Niyaz Huseynzade Do you enjoy embroidery? Do you like animals? If your answer is yes to both of those questions, then Laura McGarrity’s work will be right up your alley. McGarrity is a self-taught embroidery artist who creates beautiful pieces bursting with color and life and also teaches how to make embroidered patches. Her subjects include all sorts of animals, from tigers to anteaters to squids, and each one is composed of layers of different colors that give them a vibrant and dimensional look. McGarrity is a Bothell, Washington resident who experimented with various kinds of fiber art for many years before concentrating on embroidery three years ago. Check out her work if you need some ideas!
She initially struggled with it, but eventually, she discovered the limitless inventive possibilities in this ancient art form after putting effort into it. She particularly likes to blend her passion for color with animal portraiture. “Animals are a viral subject, so I like to add my own ‘flavor’ to a painting by reinterpreting them with various color palettes.” She tells Freeyork about her approach to art. “I still feel like I’m getting the hang of things, so I enjoy experimenting with a wide range of stitches and techniques.”
McGarrity’s work appears to be that of a painter rather than a weaver, despite being embroidered. “I believe there’s a very natural connection between embroidery and painting,” she adds. “It is, after all, the same technique used to create an image in paint—stroke by stroke, with one color at a time. In the same way that you embroider using paint—stitch by stitch, one hue at a time.”
She might spend many days stitching the cloth with various degrees of complexity. McGarrity explains, “I usually start with the shadows or lowlights and then work my way up to the medium and brighter hues.” “But, in most cases, it necessitates many applications of that layering method.” However, the vibrant color palette adds to her subjects’ radiance after she is done.
To keep up with McGarrity’s latest stitched projects, follow her on Instagram.
