Jean M. Judd

Hand Stitched Thread on Hand Dyed Textile
16” x 43”/40.5 x 109cm
$8,500

Prairie Leaf #2 is the second piece in a series that was inspired by a trip to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in July of 2021, and a visit to a 20-acre restoration prairie filled with plants and wildflowers. I harvested some of the leaves there that intrigued me and used the Compass plant leaf and prairie dock leaf for this piece. In late September of 2023 I harvested some dry flower stems from our own small wildflower restoration field to incorporate into this new piece. The leaves and flower stems are recreated here in actual size with hand stitching. I then used a 1/16-inch echo stitch design to give the piece a three-dimensional look. The spring green ground is one of my hand dyed pieces.

The detailed image of the back of the artwork shows the extensive stitching at its best. A close-up image of the front of the work shows the ebb and flow of the hand dyed cloth and the shadow play created by the stitching. Once again, the artwork is designed to be displayed in either a vertical or horizontal orientation which allows for versatility in displaying the artwork spatially and visually.