And on with some more pieces for the exhibitions. This is one I actually quite like, and it reminds me of a song we used to sing at school. “The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she sings as she flies. She brings us glad tidings, she tells us no lies. She sips all sweet flowers for to keep her voice clear, and she never sings cuckoo till the summer draws near”.
The cuckoo is a pretty bird…
When I first came up to Scotland I was really surprised to find that there were cuckoos as far north as this. I’d always thought of cuckoos as birds of the woods of Southern England, but no – in May you can hear that wonderful cry echoing over the moors here, and we usually have one or two resident in the woods around our house. They’re also very handsome birds with a very distinctive shape. It’s true that their domestic habits may leave something to be desired (after all, they leave other birds to raise their offspring) but all the same I don’t think I’d be without them – that “cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo” cry really means that spring has come
Anyway, less of the natural history and more of the embroidery. It's not a difficult piece – the bird is made up of just three areas of appliqué (body, upper wing and lower wing) and the stump is a fourth. All are overstitched very loosely to give a rough texture. The background is just printed with a simple stamp I carved out of a lino block, and the leaves on the front are stitched over it. So not a difficult piece!
Mia, thanks for teaching us who are not so lucky to have cuckoos around about them. They are indeed a pretty bird. As usual, you have created another lovely design.
I love the texture you have on this piece. It’s very interesting to look at: makes me want to touch it! Very nice.
That is a lovely bird! Thank you for sharing. I’ve never seen or heard one in person but it must be wonderful to hear their song in spring! It’s going to be wonderful in your show.
The details are so pretty! Very nice!
Hi Mia, Another awesome piece of embroidery art work! Love all of the different fills that you used to define the various areas of the cuckoo, post, and vegetation. As always you have created the perfect hand painted background. Thanks for sharing your latest exhibition piece.
I really love the color texturing on the post.