I might have called this finished.

 

But instead, I held my breath and lifted as much paint as I could outside a house shape that I had superimposed over the subject’s central features.

 

It was my intention that by embroidering outside the house shape, the painted and stitched areas would stand apart from each other, yet still work together.

 

The embroidery blurs details, such that texture becomes the overarching descriptor. It’s a quality I quite like – especially when paired with the untouched watercolor.

 

Despite the variation, the finished product still reads as a whole and I’m very pleased with the added dimension the stitching contributes. That’s not to say there aren’t a number of kinks still to work out. Taking this shot in artificial light emphasized the house shape to a degree that isn’t as easy to see in natural light. But that’s a puzzle for the next time around.
Regardless, the leap of faith was worth it.

✷

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