The Accidental Embroiderer

A different kind of garden

First of all, a warm welcome to the new subscribers who have joined the blog since last week. However I’d better point out to new readers that I can’t give a design away every week. It’s just one freebie a month, I’m afraid, and the next one will go up in the first week of December

My most recent project – just finished today – was inspired by some browsing I did through the works of Paul Klee. I love Klee – I love his colours and his naive designs and his deceptively simple compositions. The one that caught my attention this time was called “1924 Bird Garden”. So – birds and a garden – what’s not to love? (as they say). And you really have to laugh at those endearingly silly upside-down birds

1924 Bird Garden 1924

1924 Bird Garden: Paul Klee

My first thought was to make the embroidery background light and summery, as you might expect of a garden with birds. But if Klee was brave enough to give his birds a dark background, who am I to argue? So the background is blotched with grey, black and dark green, and the plants are sketched in with very vague, light shapes that blend with the painted background

Although I liked the “buildings” that Klee has in his painting, I thought that adding them to the embroidery might be a step too far, and complicate everything unnecessarily. So I compromised by painting a brown "wall” around the whole garden

When I started on the birds, I wanted to make them simple and child-like, like Klee’s. But somehow they didn’t want to be simple, and as I worked they kept whispering to me that they wanted to be more and more complicated and colourful until I really had to force myself to stop

Birdgarden

2015 Bird Garden

So there it is – a sort of homage to Klee. I think it’s sort of funny and cheers me up in this autumnal season. And maybe next time I’ll be brave enough to put in some of the birds upside-down!

10 thoughts on “A different kind of garden

  1. Your bird garden is so colorful and fanciful and as always you have digitized so many different textures in this new work of art. Thanks for sharing another awesome embroidery scene with us.
    Gail

  2. I think you stopped at the exact right time. They are wonderful birds to have in your garden. Very nice.

  3. Wow for both you and Klee. Thanks for sharing both your work and your creative process. I love how you “see” things and they speak to you.

  4. Mia, great job. Love your style and what you have done with your birds and painted fabric. Thank you for sharing with us where you get some of your inspirations. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to each of your posts. Deena

  5. Mia, you are so good to share your creative process with us. But … one of those birds is yearning to fly upside down!

  6. I think your birds wanted color. Just name the piece Rainbow Klee, and you’re covered.
    🙂
    They look like they’re planning a party and gossiping. Very nice!

  7. Mia, love your bird garden. Looks like you planted some birdseed.LOL Actually I like your bird garden best as it is lighter. The Klee one is just too dark for me. Thank you so much for sharing your creative thinking and where you do get your inspirations for your art.

  8. I love the background in this piece and actually found myself looking at it more than those lovely birds! My eyes keep drifting to it as though the birds are the background. But they are varied and interesting too! Again, your work is just wonderful and I find myself looking forward to what you do each week!

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