Chloë Amy Avery treats the needle and thread as though they were brush and paint, creating massive embroidered works that eerily remind of realistic paintings. Her work mostly centers around food, understanding her subjects as symbols of memory and culture.
“I love to draw, I love food, so I thought why not try using thread as a medium and combine the things I love and am interested in?” she explained in an interview with Dark Yellow Dot.
When it comes to the creative process itself, Avery has it down to a science: “I have developed a process that I know works for me in my creative process,” she says. Depending on the piece she’s working on, so will the process vary.
“For my bigger plates of food I cook the dish, compose the food for the correct photo, and then take many photos to capture the food in its best light and composition,” she says. “The other approach I take is to make a colored sketch for a photo I have taken or a combination of photos to create the best image ready to stitch.” She then draws a very basic sketch on fabric and changes it as she goes along.
Aside from food, she also embroiders portraits. Those often feature icons like Iris Apfel and Malala Yousafzai. “I’m always thinking of new ideas and yet there is not enough time to do them all,” she says. “I’m always excited to start new projects.” We’re just as excited!
