Breakthrough Orchid by Donna Halpin

There may not be all that much stitching on this piece, but the significance of the project far outweighs that.

My comfort zone is in subdued color schemes, and with more traditional forms of needlearts. Nearing retirement and deciding that my conservative approach really needed to be set aside, I signed up to take a class with Pam Godderis in the technique of silk paper making. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that I was horrified to discover the colors I'd be working with......not a taupe, white or black in the bunch! And worse yet, once we had learned the technique of working with the silk roving, and creating paper, she asked us to MAKE SOMETHING with our end product. Good heavens and Lord Almighty. I should MAKE SOMETHING without a countable ground.......and have it be in vivid colors?

Breakthroughs are fabulous and generally infrequent experiences. But as I sat at the table looking at this piece of silk paper, and as a vision of an orchid came to me, I knew that a creative breakthrough was happening. Before leaving class I had formed the orchid, and within weeks knew how I wanted to display the orchid using one skein of Waterlilies silk on black canvas. Scripting and then charting the alphabet was next and then on to finishing. So, even though this piece is somewhat representative of a phalaenopsis orchid, it has much more significance as my "Breakthrough Orchid" which in turn has opened a new world of inspiration and creativity for me.