During the lockdown, I returned to working in photography and mixed media, a practice I have dipped in and out of since college. I often take photos while walking or running errands in my neighborhood. There is still a freshness and foreignness to my environment after living in Amsterdam for two years.

Now that the lockdown is nearly fully lifted (Museums and restaurants will open in a few days!), I am looking into different ways of printing my images and am considering a larger scale. I am also shifting into working with color images where the conversation between the photo, stitching, and the cut and inked lines can find balance.

Making the work changes my experience as I live day-to-day life. The images mark my path through the streets, connection to this place, a moment in time, and history. It is a form of map-making, layering clothing, textile patterns, jewelry references over city windows, facades, and the street. What are the parallels between window dressing and dressing the body?

Two of my works will be included in the online exhibition Nature in Lockdown at Floresta, based in Manchester, UK! The exhibition runs from June 4 - July 2 and will be archived online. For more of my work go to @sarahpedlowstudio and sarahpedlow.com.

Sarah Pedlow, Open Back 2 (H&M), 5 x 5 inches, cotton embroidery and ink on cut laser print, 2021.

Now I am gearing up to teach my art-related workshops this summer. Drawing with Thread: From Tradition to Contemporary Art is a 4-session extended workshop on Sundays, beginning on July 11 and ending on August 1– limited to 6 participants. This workshop is an opportunity to develop a project over several weeks while learning about mark-making, line, and color. We look at historical, international, and contemporary embroidery and fine art for inspiration and guidance. And on August 14, I will be offering a new 2-hour workshop directly based on my art practice: Stitching on Photos.

Do you use your creative practice to connect with yourself, a place, or heritage? Join me to explore this question, or just enjoy creating something with your hands– through Drawing with Thread, Net Bags, Ukrainian Curly Stitch, Edgings, Modern Monograms/ Text, or Hungarian embroidery this summer!

A Stitch, A Line, A Path