 of the project.

Stitched from November 1 through November 25 (Days 305–329), Piece 17 had the theme of “fallen.” As the landscape transitioned from fall toward the spareness of winter, I chose red French knots for the lingering bittersweet in the landscape. These were stitched over and around scattered clusters of parallel running stitches and small crosses suggesting wind blowing across the surface of the linen. Neutral colors—brown, ochre, beige—reflected the emptying of color from the world outside my windows and looked back to the palette of the very first piece in the Daily Thread project.

Daily Thread: Piece 17 (Fallen), by Bonnie Sennott

Coming up: My next Daily Thread post will be about the 18th and final piece, which had the theme of “cardinals.”

Exhibition news: My April 2020 show at the Hosmer Gallery, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been rescheduled to June 2022. The gallery is located in the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts.

My September 2020 show at Easthampton City Arts—also cancelled due to the pandemic—hasn’t yet been rescheduled; the gallery remains closed. In the meantime, you can view two of my negative space embroideries in the online exhibit POST PAUSE. The show presents works created during the time of the coronavirus 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.

LINKS
About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Daily Thread: Piece No. 15 (Sky II)

For the 15th piece in Daily Thread, my 2019 stitch journal, I returned to the theme of “sky.” The first sky piece was stitched during May and June; this second one was stitched from Day 268 through Day 284 of the project, during September and October.

Stitched with just two colors—a variegated blue-green thread and a white thread—it’s one of the simplest pieces of the project. I wanted it to convey the quietness of an early morning sky. The simplicity of the colors and stitching were meant to convey the feeling of a new day just begun, the early hour when the day still holds the possibility of peace and serenity.

The vertical white lines were added last of all. Because they’re close in tone to the white linen, they are hardly visible if you’re too far from the piece. They’re a sort of visual “reward” for viewers who take the time to come close and really take a look. I’ve been a gallery sitter many times in my life and it always breaks my heart a little when people circle quickly around a show and only view the work from a distance, never taking the time or trouble to come closer and actually engage with the art the way the artist did. For this reason, I also carry stitching around to the sides of my embroideries—another little detail that will only be seen by those who make the effort to approach the work.

Coming up: My next Daily Thread post will be about the 16th piece, which had the theme of “leaves.”

Exhibition news: I’m happy to share that my April 2020 show at the Hosmer Gallery, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been rescheduled to June 2022. The gallery is located in the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts.

My September 2020 show at Easthampton City Arts—also cancelled due to the pandemic—hasn’t yet been rescheduled; the gallery remains closed. In the meantime, you can view two of my negative space embroideries in the online exhibit POST PAUSE. The show 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.

LINKS
About the Daily Thread Project
@bonniesennottart on Instagram

Negative Space Embroideries

During 2020, I completed several new negative space embroideries. Like my wrinkle embroideries, the negative space pieces are abstract and improvisational — I develop the compositions as I go, rather than planning them in sketches beforehand.

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

Negative space is an embroidery technique in which you stitch around a shape rather than the shape itself. For these pieces I used templates of circles and ovals to trace shapes with disappearing ink pen. Sometimes I stitched completely around a shape, other times just partially around.

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

These pieces have been a way for me to create something positive out of the loss and fragmentation of 2020, during which so much of “normal” life was disrupted. I limited the palette in each piece and kept the types of stitches employed to a minimum, hoping to find a balance between the empty spaces and the positive areas of color.

Scattered (39 Days), by Bonnie Sennott, 2020, perle cotton on linen dyed with oak galls, 10 x 10 inches

The three pieces shown above were stitched with Valdani threads. I love this particular brand of perle cotton because the colors are rich but not quite as saturated and bright as other brands. For a piece I’ve just begun (below), I’m using DMC perle cottons. I want this new piece to have a warm, sunny color composition, and the DMC yellows I already have on hand are perfect for it.

If you’re interested in purchasing a piece, please visit the Artwork section of my Etsy shop. Or, click on the email icon on any page of my website to contact me.

To view work in progress, follow me on Instagram — I’m @bonniesennottart there.

Two of these negative space embroideries are part of POST PAUSE, the inaugural exhibition of the 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; here’s a direct link to my work.

Wrinkle Embroideries

Two wrinkle embroideries that I finished earlier this year are now listed in my Etsy shop. You’ll find them in the Artwork section.

Floating, by Bonnie Sennott, 2020, perle cotton on linen, 10 x 10 inches

Wrinkle embroideries are abstract pieces that I begin by purposely wrinkling linen, then stitching along the wrinkle lines with back stitch or running stitch. I then add other colors and other kinds of stitches to the resulting “map” or “armature” of wrinkle lines, gradually building up areas of greater texture and density.

Floating, detail

Floating, in progress

Flame Out, by Bonnie Sennott, 2020, perle cotton on linen, 10 x 10 inches

Flame Out, detail

Flame Out, in progress

These pieces are improvisational — I develop the compositions as I go, rather than planning them in sketches beforehand. As a result, the finished pieces are always a bit of a surprise to me.

The orientation shifts often as I work. I turn the piece around and around, studying it from all angles. That’s one reason I like to use a square format — a square lends itself to a change in orientation.

If you’re interested in purchasing a piece, you’ll find these and other abstract embroideries in the Artwork section of my Etsy shop.

Daily Thread: Piece No. 14 (Waning)

For the 14th piece in Daily Thread, my 2019 stitch journal, I chose the theme of “waning.” To start the piece, I stitched the colors of the year’s last nasturtium blooms in “V” or boomerang shapes something like the simple way children draw birds in flight.

As the piece progressed, I added intersecting, randomly curling lines in backstitch. This tangle of lines was inspired by the beautiful jumble of the nasturtium’s fading leaves and stems. In the end, I re-oriented the piece so that the “V” shapes pointed downward, to accentuate the feeling of summer ending, the time when flowers and plants begin drooping down toward the earth.

I worked on this piece from September 3, 2019 (Day 246 of this yearlong daily embroidery project) to September 24 (Day 267).

Coming up: My next Daily Thread post will be about the 15th piece, which had the theme of “sky.”

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: 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.

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

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