Embroidery as Art
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE BY STEPHEN WILSON
I have been an embroidery designer for 25 years. In all those years, I have designed
everything from corporate logos to kids clothing, designer fashion, sports logos for
professional teams, monograms, obviously Anita Goodesign products and, most recently,
fine art pieces for Stephen Wilson Studio. You may be asking, “What makes one type of
embroidery different from the other?” There are many ways to answer that question, but
the simplest way is the context. The context in which you use embroidery can be simple
such as personalizing an item, or it can be complex like creating a piece of art.
My embroidered art has been showcased at art shows and museums all over the world.
People see the artwork in person, often marveling on how it is made and that it is,
in fact, thread and that the artwork is always embroidered. When people see items
embroidered, the context is always that it is shown on clothing or household items
such as towels, tablecloths and pillows. When you see embroidery framed on a wall,
the context has changed and the medium of thread becomes more intriguing. Over the
past 6 years, I have created embroidered art by stitching on canvas, over top of luxury
boxes, deconstructing embroidery pieces, embroidering directly on photographs, and
even using traditional lace embroidery to cover sculptures and create 3D objects.
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