Embroidery Cheers Up Photos of Lonely Houses
Combining vintage photographs with colorful thread, Netherlands-based design studio Happy Red Fish turns out mixed media art pieces in a series called “Lonely Houses.”
Artist Hagar Vardimon finds old photos of houses in books, cuts them out, and adds a rather happy element to the often-gloomy images.
Using colorful embroidery thread, the artist stitches shapes and patterns right onto the pictures. Some cover the entire original picture; others add unexpected shocks of color around and atop the homes.
One of the loveliest parts of Vardimon-Van Heummen’s creations is the way the thread can extend the homes’ spatial scope or make them appear to be in the midst of floating away.
The combined materials are a bit outside of the norm, adding a layer of personality and contemporary charm to the pictures that were previously only static images of the past. The homes may have started as “lonely” looking and perhaps a bit sad, but the artist’s additions give them a sense of intrigue.
“Fine artist Hagar Vardimon is known for her threads and paper works. She earned her B.F.A degree at Bezalel academy. Her work has been seen both nationally and internationally, including: Robert Mann Gallery in New York, USA; Scope Art Miami, USA; Bedford Gallery in California, USA;The Schneider Museum of Art in Oregon, USA; Fresh, Hong Kong; Photo Biennial, Ireland; MK gallery, UK; Museum of Musée de Sant Cugat in Catalogne, Spain; Fresh stART in Los Angeles, USA; and many others in Europe and Worldwide.”
“Her work has been reviewed in local and national publications including the Village Voice, Needle Work: Stitched illustration, Monsa publication, Stitch Illustration”, encyclopedia of inspiration, Uppercase , The Textile Art Magazine, Frankie Magazine, Uppercase Magazine, Art Maze Mag, Musee Magazine, A5 Magazine and more. In 2012, an artist book about her art ‘Coutures’ was published by the French publisher Edition Marguerite Waknine.”
