These Embroideries Are An Homage to Houseplants

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Ben
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Sarah K. Benning’s intricate embroideries are in full bloom. Inspired by interior design trends, a love for Midcentury design, antique textiles, and her own potted plant collection, her pieces focus mainly on houseplants.

The New Hampshire-based artist works primarily from home, with each of her pieces beginning first as a drawing before being hand-stitched carefully by Benning. In this way, the thread becomes more like ink or paint than traditional embroidery, which accentuates the bold shapes, patterns, and color in the compositions.

“Every piece takes a great deal of time,” wrote the artist on her website. “I remain purposefully ignorant of the exact hour count that goes into each embroidery, but it’s safe to say they all take many, many hours. I usually work on several pieces at once, shifting between them as I change colors or need a break. This way I don’t lose interest in what I am doing and have more time to make color and pattern decisions.”

Check out some of our favorite works of hers and be sure to follow her Instagram page for more.

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I first stitched this piece back in 2016 and to this day it is one of my favorites. Which is why I couldn’t be more excited that it is now one of 11 prints available via my website! I want my work to be accessible for anyone and everyone that wants it. My prints allow an affordable option to some of my favorite and most complex pieces that may be outside of the budget for many. (I know I can’t personally afford to spend tons of $$$ on other people’s art—though I so wish I could!) Prints also allow me to continue to dedicate my time to creating new complex works, which require countless hours of stitching. My business is tiny—just me and Davey (my husband) running things around here, so I have to be strategic about our time and energy. Though these complex works are what truly feed my soul, often I have to make the tough decision to work on other aspects of my studio that bring in more regular income (patterns, kits, mini affordable originals, etc.). That’s life, that’s business, that’s adulthood: we don’t get to do/work on what we want 100% of the time. (Don’t get me wrong, I love creating the DIY stuff too, and super SUPER love the community that has grown up around it! 💕) BUT in the coming months, as my Pattern Program winds down, I am prioritizing some of my time to be dedicated to my dream projects—pieces that have been cooking in my brain for awhile, but haven’t yet actualized. New, good work is coming. And selling prints is helping make that possible! #artforeveryone

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I only have 3 of this print left in stock at the moment (thank you! 😬), but I’ll have more next weekend at #brokeartsfair in Peterborough, NH! This piece was stitched back in 2016 for an exhibition in Australia at @boomgallery ❤️ It was the first curated exhibition I ever participated in—meaning they got in touch and curated my work into an a group show rather than me submitting images or applying. I don’t participate in many gallery exhibitions because I don’t often have much work on hand, but that opportunity back in 2016 was such a wonderful excuse for me to push myself and create a 12” embroidery that would stand up in a gallery space alongside [relatively] huge paintings, photographs, and sculptures. In an effort to make my work as accessible as possible, I now have a collection of 11 prints available through sarahkbenning.com! #artforeveryone

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