Artist – Sharon dipity
Heavens Embroidered Cloths
Skibbereen Community Hospital
Arts for Health participants at Skibbereen Community Hospital worked with visual artist Sharon dipity to create embroidered artworks inspired by famous artists and the W.B. Yeats Poem ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’.
A project in four parts, the group first began by looking at enlarged drawings by famous artists. Using viewfinders, participants chose sections of the drawings to try out different qualities of line. They experimented with pencil, charcoal, and black marker pens. Sharon hoped these marks could be used to inform the stitching, and show that stitching does not need to be formal. The group also looked at examples of embroidered artworks by contemporary artists, showing how they have used stitches and appliques in expressive and interesting ways.
In part two, participants created paintings onto circular watercolour paper with vibrant coloured inks of their choice. Residents then used fabric paint on unbleached muslin to recreate their ink paintings. Together the group read the poem ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’ by W.B. Yeats. The imagery and sentiment of the poem inspired the group as they worked. One participant joined the session for the first time because he liked the poem. The participant’s son sat with him throughout the afternoon, amazed by his work.
Final touches
In the last part of the project, participants stitched and added fabric scraps, ribbons and other embellishments. Rather than responding to the mark-making from the drawings to create the stitches, participants worked more freely, responding to their paintings instead. The fabric was stretched over embroidery hoops, which were also used to frame the pieces. The residents created embroideries redolent of the cloths described by Yeats, with the light cast from the rich golds, the opulent ribbons, glittering threads and sequins which adorn the painted and stained muslin backgrounds.
Residents chose to display the artworks in their rooms.
Timeframe
This project took place from February to July 2025.
Testimonies
This project was supported by the Arts for Health Partnership Programme, West Cork.
Images by Sharon dipity.