Colour Studies
2018 – ongoing
In these studies, planes of colour are constructed with rows of diagonal stitches as a method of abstract mark-making. Each study is guided by a simple system that defines the number of stitches and colours, within which I experiment with various colour combinations.
These studies are a twist on conventional cross-stitch in two main ways. The material used is Aida cloth, an even-weave fabric with a natural mesh that facilitates cross-stitching, but the studies are constructed using only one diagonal stitch per ‘square’ rather than the usual two. Additionally, I favour the solid lines of pearl cotton thread as opposed to the more commonly used six-stranded embroidery floss.
4-Colour Study with 32 x 32 Stitches in 4 or 8 Directions (after Sol LeWitt) (2023)
Colour Studies of Three Fixed Verse Forms in 11x(19; 39; 65) Diagonal Stitches (a villanelle; a sestina; a canzone) (2023)
9-Colour Study of 2 Gradients Meeting in 18 (or, 9 × 2) x 81 (or, 9²) Diagonal Stitches (2023)
2 Gradients in 40 x 80 Diagonal Stitches (2022)
7-Colour Studies in 52 x 24 Diagonal Stitches (2020)
Colour Studies in 576 Diagonal Stitches (2018)