My style of trees has grown more complex as time goes by. With every piece I learn something, or try a new technique.
My very first tree was a very small cherry tree. Instead of embroidery thread I used three or four pieces of regular sewing thread, and used coffee to stain the canvas. It was like a tiny little cross-section of a tree in the lower right corner.
The tree is about three inches tall.
I made a couple of little trees like that, before I decided to make them bigger, and tried painting a very basic sky and land. I also added beads, and really loved what they added. I made a couple like this, the painted landscapes remained basic, but gradually I added more details with the embroidery.
Nest at Sunset, 2011
At that point I decided to make a family tree for my dad. I tried really hard on the sky , wanting to capture the fade between the blue and pink at sunset. I signed it with two buttons, because dad's nickname for me was Buttons.
The clouds aren't great but they're better, as well as an improvement in the definition of the horizon.
At that point I made Owl Pair and most of Peewee Nest. For these two I made the clouds by dabbing with a piece of towel.
Owl Pair
I then didn't make any trees for a while. I tried out crochet, wire wrapping, reclaiming and dyeing yarn, and probably other things I can't think of. I also made had jobs, moved houses, and made a kid.
In the last two years I feel like I have learned at least one thing per piece, if not more. I will continue the timeline in another blog.
Have a great week because you can! Check out my latest vlogs on Youtube, where I am doing a vlog every workday in August.