Traditional Technique Meets Modern Pixel Art: Needlepoint Urban Landscapes by Michelle Hamer

My Hurt Hurts – Needlework by Michelle Hamer

Contemporary needlework patterns, like you’d find in a craft supply store, often use rural themes and “cute” subjects, but Australian artist Michelle Hamer uses hand-stitching to create pictures of billboards, chain-link fences, traffic signs, bridges, buses, and other unexpected urban sights. Needlepoint is a traditional technique that dates back thousands of years, but it is effectively a form of what we now call “pixel art.” Hamer takes photographs, then manually translates these images onto perforated plastic canvas: basically digitizing them with her eyes alone.  She says on her website that her work highlights “contemporary social beliefs, ideals and aspirations” through her choice of subject matter, and “ironic romanticism” through her technique.

We're All Gonna Die – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Exit Only – Needlework by Michelle Hamer My Hurt Hurts  – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Know Your Enemy  – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Reduce Speed Now – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Can't – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Only a Little Bit Over – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Needlework by Michelle Hamer Slowing Down Won't Kill You – Needlework by Michelle Hamer Long Delays Expected – Needlework by Michelle Hamer

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Tom is a writer, artist, and multi-media guru from Pennsylvania, U.S. He holds a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication, but he has also taken several university-level courses in fine arts, art appreciation, graphic design, printmaking, and Asian art. He has been blogging for Monde Mosaic since February 2014.

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