The Exemplary 2023:
1st Place, Professional Original

I worked “In My Garden” to stretch myself artistically. The question I posed to myself was, “Is it still Stumpwork if your background fabric isn’t fabric?”. I also wanted to incorporate the playfulness of the “I Spy” game I played with my children when they were young. To accomplish these goals, I started by photographing flowers and trees in our garden. I printed them out on matte brochure paper then worked insects on each photo using contemporary Stumpwork techniques such as padding and wired slips. I wrote the text for each page like a children’s book, inspired by the work of Denise Fleming. Finally, I created an accordion book using cut mat board and Mi-Teintes paper.