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From Velvet and Vintage Textiles, Larysa Bernhardt Embroiders Otherworldly Moths
by Aurelia Butler 7 July 2025, 14:47
All images courtesy of Larysa Bernhardt, shared with permission
From Velvet and Vintage Textiles, Larysa Bernhardt Embroiders Otherworldly Moths
July 7, 2025
ArtCraftNature
Kate Mothes
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“Mythology and folklore surrounding moths and butterflies carries complex and sometimes contradictory symbolism,” artist Larysa Bernhardt says. “I was always attracted to their paradoxical nature.” While on one hand, she dreads certain types of the winged creatures turning up in her house because of the risk they pose to textiles, she is fascinated by their variations and loves to see them thrive.
Dualities abound in Bernhardt’s sculptural, embroidered textile moths. Her creative process begins outdoors in a seemingly unrelated aspect of the studio—her garden. The artist tends to a “moon garden” every summer, comprising fragrant botanicals like tobacco, moonflower, datura, and jasmine that perfume the air and blossom with small white flowers that “glow in the dark like stars,” the artist says. Sphinx and luna moths often visit, accompanied by thousands of fireflies.
When the sun comes up, the garden transforms into a riot of color, with zinnias, poppies, and roses attracting daytime pollinators like butterflies and bees. “It’s the duality of it—night and day, sun and moon, moths and butterflies” that fascinates Bernhardt. She adds, “It’s an incredibly complex balancing act I am forever mesmerized by.”
Mirroring the supple fuzziness of the insects’ wings, the artist enjoys working with velvet to achieve the moths’ elegance and whimsy. It’s a challenging material because the pile can be unforgiving; make a mistake and the ghost of the stitch will remain as a mark on the fabric. Bernhardt stitches freehand when applying motifs to the wings, starting with a loose sketch but allowing intuition to guide her in creating star-like patterns and symbolic objects like vases or eyes.
Bernhardt also loves working with vintage needlepoints and old tapestries. “I find textile pieces in dusty corners of antique stores; I love these discoveries,” she says. “And I love giving them another chance to go back up on a wall and be admired again, cherished.”
The artist’s work is currently included in Daughters of Eve at Quirky Fox in Taranaki, New Zealand, and Beyond the Sea at Nanny Goat Gallery in Petaluma, California. In August, Bernhardt will be part of a show with Beinart Gallery in Melbourne, and she’s currently working toward a solo exhibition at Haven Gallery in Long Island, New York. Find more on her website and Instagram.
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Vibrant Patterns in Frances Priest’s Ceramics Emanate Historical and International Influences
by Aurelia Butler 3 July 2025, 16:00
“Byzantine.” Photos by Shannon Toft. All images courtesy of Frances Priest, shared with permission
Vibrant Patterns in Frances Priest’s Ceramics Emanate Historical and International Influences
July 3, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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In vibrant effusions of color, Frances Priest creates ceramic vessels, tiles, and sculptural forms that explore the possibilities of pattern. The Edinburgh-based artist’s interest in decorative motifs stems from a book she received as a child, The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones, originally published in 1856.
Jones compiled elaborate documentation of decorative motifs around Europe, the Middle East, and other regions represented in British museum collections of the time. An international focus has long inspired Priest, who incorporates a wide range of visual languages into her pieces.
Jar with a chevron pattern
Priest (previously) emphasizes geometry and color, merging ideas of precision with organic movement—some of the elements appear to be floating away or overlapping playfully with others rather than remaining in perfect alignment. She also continues the patterns across the bottoms of the pieces, emphasizing an all-around completeness.
Recent works include a series of cylindrical vessels with lids influenced by Chinese ginger jars. The artist recently completed a large-scale tile commission for Theatre Clwyd in North Wales titled “Stellar,” and a series of encaustic floral tiles dotted the floor of a garden at London’s 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
If you’re in Edinburgh, see Priest’s work at &Gallery in the forthcoming group exhibition Fragments, which runs from July 5 to 30. Find more on the artist’s Instagram and website, where some of the pieces shown here are available for purchase in her shop.
Jars with (L-R) triangle, chevron, and bow patterns
Detail of the triangle-patterned jar
“Wait”
Installation view of “Byzantine”
Detail of “Byzantine”
“Pace”
Jar with a bow pattern
Detail of “Byzantine”
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Explore Storytelling Through 300 Years of Quilts in ‘Fabric of a Nation’
by Aurelia Butler 25 June 2025, 18:38
Bisa Butler, “To God and Truth” (2019), print and resist-dyed cottons, cotton velvet, rayon satin, and knotted string, pieced, appliquéd, and quilted; 117 1/2 x 140 5/8 inches. Photos © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All images courtesy of Frist Art Museum, shared with permission
Explore Storytelling Through 300 Years of Quilts in ‘Fabric of a Nation’
June 25, 2025
ArtCraftHistory
Kate Mothes
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While we often associate quilts with their function as bedspreads or an enjoyable hobby, the roots of the craft run very deep. The art form has long been associated with storytelling, and numerous styles have enabled makers to share cultural symbols, memories, and autobiographical details through vibrant color and pattern.
African American quilters have significantly influenced the practice since the 17th century, when enslaved people began sewing scraps of fabric to make blankets for warmth. Through artists like Harriet Powers in the 19th century or the Gee’s Bend Quilters, this powerful mode of expression lives on in rich tapestries and textile works being made today.
Civil War Zouave Quilt (1863–64), wool plain weave and twill, cotton plain weave and other structures, leather; pieced, appliquéd, and embroidered with silk. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
A new exhibition titled Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston opens this week at the Frist Art Museum, surveying nearly 50 quilts from the MFA’s collection. Works span the 19th through 21st centuries, with bold textiles by contemporary artists like Bisa Butler included alongside Civil War-era examples and commemorative album quilts.
Stories play a starring role in Fabric of a Nation, which delves into the socio-political contexts in which the pieces were made and how narrative, symbolism, and autobiography shaped their compositions. For example, a unique Civil War quilt completed by an unknown maker in 1864 repurposes fabric from Zouave uniforms. Small panels featuring birds, soldiers on horseback, and the American flag transport us to a time when the U.S. had been at war for three years.
Another fascinating piece is another flag composition in which the stripes have been stitched with dozens of names, including Susan B. Anthony near the top of one of the central columns. Known as the “Hoosier Suffrage Quilt,” it’s thought to chronicle suffrage supporters.
More recently, Michael C. Thorpe’s untitled work features the bold appliquéd words “Black Man” over pieced batik fabrics. Butler’s large-scale “To God and Truth” is a colorful reimagining of an 1899 photograph. She transforms a black-and-white image into a vibrant, patterned portrait of the African American baseball team of Morris Brown College, Atlanta.
Fabric of a Nation opens on June 27 and continues through October 12 in Nashville. Find more and plan your visit on the museum’s website. You might also enjoy exploring more quilts by Black Southern makers or Stephen Townes’ embroidered tableaux of leisure in the Jim Crow South.
Michael C. Thorpe, Untitled (2020), printed cotton plain weave and batting; machine quilted, 20 x 16 inches
Hoosier Suffrage Quilt (before 1920), cotton plain weave, pieced, embroidered, and quilted. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Unidentified maker. Peacock Alley Chenille Bedspread (1930–40s), cotton plain weave, embroidered with cotton pile; 99 x 88 1/2 inches. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Baltimore album quilt (c. 1847–50), cotton plain weave, pieced, appliquéd, quilted, and embroidered ink. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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Ireland’s Oldest and Largest Medieval Book Shrine Goes on Public View for the First Time
by Aurelia Butler 24 June 2025, 21:41
Book shrine discovered at Lough Kinale, Tonymore North, County Longford, Ireland. All images courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland, shared with permission
Ireland’s Oldest and Largest Medieval Book Shrine Goes on Public View for the First Time
June 24, 2025
ArtBooksCraftHistory
Kate Mothes
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In an unassuming lake in Ireland’s northern County Longford, an unprecedented find emerged in 1986. Thanks to the sediments in the body of water, pieces of a unique, highly decorated metal object dating to the 9th century were remarkably preserved. And now, after a 39-year conservation project, the nation’s oldest and largest medieval book shrine is now on view.
Known as the Lough Kinale Book Shrine after its namesake lake, the object features a series of medallions with precious stone inserts, along with embellished metalwork in the form of a cross. Part of the exhibition Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, the stunning artifact is complemented by a number of pieces contemporary to its day.
Detail of the Lough Kinale book shrine
The shrine’s metal is bronze and encompasses an oak container, which would have held a treasured manuscript associated with a Christian saint. Used to convey the volume to various ceremonial activities, it also would have originally featured a leather strap to make it easier to transport.
Words on the Wave also includes a Viking sword uncovered in the River Shannon in Limerick and a beautiful example of a medieval brooch-pin, the Ardshanbally Brooch, which dates to the 8th or 9th century.
Thanks to scientific analysis, manuscripts on loan from the Abbey Library in St. Gall, Switzerland, have also been confirmed to have originated in Ireland. Researchers determined that the vellum pages were made from the hides of Irish cattle, and monks traveled with the books to Switzerland more than a thousand years ago. This exhibition marks the first time in more than a millennium that the illuminated tomes have resided in Ireland.
Words on the Wave continues in Dublin through October 24. Learn more and plan your visit on the museum’s website.
Irish Evangelary from St. Gall (Quatuor evangelia), Cod. Sang. 51, p. 78. © Stiftsbibliothek, St. Gallen
Detail of the Lough Kinale book shrine
Detail of the Lough Kinale book shrine
Detail showing St Matthew applying a scribal knife or scraper to a page and dipping his pen in an inkwell (Cod. Sang. 1395, p. 418). © Stiftsbibliothek, St. Gallen
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Sculptural Embroideries on Wood by Nosheen Iqbal Translate Architectural Motifs into Thread
by Aurelia Butler 18 June 2025, 21:17
“Botanical Allegory 11.” All images courtesy of Nosheen Iqbal, shared with permission
Sculptural Embroideries on Wood by Nosheen Iqbal Translate Architectural Motifs into Thread
June 18, 2025
ArtCraft
Grace Ebert
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Semicircles notched into smooth wooden panel structure Nosheen Iqbal’s floral embroideries. Laying colorful lines with impeccable precision, the Dallas-based artist (previously) creates vivid arabesques and geometric motifs that resemble those of her Pakistani and Islamic heritage.
Iqbal is interested in the interplay of light and shadow, which tends to be most prominent in the sunless sides of the three-dimensional forms. Delineating petals and leaves with small beads bolsters, their surfaces glimmering when illuminated. “As light moves across my pieces, it enhances the saturation of colors and emphasizes the intricate threadwork, shifting and revealing new dimensions,” she says.
“Botanical Allegory”
Evoking architecture, her series Botanical Allegory features several works with rounded edges and arch-like shapes. Blending ancient design and craft traditions mirrors the artist’s desire to bring seemingly disparate mediums, techniques, and ideas together. “Living in the West while holding Eastern heritage has driven me to innovate—merging elements from different art movements to create a blend that honors my roots while embracing new influences,” she adds.
Galleri Urbane in Dallas will show a collection of Iqbal’s works in the group exhibition roll the windows down from June 21 to August 8. Find more from the artist on Instagram.
Detail of “Botanical Allegory 5”
“Botanical Allegory 15”
Detail of “Botanical Allegory 14”
“Botanical Allegory 1”
Detail of “Botanical Allegory 1”
“Botanical Allegory 5” in progress
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Paper-Thin Porcelain Works by Mark Goudy Balance on Folds Inspired by Origami
by Aurelia Butler 10 June 2025, 13:16
All images courtesy of Mark Goudy, shared with permission
Paper-Thin Porcelain Works by Mark Goudy Balance on Folds Inspired by Origami
June 10, 2025
ArtCraftDesign
Kate Mothes
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From delicately folded paper, Berkeley-based ceramicist Mark Goudy draws inspiration for an ongoing series, Origami. He describes his work as “minimal forms with hidden complexity,” building on a love for simple yet elegant forms that reflect nature’s inherent geometries.
In meticulous sculptures that merge form and function, Goudy pulls from his experience as a 3D graphics hardware design engineer. Using algorithmic 3D software, he creates objects that nod to the art of Japanese paper folding. “Many of these forms are designed to balance on the folds—when set on a flat surface, they rock back and forth, naturally settling into their inherent point of equilibrium,” he says.
Goudy’s thin, translucent, slipcast pieces are made from black or white porcelain, which he occasionally colors by painting metallic salt watercolors directly onto the surface after they have been bisque fired. Salt soaks up and redistributes the pigment, which is further influenced by the texture and permeability of the material.
“As the metal salts soak into the porous clay body, they move and interact with each other,” the artist says. “And during the drying process, they naturally gradate and concentrate on the edges, highlighting the folds and ridges of my forms.”
Using only three metal salt pigments: gold, cobalt, and chromium, Goudy achieves various shades of red, blue, and green. “I am especially drawn to cobalt blue, a reference to the ineffable blue of water and distance,” he says. “I think of these objects as containers for light and atmosphere.”
Goudy’s work will be on view in the 63rd Faenza Prize for the International Biennial of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Faenza, Italy, from June 28 to November 30. See more of the artist’s work on his website and Instagram.
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Color Therapy: Explore the Colossal Shop’s New Summer Collection
by Aurelia Butler 5 June 2025, 19:54
Color Therapy: Explore the Colossal Shop’s New Summer Collection
June 5, 2025
ArtBooksColossalCraft
Jackie Andres
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Blazing orange sunsets linger upon lush green trees once again, marking longer days and the vibrant arrival of summer. The Colossal Shop’s new collection, Color Therapy, sets the tone for the warmer months ahead by celebrating radiant hues reflective of the season.
This edition of new products has been carefully curated to uplift your spirits and space, bringing you feel-good and functional products designed and conceived by talented creatives. Whether you’re eyeing jammy egg candles and risograph matchboxes for patio dinner parties, or you’re after beach day games and a journal to take along on vacation, there’s something for everyone.
We’re also happy to introduce a new way to skip shipping fees altogether for our Chicago folks. If you’re nearby, simply choose the “pick up in store” option at checkout to receive your items at Joy Machine. We’re always more than happy to say hi and reduce packaging waste (plus, you can spend some time with the art on our walls!).
Dive into some our fresh picks below.
Fill Your Space with Bright Summer Energy
If detail-oriented domestic goods are your jam, you’ll love our new homey additions. Handcrafted ceramic pieces, locally made matchboxes, and artist-designed storage systems are just the tip of the iceberg! We’ve got an entire trove of small luxuries for you to explore.
Brushstrokes and Bulletpoint Lists
Handmade in their Des Moines, Iowa studio, each of Moglea’s notebooks are truly one-of-a-kind. Every A6 journal features hand painted front and back covers, high-quality wire binding, and an elastic closure. They’re truly perfect for for on-the-go adventures.
Handy Tools for Budding Artists
Alongside a restock of our building block pocket crayons is a new stamp kit! Layer forms, stack, overlap them to create landscapes and subjects, or apply them abstractly and rhythmically to conjure patterns. Inspire the young artist in your life to see the world through shape and color with these adorable art supplies.
Pressing Petals in Your Pocket
Whether you’re taking up flower pressing as a new summer hobby or you’ve been practicing the craft for years, Studio Wald’s pocket flower presses will make your life easier. Flatten and dry your favorite flowers as you roam during your evening walks and extensive backpacking journeys.
Chromatic Competition
Leisure time means game time. Pack your beach bag with a set of waterproof playing cards and a stowable game of Four-in-a-Row, while donning a striking bandana that doubles as a Snakes and Ladders game board. Functional and fashionable!
Share the Sky with Someone Far Away
Before you embark on your travels, don’t forget to pack these postcards from artist Macarena Ruiz-Tagle. Simply hold the Cyanometer, Sunset, or Air Pollution postcard up to the sky and peer through, mark the corresponding hue, and share a thought or two before dropping it in the mail.
Lunch or Lists?
Deli slices, eggs, toast, pasta, olives…. sounds a lot like your grocery list, doesn’t it? Make errands more fun with these sticky note samplers from artist Mel Andrel, who blurs the lines between productivity and play.
As always, visit the Colossal Shop for more.
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Kandy G. Lopez Embroiders Striking, Life-Size Yarn Portraits Highlighting BIPOC Narratives
by Aurelia Butler 8 May 2025, 15:30
Detail of “City Girls” (2025), yarn, acrylic, and spray paint on hook mesh canvas, 102 x 168 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and ACA Galleries, shared with permission
Kandy G. Lopez Embroiders Striking, Life-Size Yarn Portraits Highlighting BIPOC Narratives
May 8, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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On large swaths of colorful mesh, Kandy G. Lopez embroiders large-scale portraits of people from historically marginalized communities. “Her works are created out of the necessity to learn something new about her people and culture,” says a statement.
Drawing on her Afro-Caribbean ancestry, the Fort Lauderdale-based artist celebrates the style, culture, and heritage of individuals as a way to build connections and generate dialogue around representation.
“R² – Roscoe and Reggie” (2024), yarn and acrylic paint on hook mesh, 90 x 60 inches
Lopez began working with mesh and fiber almost ten years ago, but she began to approach it more seriously as a major tenet of her practice in 2021 while an artist-in-residence at The Hambidge Center in Georgia. “As a painter, my backgrounds were minimal. Sometimes they would have monochromatic cityscapes,” Lopez tells Colossal, “So, leaving the background rare is something I’m familiar with.”
Visibility, presence, and representation are vital to the artist’s work. In each composition, she centers vibrantly dressed, life-size figures so their gazes directly meet the viewer. Through the use of material and metaphor — like layered threads suggesting how BIPOC individuals “disappear and reappear” — she intertwines notions of community, resilience, and narrative. “I love the connections and stories that the individuals tell but also how the stories narrate the material,” she says.
The gridded backgrounds evoke associations with neighborhood street patterns and the overlapping layers of woven warp and weft. “I also love the metaphor in transparency, layers, and vulnerability,” the artist says, sharing that she sometimes still incorporates cityscapes painted onto the mesh.
Lopez is represented by ACA Galleries. See more on her website and Instagram.
“Reyna” (2025), yarn and spray paint on hook mesh canvas, 96 x 60 inches
“City Girls” (2025), yarn, acrylic, and spray paint on hook mesh canvas, 102 x 168 inches
“Rohan” (2023), yarn and acrylic paint on hook mesh, 96 x 60 inches
“Miami” (2025), yarn and spray paint on hook mesh canvas, 96 x 60 inches
“Rohan” (2023), yarn and acrylic paint on hook mesh, 96 x 60 inches
Detail of “Reyna”
Installation view of “Tayina”
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Craft

More stories

From Velvet and Vintage Textiles, Larysa Bernhardt Embroiders Otherworldly Moths

Vibrant Patterns in Frances Priest’s Ceramics Emanate Historical and International Influences

Explore Storytelling Through 300 Years of Quilts in ‘Fabric of a Nation’

Ireland’s Oldest and Largest Medieval Book Shrine Goes on Public View for the First Time

Sculptural Embroideries on Wood by Nosheen Iqbal Translate Architectural Motifs into Thread

Paper-Thin Porcelain Works by Mark Goudy Balance on Folds Inspired by Origami

Color Therapy: Explore the Colossal Shop’s New Summer Collection

Kandy G. Lopez Embroiders Striking, Life-Size Yarn Portraits Highlighting BIPOC Narratives

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