Lizgstitches, about eyes, ink and the Moon

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Although I have never met Elizabeth Griffiths, also known as Lizgstitches, I suspect we have the same kind of fascination… namely with marks and the moon. Half a year ago, wandering through Instagram, I ran into her embroidered image of the moon. To me it was just… like a lightning strike!

The moon

Since my teens now and then I look with my binoculars at the moon… looking at the craters you can see from Earth. But now I can also take a look at Liz’ Moon embroidery… it has a glow, like the Moon has… as you can see here.

the Moon, finished work, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Here below you see a photo of this work in progress … it also shows a bit of Liz’ way of working. Outlining certain areas which she later fills in with stitches, like coloring with threads instead of ink. Although it looks like she just stitched randomly all around, in reality it must be different. All those different tones of grey and white… all those different directions the stitches go to…

moon, work in progress, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

In the next photo, you can compare a photo of the moon with the embroidered version of it. That’s fun!

photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Inkblots

Another work of Liz that I’m fond of, is her series “inkblots”. She made 5 pieces with black “spots” on white fabric… like ink on paper… But the great thing is, you can see all kind of things in it. Some people see dancers… I see clouds… what do you see?

inkblots, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Here below some details . I love the shape of the drips down beneath.

inkblot, detail, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

The next one makes me think about cartography and maps. It could be an island, don’t you think?

inkblot, work in progress, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

In the following photo you can clearly see that Liz uses the flat stitch.

detail inkblot, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Portraits

The third category of Liz’ work is about portraits and eyes. As far as I’m concerned, Liz has a great talent for designing images by combining (shades of) colors and forms. See for yourself.

Young lady

For Liz, used to work in grey-isch and black, “young lady” was the first time she started playing around with colour blocking. She says about it: “the teal just above the jaw line was a game changer” (MM, instagram lizgstitches).

portrait of young lady, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

In the work below you can see the method of working. Liz first draws some lines on the fabric, and later starts filling in spaces at different areas in the work.

portrait of young lady in progress, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Elderly lady

In this portrait, Liz obviously had get used to working with more color in her work. Different shades of one tone of color can be seen.

portrait of elderly lady, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
back side, portrait of elderly lady, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Self portrait

During Corona times, Liz stitched a portrait of herself. So full of detail. So full of color. So full of shapes. Beautiful how her hair contains a range of colors, and not just black/brown.

self portrait, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Watch the tip of blue on the lips. Just perfect.

selfportrait, detail, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Eyes

Now I would like to show you some photo’s of eyes Liz stitched. She seems to know exactly how to use color and where to place a stitch. In order to get a lively look in the eyes she makes. To me Liz is an “eye specialist”. Good to say I’m not the only one loving her stitched eyes… This year she won the People’s Choice Award, with 5 works of eyes, at the Open exhibition for Dudley Borough artists Unity.

Eye 1

beginning, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
finished, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Eye 2

beginning, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
finished, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Eye 3

beginning, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
finished, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Eye 4

beginning, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
finished, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Latest work

Some days ago I saw a post on Instagram of Liz’ latest work. This time it’s a self portrait. Made in an innovative way, it’s a combination of (self)printed textile and embroidery. A small part of the print is embroidered, an eye. Because it’s a black print on a light colored fabric, the colored threads used for the eye, really stand out. The eye catches your own eye in a split second…

selfportrait, photo courtesy Lizgstitches
selfportrait, detail, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Do you wanna see more of Liz?

Then follow Liz’s work on Instagram, #lizgstitches. Personally I’m so curious about the work she will develop in the future. Can’t be anything but good…

selfie Liz, photo courtesy Lizgstitches

Liz nowadays is a member of the Society for Embroidered Work.

Do you wanna see more arty embroidery?

Then leave your email address below (on the left side) and receive a notification when there’s a new post. I’ll be happy to facilitate you.

Enjoy creativity!

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