Michelle Kingdom embroiders tiny worlds, occupied by tiny people. Decidedly small in scale, her scenes are densely embroidered into compressed compositions. Using thread as a sketching tool, she simultaneously honors and undermines the tradition of needlework that came before her.
Having studied fine art, she began drawing with thread to pursue both passions – of embroidery and drawing. “Embroidery became my own private refuge,” she shared with Textile Artist. “The effects of embroidery seemed otherworldly and captured my imagination as the perfect way to explore secret thoughts.”
Indeed, her work seems to explore psychological landscapes, illuminating thoughts left unspoken. Literary snippets, memories, personal mythologies, and art historical references inform the imagery. Fused together, these influences explore relationships, domesticity, and self-perception.
“Embroidery also comes with a lot of baggage,” says Kingdom. “It has often been dismissed and overlooked; perceived as decorative, a school-girl craft, fussily old-fashioned, small. And that is precisely what attracted me to it. It’s deceptively pretty, unapologetically female, traditional and naive. It speaks in tiny whispers, and only those that care to listen can hear it. My work tries to capture murky ideas brewing around in my head, and the evocative nature of figures in stitch better conveys those ideas than other mediums can.”
Take a look at some of her murky ideas come to life through the use of needle and thread:
