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: 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

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

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. 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