A few weeks back I attended a workshop at the DPAG with the wonderful Katya Gunn. She was generous in sharing her experience, ideas and even her tools and materials. Katya gave us a quick tour of the portraits in the gallery for some inspiration and then we had a couple of hours to experiment and play with different fabrics, stitches and beading techniques.
I started this portrait having no idea where it would end up, cutting the fabric freehand to get shapes for a mystery clothed figure. This week, stitching away, I was wondering why she looked so sad and then it struck me who she was. I had read Mark Twain's story of Joan of Arc last year and find her story fascinating. Although there are no doubt all kinds of historical inaccuracies in my portrait, I decided that's who this young lady must be. She certainly looks like she has all the weight of the world on her shoulders.
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