Flow: Windmills and Water Wheels by Marla Frazier

This piece was in response to a challenge to represent wind and water. Wind, the only way we “see” it is from the its action on other things: the ripple on a pool, the carving of a sand dune, the sway of trees and grass. Water, a colorless liquid that without motion is invisible. How could I capture these things in an original two-dimensional visual? One day their uses as alternative energy sources came to mind and the basics of this abstraction formed. I chose an oval format because curves evoke motion. I painted the canvas background and chose threads to create an ambiguous water/sky palette. Well into stitching, I decided to add beading to the design to represent water droplets dancing, or sunlight sparkling on water, or ice crystals shimmering in the air, to give the flow enough visual definition and pop.