Rosie Imogen

Psychological Embroidered Landscapes Explore Unspoken Thoughts by Michelle Kingdom

LA-based artist Michelle Kingdom paints the landscape of her whims, tainted by scenes and characters across genres such as mythology and pagan rituals. Her subjects are constantly engaged in an undefined activity. They are poised in mid-action; fused together from references across history, literature, myth and memory. To depict her obscure figures, she embroiders them on a stitched canvas.

Kingdom’s silent subjects portray unspoken words. Her thoughts focus on moments contextualized in relationships, domesticity and self-perception. Instead of taking a traditional approach in embroidery work, where vibrant colors are used, Kingdom uses  pastel and pale earthy tones to demonstrate the intellectual meaning of her work.

She continuously uses the female gender to express a psychological evaluation. They are often portrayed as lethargic figures, which are never really seen or spoken. They are devoid of color and emotion. Her female subjects are often accompanied by nature. They are given natural metaphors, which portray the acts of blooming, flying away freely, or being constricted.