ehmeegee: A few weeks ago I was in a fabric store with my Mom…
A few weeks ago I was in a fabric store with my Mom and my sister Serri, and saw this random, pleasant cross stitch pattern of some marine invertebrates with the hokey cursive text Take time stitched into the empty upper right hand corner. Like, hang this in your bathroom and gaze at the calming scene reminding you to just take it easy, you know? settle down. think of the seaside breeze, breathe in the misty salty ocean air and just chiiiillllllllll. It kind of made me angry for some dumb reason so I bought it and spent the last two weeks working on this, my first cross stitch.
For the last month or so, for a reason I’m not yet ready to disclose, I’ve been doing a lot of research on invertebrate conservation, specifically as it pertains to midwestern freshwater bivalves and the fashion industry of the early 1900′s. More on that later. Long story short, I’ve become fairly invested in learning more about why charismatic megafauna receive so much attention, funding, and outrage when exploited, but these misunderstood and terribly important organisms without spines or eyes are overlooked in their environmental roles.
Throw into the mix that I’ve been kinda bummed about not making more art lately and then, here it is, the solution to my problems, marrying current research interests with an artistic outlet, one I can execute on bumpy flights (I perfected my ability to thread a needle during turbulence), and at home in the living room when I want to spend time with my fella, instead of locked away in my studio.
This is a present for the friend and colleague who turned me onto the topic. I hope she likes it. If she doesn’t, I’m selling it and donating the proceeds to a group that does inventory and monitoring of freshwater invertebrates. (Yes, I know the pattern is for marine organisms, but how many cross stitch patterns of purple lilliput mussels have you seen?)
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1RVWnCU.
Tags: support inverts, I actively support invertebrate life, at least at the level of intentional one-on-one interactions, though I inadvertently smush them every time I drive, and I kill female mosquitos and fleas, at least when they're angling to drink my blood, still working through how I feel on that one.
