Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

InspirationArt & Culture

New embroidered artworks of unusual characters by LA artist Michelle Kingdom

LA-based artist Michelle Kingdom – featured previously – has a talented way with thread. Her stitched artworks are crafted to look like paintings, with dense layers, colours and textures throughout.

Written By:
Embroidered artwork depicting four figures in dark clothing inside a geometric tent structure, surrounded by blue and cream embroidered flowers on a sage green background

In her latest series of work, Michelle creates figurative narratives with her usual needle and thread. She explains: "My work explores psychological landscapes, illuminating thoughts left unspoken. I create tiny worlds in thread to capture elusive yet persistent inner voices. Literary snippets, memories, personal mythologies, and art historical references inform the imagery; fused together, these influences explore relationships, domesticity and self-perception. Symbolism and allegory lay bare dynamics of aspiration and limitation, expectation and loss, belonging and alienation, truth and illusion.

"Decidedly miniature in scale, the scenes are densely embroidered into compressed compositions. While the work acknowledges the lustre and lineage inherent in needlework, I use thread as a sketching tool in order to simultaneously honour and undermine this tradition. Beauty parallels melancholy, as conventional stitches acquiesce to the fragile and expressive."

To discover more of her work, visit michellekingdom.com.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Michelle Kingdom

Embroidered artwork by Michelle Kingdom showing three figures in blue clothing standing within pale green plant-like forms on a beige textile background
Two embroidered figures standing in shallow water surrounded by reeds against a deep blue background
Embroidered figure in brown sitting among stylised berry plants with white berries and golden foliage on black fabric
Two figures stand before a gnarled forest of bare branches and grey boulders, rendered in densely layered embroidery thread on deep red fabric
Three women in a kitchen with neon blue line-drawn appliances and counters on dark embroidered fabric, with distorted floor perspective below
Embroidered artwork showing a figure in a red dress standing before a crowd of faceless figures in brown and grey tones, with thread-like roots extending downward and an ethereal figure suspended above
Share

Further Reading