"A self made fabric created from metal leaf and organza bonded together is used for the undersides of the petals and leaves. This makes a metallic surface which appears solid and hard but is actually soft and pliable"
For her 2019 Hand & Lock Prize submission, freelance hand embroidery specialist Hannah Mansfield has created four seasonally inspired goldwork flower sculptures preserved in glass bell jars. Three dimensional flowers are brought to life in precisely placed silver and gold bullions. In keeping with the ‘Fool the Senses’ brief, the metallic surface suggest rigidity when in fact the whole embroidery is flexible and soft to the touch.
Veteran of the Prize, Mansfield uses the Hand & Lock Prize as an opportunity to think outside the box and create something for herself. She explains, ‘this type of embroidery is often highly time intensive and expensive so I have chosen to enter the Prize as a way to indulge this passion and showcase my embroidery as an art form’. Her progress is documented on Instagram and her followers can see the long term planning required to make these pieces.
Her clever combination of the metallic and the organic merges with the aesthetic of botanical specimens. The effect is arresting and calls to mind the delicacy of the natural world and the impact of human beings on our environment. This combination of artistry and skill was recongnised by the judges who awarded Mansfield the first prize in the Open Textile Arts Category.
See more of her work here
