Images, text and design cannot​ be reproduced without expressed consent of artist.  

All images and artwork © Bronwyn Elkuss.  ©www.bronwynelkuss.com

Heart of Lightness, detail

​Secret Sanctuary, detail

​Bronwyn Elkuss, Fiber Artist

In the Fold, detail

My  Process

Although my basic technique combines hand stitched embroidery with appliqué, I add other elements to create a process that is uniquely mine.

My first step is to draw on paper, allowing concepts to become visual images.  Form, color and composition are considered and help determine how the image would work in fiber.  Fabric and flosses are selected and the transition from paper to fiber begins.  The art changes with the medium.

Layers of appliqué form the foundation.  A variety of threads, flosses and stitches are used.  I do not hesitate to add quilting, puckering, paint, beads and baubles to my work.  

My stitching techniques come from around the world and from various time periods.  Fiber has a history in mythology and in fact. Arachne angered her Gods with with her stunning work and Penelope saved a kingdom making tapestry.  American slaves followed the Underground Railroad with directions stitched into quilts.  Suffragettes communicated through embroidery.  Recently, hand stitched needle work has established new purpose and respect as a contemporary fine art medium.

I am often asked why I stitch by hand rather than machine.  My intent is to apply ancient technique to modern pursuit.  I manually control the nuances of each stitch.  Like a painter with brush and canvas, I have an intimate relationship with needle, thread and fabric that no machine can come between.

Bronwyn Elkuss​