Southwest Still Life by Caela Conn Tyler

“Southwest Still Life” was inspired by Robert Rivera’s gourd art. I created the piece as a design/stitch sample for an upcoming class. It is easiest to interpret this work by understanding the conceptual focus of the class.

The design consists of three pots/gourds, each shaped differently, as does Robert Rivera’s poster of numerous gourds. The shapes were resized and arranged via computer. When the basic line design was determined, I pasted each element onto computer-generated graph paper scaled to match the ground (TINY!), then scaled both items so that the pot or a symmetrical section of the pot/gourd fit the page and the graph paper could be seen easily. I used several books on Native American art as references for the design on each pot, modifying the authentic designs as necessary to fit the constraints of the Congress Cloth ground.

The threads used in this piece are “quiet”; not shiny and with a soft edge. That is, each strand blends with neighboring strands so that, in many cases, the individual stitches blend to appear as a smooth finish. All three pots/gourds are subtly shaded to support the perception of dimension.

An understated stitch treatment, the use of overall stitch patterns or stitches with small motifs, further supports the inclusion of detail and fine shading. In addition to considering the visual pattern of the stitches, I explored the comparative textural impact of stitches, keeping the smooth surface of pots and gourds in mind. The embellishment on the bear fetish motif contrasts with my overall approach, however, it echoes the Native American artist’s usual treatment of such fetishes and supports the illusion of three-dimensional objects.

The subtle shadow of the pots/gourds on the background serves to ground the pots and to create some interest in the negative space of the ground. This design needed a border to help establish focus and to determine a perimeter. Because of the significant amount of detail in the pot/gourd designs, the border treatment is simple and uncomplicated, serving to focus rather than to distract the viewer.