#40 The red shoes
- P.M. Neist
- Apr 6, 2018
- 1 min read
I was inspired by a number of stories this week: breakfast with a friend brought up the name Bud Smith, which I absolutely had to use, I wore my red patent leather shoes to work last week, and I have been re-reading a naughty fat book of modernized fairly tales - My mother she killed me, my father he ate me - which got me thinking about the tale of the red shoes.
That story has always fascinated me and I must admit I have always loved the hint of danger that comes from wearing red shoes.
This week's artwork in hand embroidered and hand-lettered on one of those printed vintage handkerchiefs that was common in the seventies. It's a little cotton square in red and blue, thin and a little frayed. First I drew and embroidered the couple, then I embroidered the red wreath using the existing design as a guide.
The biggest challenges are that the print pattern is not symmetrical and there is very little room to hand-print the story. I ended up organizing the printed word around the main design. Right now, the result is uneven. I am giving it a couple of days to decide whether or not I will rebalance it.
Part of my likes symmetry. Part of me likes that the unsettling print matches the unsettling tone of the story.