Embroidery might not exactly make you think of wild, untamed nature — but rather cute little samplers of tiny stitches and dainty flowers.
But artist Ana Teresa Barboza has something else in mind when she creates her stitched artwork.
Instead of small, decorative designs, Ana Teresa uses embroidery thread and needles to create images of wild, rugged landscapes that look more like paintings than thread.
And what's more, she doesn't stay within the confines of the embroidery hoop.
There's really no good reason that art should stay restricted to a frame or to two dimensions. In fact, breaking out of those boxes is helping more people appreciate art, even if they can't see it!
So instead of remaining as little snapshots of nature inside a frame, Ana Teresa's embroidery spills off the fabric in wild tangles and snarls as though the landscape is forming right in front of you!
Take a look at some of her work below, and if you like embroidery, let this inspire you to try something new!
(H/T: Colossal)
While the projects start out as carefully embroidered landscapes, they soon spill out of the embroidery hoop and out into the real world, as though they're growing all on their own.
Sometimes, like in this piece, the threads mimic the textures of a natural landscape.
This tangle of green thread looks like moss, or like a forested mountainside.
They also turn from embroidery into another age-old textile art — weaving.
The threads come out of the image and turn into woven almost-fabric.
By seeming to burst out of their controlled, stitched-up confines and turning into a wild, tangly new form, it's almost as if the threads have a life and drive of their own.
Ana Teresa also focuses on natural subjects, and so her pieces might be reminding us that no matter how hard we try, we can't hem in or corral nature.
She's also started embroidering on photos and printed material, adding color and texture to otherwise flat images.
She also uses the actual spools of thread as part of her exhibits.
The spools might seem like an odd choice, but they also offer us a glimpse at how Ana Teresa creates her work.
It's like a diagram of how she makes her art, next to a scientific diagram!
Other pieces don't have the traditional hoops, but start instead from drawings on fabric.
You'd think the colored thread would fill in the grayscale design, but it seems to have other plans.
In fact, sometimes it becomes something else entirely!
The two art forms, the embroidered image and the rug on the floor, are separate, but connected.
From a simple material like thread, so many different things can be made.
She also experiments with different ways to create and display her works, and she's not showing any signs of stopping — which is great, because we've never seen a tangle of thread look so good.
You can see more of Ana Teresa's work on her website, where you can see some of her work with other art forms like drawing and photography, and more traditional styles of sewing, as well.
If you like embroidery, see if you can push some boundaries with your own craft, and don't forget to SHARE with your creative friends, too!
