Irmgard Geul is an amazingly talented artist that I am grateful to know. We have collected a number of her works and recently she completed a AAA commission for us. As the Fab Four were trying to find our next art outing Irmgard called to ask if I wanted to come see her workshop/studio and pick up the AAA. I said YES! Then I ask if she would be willing to show us how she creates her art and let us try our hand. She said yes and we were set.
Irmgard is both and abstract and impressionistic artist. The work she had been doing recently she likes to be known as “Embroidery Paintings” a self explored technique where she applies embroidery and stitching over acrylic paintings on paper, to create depth and a visual perspective. It was this medium we would be trying.
Irmgard’s studio is an old farm house in Pauls Valley on a horse ranch. When we arrived she had already set up for us and after showing us her latest works we got busy. First we had to paint the card stock base with acrylic paint to create both the under layer and turn the paper into a more flexible and durable “fabric” to hold the stitching that would come later. IN her work Irmgard often hides all sorts of things in this base layer. Being an engineer, I was struggling just to represent the sunset I had chosen as the basis for my painting.
Once the painting was done and dry, we began sewing onto the painting using embroidery thread. The paper is thick and stiff and in no time my fingers were tired of pushing that needle through. Looking at Irmgard’s work I have a new sense of awe at how much work goes into each piece. I also think she has fingers of steel. Slowly I added color and texture, a thread at a time, until the piece began to have the form I was picturing. Irmgard’s works are much more involved and have much more thread in them, but I am very pleased with my result.
