Eternal Grace by Mary Alice Sinton

The design Eternal Grace is derived from a Japanese woodblock print entitled The Geisha Itsutomi by Chobunsai Eishi (1756-1815) part of his Japanese Beauties in the Sierou Teahouse series. In this adaptation, the lady is contemplating the beauty and momentary life of a cherry blossom, and how almost as soon as it blooms it starts to loose its petals. She wonders, “What type of beauty is not lost, but deepens with time”. It is the lady’s inner beauty that survives the passing of time. The Japanese Embroidery Center (JEC) created this piece to practice flat and twisted silk foundations, short stitching holding and line of staggered diagonal techniques. There is an introduction to superimposed work on the kimono and obi. The selection of color was entirely determined by the stitcher.