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Sharon Harlow Pearce

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Posted
I have used oils/watercolours/charcoal in the past, but for several years now, I have been making canvas embroideriy pictures on small scale needlepoint canvas using stranded DMC threads.  The threads can be divided to create subtle shading effects and I have produced some nice work.  If it's nice enough, it may even be worthy of a frame!  I tend to imagine objects/scenes/buildings and just sew straight onto the canvas.  I find it creative and very soothing. However, at an art group I attended a few years ago, one of the members used to tell me that what I did was not'art' as such because it did not involve pencils/paints etc.  Needless to say, I was upset over this and gradually stopped attending. What do others think?  Honest opinions greatly appreciated.

Edited
by Josephine Fallon

Alan Bickley

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It’s a pity that you haven’t posted an example of your work! In fact you can still add an image - look for the paperclip and choose image. I suppose that all things creative can be classed as art, that’s my general philosophy I suppose. You’ll come up against lots of so called artists who think they’re superior because of their medium…best ignored and keep doing what you enjoy and what inspires you!

Sharon Harlow Pearce

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Thanks for your help, Alan.  The image is here now.  Sorry about the poor quality of the photograph.

Alan Bickley

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That’s definitely art! Nice work…

Sylvia Evans

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Josephine a lovely image and it is DEFINATLY art.    Put it on the gallery with a description.   And welcome to POL.

Sharon Harlow Pearce

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Thank you for your lovely replies.  You have restored my confidence!

Alan Bickley

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As Sylvia has said, post it on the gallery, including a description of how it was produced. But… please take a better photo! Outside preferably and full face with no flash, and neatly crop the image.

Norrette Moore

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One retort might be to refer the critics to embroidery or tapestry from the Bayeux Tapestry right up to Grayson Perry's collective tapestries of the last 5 years or so.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Embroidery can be, and in this case is, very much art.  I really can't stand people who comment snidely on others' work and try to demean them.

This post has been removed as it violates our forum rules and guidelines.

PB3 - Copy

Cordelia Campbell

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As others have said, Josephine, why should your work not be described as art?  Some art group members can be over critical (as I recently discovered, when I heard an acrylic painting I had almost completed being described by an older member as an 'underpainting').  I just had to laugh and consider the person must be having a bad day! 😉
PB3 - Copy

Cordelia Campbell

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Sorry, posted twice.

Edited
by Cordelia Campbell

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