Old Vine Studio

Art Textile with intense hand embroidery stitched onto  linen. Centre embroidered work has a pieced  border of hand painted linen and stitched detailing. Work has been backed by pure cotton quilt batting and cotton and laced over acid free board. The work is then mounted onto hand painted linen back and  box framed.

© All images are the original work and property of Margaret Hage and are subject to copyright. 

Art Textile 

This work was a response to mental health issues, because I have heard much about the affects of mental health over the last few years and it is an issue that has become very topical for our region, as it has throughout developed societies. 

The free motion machine drawing is based on a pen and ink life drawing I had done on paper. I translated this drawing freely by observing my original work on the wall in front of me. The original drawing is on a full size A1 drawing paper and so this had to be a spontaneous transcription. It is also done without taking the needle out of the fabric, it is continuous line work, so a true drawing in every sense. The thread and needle become my drawing tool and fabric becomes my canvas. This drawing was first completed using my machine, then painted and hand embroidered and silk appliqué added in a collage technique.

My idea was about the soul becoming broken by having to cope with the impact of behaviour and the consequences from those you love with mental health problems. This is why I have not completed the full figure in machine stitching and used hand stitches to emphasise the thought of being broken apart. The blue is symbolic and represents the grief this person is feeling. There are fragments of appliquéd and collaged silk georgette to represent the fragile state that this person is trying to cope with.

I have hinted through my drawing that this is a woman (and my original life work is of a woman) because it is generally women that suffer most from this grief.  A viewer may interpret this in a number of ways, it is very contemplative and soul searching work. It could be that this person has lost a love one and is grieving, or has to face something very difficult. 

I have also intended that there is hope in that the machine stitching is in black thread, strong and deliberate and that although this image is of a Broken Soul there is an intention through strength that she will survive and be strong. It is the moment that some or many of us have felt, that we can no longer go on we feel broken  and exhausted, and then something seems to pull us through and we survive. 

The work is then stretched and laced using linen thread and backed and mounted before framing