Stitchamaze Rosalyn Cherry-Soleil

I want the viewer to experience my excitement and wonder as I create pieces. My “mission” is to create Art in needlepoint. Needlepoint, being a flat medium, governed by a fixed grid or canvas, limits the possibilities of threads that can be used and realism that can be created. I create my pieces around these restrictions, creating flow of movement, textural up and down surfaces, and I take the sh

ape and threads where I want them to be placed. I often hear, "I’ve never seen anything like this! How do you do it?"
History:
Having lived in Toronto since I was 16 years of age, I consider myself to be a Torontonian. My life began in the Northern Ontario town of Kirkland Lake, June 27th, 1938. I’ve also lived in Kitchener and London, Ontario. By the age of six I was learning to knit, embroider and create my own fashions for my cut-out dolls. I was influenced in needlepoint and knitting by my mother and both grandmothers who were talented creators. My love of knitting led me into the fashion design field. During the 1970’s I designed hand-loomed ladies’ high fashion knitted clothing under the label of Marnie Knits. I didn’t have formal training for my design, my “schools” were the fashion runways of London, Paris, Milan, Florence, Dusseldorf, New York, Montreal and Toronto. I was privileged to view the work of top designers as we bought fashions for our family business, Alan Cherry Fashions. My knits, inspired by the colours and textures of the world, sold very successfully in major retail stores in Canada and the U.S. Next, I began designing and merchandising Bridal and Evening wear for The Bridal Loft in my family business. The Bridal Loft became one of the leading, trend setting Bridal Salons during the 1980’s. In 1992 I retired from the fashion world to paint, collage, and to put my own needlepoint designs onto canvas. My work is very spontaneous and tactile. I begin with a brief concept and develop the design, textures, contrasts and surprises as I proceed. I often say that I thread the needle and the work takes on a life of its own. The materials I use consist of needlepoint canvas (usually 18 count) which I embellish with silk, wool, cotton, metallic, phototransfer, fabric, beads, velour, ultrasuede, and whatever is currently available. I’m often asked if I sell my work…. Well I haven’t considered selling my pieces yet. I just continue to fill my walls (all of my pieces are framed pictures). Considering that I like to work on very large pieces and very fine canvas, my work moves at a very slow pace. I may cover one or one and a half inches during an hour of work. That makes for a very costly piece of art. Another factor in keeping my work is that much of it is of a very personal autobiographical nature. About Canvas Collage®:
This group of my work is part of my evolving development of a combination of stitchery, needlepoint, collage and quilting techniques, all worked into the same piece. My interest in quilting and needlepoint led me to beginner quilting courses, courses on inspiration for quilting and courses in applique. That lead to my addiction to quilt stores and an ever growing stash of fabrics, books, magazines, introduction to styles of quilting, and my fascination with art quilts and crazy quilts. As you can see my taste is very eclectic. Not wanting to choose between quilting and needlepoint, I combine both. Thus evolved Canvas-Collage®. The technique I use attaches all fabric pieces to the needlepoint canvas with hand stitchery using a sharp needle and a variety of threads. I love to use photo transfer because I feel that it adds depth to the piece. The inspiration comes from the photo transfer, when used, and the fabrics. I cut the quilting fabrics to enhance the feeling and composition that I want to convey. As I begin to stitch, the piece then takes on a life of its own and truly tells me what to say. All photography by - Chris Barns