The Bunka Embroidery Portfolio of Mary Lee Chisholm
Mary Lee Chisholm-Morgan works in Bunka embroidery, a style of embroidery that originated in Japan, and became popular in the United States in the 1970s. In her art portfolio, Mary Lee uses the technique to create images of a wide range of subjects.
I’m really impressed by the level of detail that Mary Lee is able to capture in each of her works. Seeing photographs of finished and framed pieces, I wouldn’t immediately guess that these are embroidered -- many of the pieces look like detailed paintings or drawings. Many of the artist’s works depict animals and flowers, and there’s an aesthetic to these pieces that seems, perhaps, influenced by traditional Japanese modes of art-making.
The front page of Mary's art portfolio website
Mary Lee tends to emphasize composition and negative space, not filling the picture plane with detail but instead drawing the viewer’s eye across a clear path, and leaving blank space for contemplation.
