Every Saturday I focus on a different artist that I admire. From potters to painters, chefs to collectors, seamstress to songwriters, lifestyle to lovers… anyone who set the paintbrush, pastry brush, hands and heart on fire to create.
Those who inspire art to flow where it may.
This Saturday I would like you to meet my friend: Irina Lapko, one of her many talents is Needlework.
Irina and I met with blogging a few years ago, we have many things in common…
Her husband is Chinese, my husband is French.
She grew up behind the iron curtain, I grew up on a farm in California.
Irina loves to needle point and I have a phobia about cutting fabrics.
We both love antiques, though Irina does not like peeling, rusty, standing on its last leg sort of things… and well you know that I do.
Irina speaks English and Russian.
Alfred speaks English and Chinese.
French Husband speaks, English and French.
And I speak brocante with an accent.
Irina invited me to her home in Hong Kong. Since then I have admired her needlework. Irina is a perfectionist. Her needlework is intricate, precise, flawless… that it appears to be painted.
Irina describes her latest needlework, "Albrecht Durer’s watercolor The Young Hare embroidered in cross stitch – my recently finished work. With a few other needlepoint, knitting, sewing projects, it took me almost a year to embroider one of my favorite paintings. And like they say ‘this is not your grandma’s embroidery’. The pattern is very detailed, it uses 36 colors of DMC floss. With 265 x 294 stitches it has a size of about 15″ x 16″ on 18-count canvas.
Can you imagine 36 colors… in taupe.
Irina continues, "The embroidery came out in a perfect rectangular, no stretching neede, which pleased me."
The first steps to perfeting needlework you must have good eyes, nimble fingers, a love for calulating and patience.
Do you see those teeny squares and numbers. Tiny threads in ten thousand taupes.
I know I couldn't do it. I would tear it apart, after the tenth time I threaded the needle.
Utter admiration I have for Irina's calm passion and painstaking effort.
photo source Irina Lapko {Irina with a magnifying glass hard at work}
A bit of information about Durer and his Hare watercolor:
“A supremely gifted and versatile German artist of the Renaissance period, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was born in the Franconian city of Nuremberg, one of the strongest artistic and commercial centers in Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.” – The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“Dürer was one of the first artists to view animals as a subject worthy of attention. At the beginning of the 16th century, the natural world of animals and plants was becoming a focus of interest as explorers and travelers were returning from distant lands with examples and illustrations of new species. Dürer shared this fascination for the subject which he revealed in many of his drawings, watercolors and prints.
Critics felt that the painting of animals was simply a demonstration of technical skill, and as such did not aspire to the creative vision of great art. Dürer demolishes this opinion in a series of watercolors that have become hugely popular and frequently reproduced images. ‘A Young Hare’ is one of the best.” – www.artyfactory.com
The original watercolor is in Albertina museum in Vienna.
I am certain Durer would be impressed with Irina's workmanship.
Another beauty of Irina's handiwork,
Irina describes her work:
"The steps it took to make a cushion from scratch:
1. Won an auction on ebay for a vintage Imari pattern book;
2. Because the book does not have color codes for wool (cotton floss only), I had to carefully decide what colors in wool to buy;
3. Since no one sells wool for needlepoint in Hong Kong, I bought my DMC wool while visiting Paris last summer,
4. A not-so-short process of stitching,
5. Stretching the needlepoint for a couple of days on my son’s bed,
6. Choosing velvet for backing (first thought was dark blue, then changed my mind and went with this burnt orange and am glad I did);
7. Sewing, including making piping & attaching invisible zipper.
PS. The 18-inch newly made feather filled insert for a very reasonable price was shipped from England (thank you, ebay again).
This is how it went:
Thank you Irina your needle work is a true labor of love and a work of art.
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