If you are reading this and have read my postings before, you know how I love research and delving into the meanings that support the pieces in my work as an artist. Be it in words or color balance I like my work to have layers that go beyond the cloth...
When creating Lily, I wanted something soft in color for the flower...Lavendar.
Both contain the energy and strength of red with the spirituality and integrity of blue. This is the union of body and soul creating a balance between our physical and our spiritual paths.
Lavendar is the color of the humanitarian, using its better judgment to do good for others. Combining wisdom and power with sensitivity and humility.
百合
The Lily (百合, bǎi hé) is said to help a person forget his troubles. The lily is a symbol of summer and abundance, and some believe it represents one hundred years of love.The lily is used as a lucky charm and maintain that it averts the effects of the evil eye upon them. The lily is also a good choice for girlfriends because it means unity.
My color palette for Lily was fairly neutral in with exception of her hat with its brighter values. I captured balance between the hat's brightness by bringing the embroidery in a bright thread flowing down the vest and grounded in her pant hemline. Her blouse front opening and the sleeves also mimic this embroidered thread detail.
Looking at Lily closer, you can see the underside of the leaves to be of a dark olive with gold swirls moving throughout. This gold also is picked up in the flower center stamens of silk ribbons. The band is of Chinese silk brocade trimmed with vintage cording this all frames her face and in a sense creates a border between doll and hat.
In Detail:
The Lily flower is of silk dupioni backed with an Asian cotton again with gold accented flowers. The leave tops are of silk dupioni centered embroidered with magenta thread balancing the band.
Her hand sculpted face is covered with silk crepe and delicately painted with chalks and hand painted eyes. I like to use the minimum of color just to accent the sculpting. I also LOVE the texture of the fabric- I enlarged this photo so you can see it very closely! She is thinking...
When most of us think of Chinese embroidery, we think of the flowers of the north. My interpreted hats are of the south and in-keeping with that culture I embroider my pieces using a geometrical design that is more traditional of the southern regions of China.
Blouse and vest and in silk. The interior of the vest opens as would a book holding messages of the flower symbolism in English on one side and Chinese on the other.
The pants are of silk as the vest. There are three rows of embroidery tying into one design. Shoes of linen with soles of Asian cotton and tiny triangular bead closure.
“Your spiritual path isn't always just something you find,
you started it the moment you took your first breath,
and ever since you're been getting closer and
closer to remembering who you truly are!”
― Martin R. Lemieux
