Birds in Hoops
6TH MAY 2022 - ASU #329
Threadpainting often results in highly realistic embroidered images. Textile artist Beth Carroll wanted even more realism, so when she started stitching, she chose a diaphanous tulle as her base fabric.
Beth, an Australian-born artist who now lives in Ireland, has translated her passion for birds into a series of pieces so lifelike, it looks as if her subjects have just fluttered down and perched on the hoop.
The delicate process of stitching and then carefully trimming the tulle around the freestanding tail feathers takes precision, but when the piece is finished, each bird is bursting with character. Beth sometimes even adds barbed wire or real twigs for the birds to perch on, making her creatures truly come to life.