FEELINGS FOR COLOURS
Cape Town artist Danielle Clough used embroidery to depict Hilary Biller’s breast cancer journey on canvas
Your artistic genius takes the form of the ancient art of embroidery. What is it about thread that gets your creative juices going?
There are so many things about thread that I love, and it shifts all the time. I first worked with fabric and thread while my mother was sewing clothes; there was always a needle lying about. It never felt like an intimidating creative medium, just a fun thing you do at home. As my experience and technique with embroidery grew, I found the texture is what is inspiring, and the gentle indulgence in colour gives me a feeling of fulfilment.
Mention embroidery and there’s an image of an older woman sitting in a chair with needle and thread in hand. Is embroidery as art making a comeback?
Needlework tends to go through waves of rediscovery through the generations. The act of craft and making is so human and when people pick up on it, the medium grows in popularity. As it becomes saturated we might see it as kitsch, and so the cycle goes on. I don’t say embroidery ever went away, just that with our digital lives becoming bigger there has been a greater hunger for the handmade, making it more celebrated.
You’re no shrinking violet when it comes to colour. What it is about the bold palette that excites you?
I have a theory that is not rooted in any evidence or science, but I’ll share it anyway. I think we all have an innate colour language. It’s the prominent shades in your wardrobe, or that one shade of green that makes you feel a little more than the others around it. We all have feelings for colours, none of them right or wrong, and my feelings happen to be deepest for the brightest.
Is there a special place where you curate the art, and what is it about the spot that makes it perfect to weave the threads?
I’ve been working in a few locations and homes this year and the one thing that is vital is good light. I like to pop myself close to a window for natural light and, if I’m lucky, a little sun will hit my shoulders.
Please share the creative steps in the making of the embroidery reflecting my breast cancer journey.
I start with a digital drawing using an iPad. I use this as a faster way to test colours and composition. Sewing is a slow process and it’s nice to have a well-mapped-out sketch. Once I’m happy with the direction, I stretch fabric onto a canvas and place the watercolour down. I love how organically the watercolour absorbs into the fabric. After that I start the stitching, felting and beading.
After the photo shoot you had many images to work from and we connected over the phone. What perspective does a conversation give you in creating the art?
When I get to connect to the person I am creating a work of, it gives me an opportunity to put elements of that person into the piece, such as subtle symbols or colours that are meaningful to them. It deepens the work for me and changes how I feel about creating too. It’s not making a picture; it’s celebrating a human, and it can also increase the pressure because I want to make the subject happy.
The form you have created of me in the embroidery is so lifelike it’s akin to staring at a photograph of myself, except this is far superior and so evocative. How do you achieve this using a needle and thread?
Wow, that’s really wonderful to hear. It’s hard to critique my own work as it’s all so subjective. As someone once said: “What people say about your work is none of your business,” so I don’t have an answer but I am grateful you feel that way.
There’s so much detail in your work; it’s so layered, from the soft watercolours in the background, to the built-up coloured thread, to the beadwork. Have you always mixed mediums?
I’ve always jumped between mediums — from graphic design to VJing [realtime visual performance] and photography. I’ve played with cyanotype, printmaking and collage. It’s mostly in the name of play, and often in the name of rent. I have always loved the experimental phase of a new medium when everything is bubbling with potential.
Please share the meaning behind the details you placed in the embroidery you created.
In our wonderful conversation, I took notes and circled parts that felt symbolic. The beads are the cancer and how it was in your body. The sun is a reminder of the simple moments you spoke about, the beautiful Joburg sun, and how it felt when it touched you in hospital. The number 8 is stitched in, and how you trusted your instincts, changed doctors, and felt like it was magic when she lived a road away in the same number house. The H is for Hilary, because this is your story. The things you shared openly with me had a deep impact, and prepared me to be a better supporter to a loved one who had a diagnosis not long after you shared your journey with me.
How long did it take you to complete the artwork, and do you have any idea of the amount of thread it took to make it?
The work took me about 115 hours, and the thread count is a complete mystery.
You work on all sorts of projects and are a part of interesting collaborations: embroidery on a surfboard, embroidery on antique tennis rackets, T-shirts, you name it. You’re not afraid of experimenting. Your drive to create is inspiring. How do you do it?
It’s possibly because I get excited about the problem-solving element of creativity. A new tool or material, an idea or strange surface is a puzzle and I get to “play” and put the pieces together. Not all problems get solved, but when it works it’s thrilling. It’s a feeling that I have unlocked something.