by Beth Maiden
Why bilingual?
If you’re reading this from outside the UK you may not recognise the Welsh language, but it is a core part of everyday life here in mid-Wales where Penny has made her home and sources most of her materials. Ultimately this project is about hearing voices that have been marginalised or misunderstood, and as such the language of this land - with its own history of colonisation - will be proudly shared.
When Penny Tristram’s embroidered rendition of Van Gogh’s ‘Wheat Field with Cypresses’ received a glowing response during 2020’s lockdown, she was encouraged to create more, next creating a hand-stitched homage to Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s ‘The Swing’. Now, with funding from Arts Council of Wales, she is developing the project into a full series. Along with a small team, Penny is this month launching Old Mistress: a series of ten great pre-20th century paintings reimagined with needle and thread.
“Old Mistress is my chance to make further interpretations of lovely old paintings. I'm excited about this opportunity as without the support of the Arts Council of Wales and a wonderful creative team, this series would likely have remained a frustrated idea rather than being stitched into reality.”
As well as offering a valuable space for developing Penny’s skills as a textile artist, Old Mistress is an exercise in historic revisionism. Rather than embroidering only the most famous ‘old masters’ (almost exclusively painted by white men) she turned her attention to some of the great women and black artists of the period, whose stories will be far less familiar to most.
The Westwood Children, c. 1807, Joshua Johnson
For example, Joshua Johnson (US, c.1763–c.1821) grew up in slavery without easy access to the education, materials or safety net relied on by most budding artists. Upon receiving his freedom at the age of 19, Johnson set up as a self-taught freelance portrait painter, moving frequently to follow his wealthy customers around the US, and painting in a distinctive ‘naive’ style unusual for the period. Despite the immense obstacles he faced, he is considered the earliest Black American to have forged a successful career as an artist, though little is known about his fascinating life, undoubtedly due to his race and class.
By contrast Berthe Morisot (France, 1841–1895) was born into a wealthy, well-connected family and educated in the arts, and went on to become a much-celebrated painter. Despite the fame she achieved, she felt the impact of sexism, complaining in her diary that she was not taken seriously as an artist compared to her male peers. Her pictures were described as ‘full of feminine charm’, her experimental approach to brushwork and colour considered ‘light’.
Woman at her Toilette, 1875, Berthe Morisot
By choosing to centre and recreate the works of marginalised artists alongside the more famous ‘old masters’, Penny contributes to a re-telling of art history that challenges and unpicks the colonial and patriarchal narratives we are commonly taught, particularly about who we recognise as ‘great’ artists. As Penny explains, “the artists I’m choosing did well in their lifetimes and were recognised for their work, so the series challenges the notion that there were no successful women artists or artists of colour back in the day, and addresses the current relatively low understanding of these artists.”
The project also blurs the lines between ‘art’ and ‘craft’ - the former considered the elevated preserve of the rich, the latter being something done for domestic or commercial labour; typically the creations of women and working class people. Penny’s embroidery hoop and thread echo the artistic medium of women confined to domestic spaces across the centuries. Her incorporation of beads created from beach litter and her use of old bedsheets as canvas recognise the resourcefulness of artists without the backing of wealthy families or patrons.
As a disabled and neurodiverse artist, Penny is glad of the opportunity to be decently paid and given breathing room for work that is slow and painstaking, yet can be done from home, on her own schedule. “I came to embroidery after looking for media that would allow me to work lying down, reclining or standing up, rather than just sitting at a desk, which I can't manage for extended periods” she says.
Penny’s studio in Machynlleth, mid-Wales
Penny at home
Old Mistress will feature ten great paintings by a range of artists - five of which will be completed this autumn. In these first weeks, Penny’s work is focused on researching and development of the project - this includes shortlisting possible artists and work, finding commonality and cohesion between paintings, and consulting with other artists about how their stories might be told. Alongside this, she has already begun work on the embroideries themselves.
Check back next month for an update on the project and a sneak peek at the embroideries in progress! And don’t forget to follow Penny on her Instagram page @pennytristram and on TikTok @pennytristram.