Winter on the coast

This was not a subject which I found very easy, for me, decay more often than not relates to animal life but I chose to depict decay by relating it to dying plant life. Some plants are almost more beautiful in a state of semi decay than they are when growing, in the sense that their architecture comes into evidence. I have continued with the same coastline as in my Blooming piece, a fishing hut is there, blue this time which is in stark contrast with its surroundings, and the tide is out. There is a green field in the background and then the rest of the vegetation is dull as are the colours of the muddy rocks and stones at low tide. This is fairly typical of the coastline that I often walk, somehow there is an elegance in the structure of the plant life before it gives in the wind and rain. Nature is wonderful in its mysterious way.

The background was painted on cotton sateen and then machine embroidered, then houses were coloured with aquarelle crayons because I wanted them to be true to their colour but not too dominant, they were then raw edge appliquéd and lightly top-stitchedLikewise for the fishing hut and its stilts. The plant stems and stilts are cut out of a commercial batik to give a non-uniform colour and then they are blanket stitched by machine. The dead flower heads are hand stitched in two different weights of thread.

Close up detail.