I Add An Extra Dimension To Photographs With Embroidery

Whilst studying for a degree in Digital Imaging, I kept thinking back to the analogue era when images could only be seen in their finished form as a printed photograph. For over 100 years, a photograph was an object that was treasured and revered by many, and it saddened me that images are now so disposable.

Having spent many years developing my own style in photography by experimenting digitally with texture layers, and printing on different surfaces, I decided it was time to move forward by looking back.

During research I came across the works of Maurizio Anzeri and Mana Morimoto. Both artists use found images, or images created by someone else for them, and although I was awed by their results, I didn't want to do this myself. I wanted to create the image as well as adding the embroidery as I am first and foremost, a photographer (and definitely not the best needleworker!)

I started thinking about concepts, sometimes having a vision of the outcome (such as Earth 2.0, my final major project of my degree), other times looking around broadly for inspiration. I now create a mixture of styles, in the image itself and then the embroidery, taking commissions and producing series for publications or exhibitions.

Inspiration comes from music, my heroes, comic books, faces, and often the image itself. Results can be intricate additions that take many hours, or simple lines and shapes that are a little quicker to create. I use my own images created specifically for sewing on, as well as images taken from my work as a freelance portrait photographer (with client's permission).

Creating something that is unique, that cannot be undone, and that makes a photograph an object once again gives me great pleasure. The process makes me slow down in my work, makes me think outside the box, and draws out my creativity whilst functioning as a form of therapy.

See more and read about each series at www.lizjeary.co.uk.

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More info: lizjeary.co.uk